Questions about milk goats

[georgialee]

I have just recently started thinking about getting some goats for milk. Am I right that they only produce milk after they kid? So this means you either have to bottke feed the baby or sell it to someone that will? Does anyone care to explain the whole process to me? Thanks!

 

[Roll farms]

Yes, they produce milk once they kid.
If they're a heavy producer, you AND the kid can get enough milk...OR
You can sell the kid as a bottle baby, once the doe's done producing colostrum...the kid needs it and you don't want to drink it anyway. Most does only produce it for 12-36 hours, but some will have a little in their milk for up to a week.
We catch all kids at birth to raise CAE prevention (google it if you want more info), milk out the colostrum, heat treat it, feed it to the kids, then sell the kids we aren't keeping at around 1 week of age once they've been disbudded and had a CDT vaccine. We pasteurize all milk.
I've found the does cry a lot less if the kids are taken at birth, than they do if taken 1 day and especially 3 months later.
So we just don't let them see the kids.
Lots of people just keep the kids on the dam and take the extra milk though.
We choose to do the CAE prev. method but it's not the only way.
Once they dry up (and ea. doe's lactation is different, length-wise) you will have to breed them / deal w/ kids again to get milk again.
Some folks milk them through but since we're breeding for strong kids and want volume w/ our milk, we dry them up early and let them have time off every year.
Just how we do things, not the only or best way.

 

[Griffin's Ark]

I was going to post, but you have a great answer already. We leave the kids on the momma for 8 weeks then start milking. If you only have one milker though that would not be the best option. The Post above has all the rest of the answers though.

Chris

 

[Rence]

I leave the kids with their dam until eight weeks (even longer if I'm keeping the doelings).

What I do is, after two weeks of age, I separate the kids from their dams and put them together in a "kid pen" overnight. Then I milk the does in the morning and let the kids and their dams together all day until evening, when I separate the kids again.

If the doe is producing a lot of milk, or producing more than her kid(s) are drinking, I'll start that early. I had one doe with a very big buckling that I started milk sharing after three days. She had more than enough for him and me from the beginning.

 

[freemotion]

A great place to do some research is www.fiascofarm.com. I learned so much at that site. They are geared more towards "natural" methods, but do acknowledge different ways of doing things. Very useful.

 

[Chirpy]

If you want to start out with milk immediately then you can buy a doe already in milk. Meaning, she's being milked now and you just continue that. Most does will continue providing a good amount of milk for at least 6 months after freshening (having their babies); sometimes you'll get a doe who will dry herself off sooner than that (meaning she just stops producing milk or her production level goes way down and it isn't worth it for you to continue to milk her). I had a doe who was still giving over a gallon a day when I dried her off after 13 months of milking. I've heard of does producing even longer than that.

I also like to give my girls a rest and always dry them off at least 2 months (3 is better) before they are due to kid again.

Once a doe kids you have several options concerning what to do with the babies:
1) Pull them off her and bottle feed them yourself or sell them immediately to someone else to bottle raise.
2) Leave them with momma until they are 8 to 12 weeks old and then wean them and either keep them or sell them.
3) Leave them with momma until she weans them herself.
4) Use them for meat yourself or sell them for meat to someone else.
5) Put them down.

Different areas of the country get higher or lower amounts for kids; you'd need to check your area to see if you have a market available to sell them and what breeds are in higher demand. You generally get more money for purebreds or registered goats. But, a mix (two dairy goat breeds bred together) goat often gives more milk than purebreds.

Make sure you get two goats as they are very social and need the company of another goat to keep them happiest. If you only want to milk one then get a milk doe and a wether. Or, get two does but only breed one. Don't get a buck. They are not worth the additional issues related to bucks, IMO, unless you have ten or so does to be bred yourself.

 

[mycritters]

I follow the same routine as Rence. I just put the kids in a stall together and the moms in in stalls next to the kids. They sleep side by side and can touch noses,and see each other, just can't nurse. This seems to keep stress at a minimum and very little crying goes on. It works well here.
It's amazing how many options you have and with goats they seem to fall into what works best for you and your farm ,fairly well.
Hope we are all helping...