to milk out or not to milk out?

[timbuti]

All instructions I've come across so far says you're done milking when the udder is empty, and I've taken extra care to empty it well on my doe whose kid died in labour (seriously bad position). Then I heard that women who pump their breast milk make sure there is some milk left, to avoid a milk surge. Now I'm wondering if that doe would have less discomfort from a quickly refilling udder if I didn't quite milk her out. (And also, if at some stage I can get to milking her only once a day instead of twice). Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!

 

[Bellshillbillyacres]

When I am milking I pretty much milk them out, you don't have to squeeze every single drop out, there are some who milk once a day, my doe was a high producer and I had to milk her twice a day.

 

[Chirpy]

I always milk out but don't "strip" the teats at the end of milking. I feel that stripping can be damaging to her teats.

Amazingly, even when you milk out a doe - within a few moments she still has milk for her hungry babies! I separate my kids at night (after they are 2 weeks old) so that I get the doe's milk in the mornings. I milk her out and then put her with her babies. They instantly start to feed and... they get milk. Does know how to 'hold' some milk back for their little ones.

Even when the babies are weaned and I'm milking twice a day I milk them all the way out. If you leave milk the doe will slowly reduce her milk supply because her body will believe that it's not all needed (this is how a doe dries herself off if there is no human intervention -- as the kids start drinking less -- the milk supply slowly diminishes).

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

I always milk out but don't "strip" the teats at the end of milking.

yep

your doe might have a "secondary let down" which means she's holding some of her milk in. you might want to let her stand there a minute and keep eating and then make sure there are no more squeezes left.

and yep. milking is 'on demand' so if you leave some it might signal that more is not needed and she might decrease her supply. goats have "milking curve" anyway - that is... less is needed at the end of the season so you may not want to rush this by leaving milk.

 

[Ariel301]

I always milk mine until nothing more comes out. If you leave milk in the udder, it signals to her that their babies are not eating as much as she is producing, so she can cut back.

Like others already said, a lot of them will even hold milk back from you. I have a doe who does this, she loves babies so much that she will feed ANY baby (or even another doe! ). When I milk her, I have to milk her "empty" then go feed the chickens while she's still on the stand, and come back and milk her again because she dropped the milk she had hidden. When I put her back in the pen, she will even drop some more after two milkings.

Milking once a day is fine, if that is all you want to do, then just start milking her once a day. She will only produce half as much milk though.

 

[timbuti]

Thanks a lot, everybody! Since no one mentioned an increased risk of mastitis from leaving milk in the udder, even with no kids to nurse, it seems safe to gradually reduce her milk production and increase my convenience
I have a total of 9 to hand-milk, so plenty of both work and milk.

 

[Roll farms]

I've been trying to dry off a kicky togg for 3 mos.

I've left milk in her udder, for up to 2 days...and she STILL won't start to dry off.
Her production now matches a month ago...with me only taking 1/2 out.

I completely milk out the does who's production I want to keep up.
Dazzle purposely holds her milk back as long as she can, so she can stay on the stand / eat longer.