weanign goats, vet's advice

[aggieterpkatie]

I wean my lambs and kids at 8 weeks. I've never seen any ill-effects from weaning then, and I've weaned some big lambs at that age. The lambs/kids' rumens are fully functioning at that point, and feeding grain and hay will provide them with the proper nutrition they need. You can wait to wean them, but like it's been mentioned before, it makes more economical sense to dry the dam up and feed the lamb/kid. Yes, my animals are my "pets" but they're also earning their keep. I don't have the money to waste on feeding the dam extra food so the kids/lambs can nurse longer than needed. JMO.

And I have NEVER seen a sheep or goat wean their lambs/kids on their own. Yes, they may walk away but I've never seen them totally stop the kid from nursing. I'm sorry, but it's rather hard for them to get away when they're typically confined in a small area (compared to that of a deer). Heck, I weaned my lambs at 8 weeks. Separated them from mom for 2 weeks. She dried up, I sold the ewe lamb, and the ram lamb went back out on pasture with mom. He didn't do it for a long time, but now he still tries to nurse now and then. I'm not worried about it because she's dry and he can't be getting much of anything at all. He'll be separated as soon as I build a pen for him and my buck, but the ewe sure isn't trying to stop him from nursing. The ram lamb is now almost 4 months old and over half the size of the ewe.

 

[chubbydog811]

I agree with aggieterpkatie. Although that 10-12 weeks is recommended, I wean mine at 8 weeks. Economically, it is more efficient - mine are dairy goats, and unless I can get the milk from them, I dont really see the point of them. They are my pets, but they need to help pay for themselves also.
Dam raised kids get really rough on the dam's udder as they get older... For my doe, being a dairy that I was planning on milking, I didn't want the kid injuring the udder.
It is even less efficient if you need to keep them on the dam for 3-4 months if you are planning on selling them. Bottle babies arent as bad selling wise, they just take milk that could be going into your food or paying for goat feed if you sell it.

I know for a smaller herd (under 5) it might be easier to wean them late, but when you have 10 or more does, that gets a bit crazy!

Anyway, everyone has their own view about it...It's one of those things where really everyone is right in their own.

 

[babsbag]

Last year I had my first kids born and they were dam raised. One of the kids nursed until she was about 7 months old. I would milk once a day and she took the rest. Mom was well fed and it didn't seem to bother her condition as I would have taken the milk if the little darling kid had left it for me. Finally when I quit milking in December she decided she had enough of it and weaned her kid.

Since I don't have seperate long term pasture or pens for my goats I really have to just leave it up to mom to decide when enough is enough. I do seperate them at night starting at about 1 month and I only milk once a day, in the morning. The kids get the rest.

This is really just a hobby for me and I do not depend on the milk. It is just a bonus of having some real fun animals.

 

[Beekissed]

I'll be trying self-weaning with my sheep and will see how things go along....I think one would have to cull their herd for good mothering instincts in order to do this effectively.

I was reading a blog about someone doing this with cattle and they had a cow that rejected her new calf in favor of the older one.

As much as possible, I would like to raise my sheep without too much interference in their natural cycles and behaviors.

I guess its one of those things where you try it to see if its possible before you take the word of someone who doesn't know your flock, your pasture, your world. Then, if it doesn't work out like you planned, you adjust your methods, cull for this trait, etc.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I'll be trying self-weaning with my sheep and will see how things go along....I think one would have to cull their herd for good mothering instincts in order to do this effectively.

I was reading a blog about someone doing this with cattle and they had a cow that rejected her new calf in favor of the older one.

As much as possible, I would like to raise my sheep without too much interference in their natural cycles and behaviors.

I guess its one of those things where you try it to see if its possible before you take the word of someone who doesn't know your flock, your pasture, your world. Then, if it doesn't work out like you planned, you adjust your methods, cull for this trait, etc.

Yeah, I'd be really hesitant to cull for a trait like not self-weaning you kids/lambs. IMO, you WANT a good mother, one that wants to be around her kids/lambs and wants to nurse them. I think it'd be real easy to cull the good mothers out just because *most* mothers don't want to wean. It's super easy to wean by separating, but not so easy to convince a mother to take care of her lambs/kids.

I'm curious to see how yours do.

 

[babsbag]

My doe that had the kid nursing for 7 months had twins about a month ago and she only wants to let one nurse. I have to hold her and literally stand between her and the baby so it can nurse. The kid has learned to hit mom while she has her head in the grain bucket. She also hits on her aunties when they are eating.

When my small herd is out lounging in the pasture all the does are with their kids, accept her. She hangs with her yearling kid and pretty much ignores her new kids. She will call to them, and gets a little stressed when I lock the little buckling up away from her, but she clearly prefers last year's kid to this year's.

I wonder if that is because she nursed for so long.

DH told me a few months ago that he saw a cow with a nursing calf, and the calf had a nursing calf on her. Talk about self-weaning not working.
I was half-way expecting that with my goat.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

DH told me a few months ago that he saw a cow with a nursing calf, and the calf had a nursing calf on her. Talk about self-weaning not working.
I was half-way expecting that with my goat.

That's another thing to think about, especially with dairy animals. YOu don't want the adults stealing milk! That would stink.

 

[glenolam]

I'm jumping in here way late, but I've been keeping up with the posts and decided to chime in...

I have two 8 wks old kids who are being weaned by their mother right now. I notice that when they try to nurse she kicks them away or walks off. She might let them get a sip and that's that. The girls are eating grain, hay, water, minerals, etc., just like the others.

Last year the same doe had her wether and I let her wean him herself and he nursed until he was 7 mos old! I wasn't milking her at the time so she was only supplying enough for him. She definitely didn't seem to want to push him off at all - not like she is pushing the girls off.

Her condition never failed or got bad when she let her wether nurse that long. And she's in great condition with her twins, but I feed her 3 1/2 cups of grain so she'll stay "beefed" up (excuse the expression - I just mean I don't want her to loose any weight or condition).

I will wean the girls this weekend at 8 1/2 wks old because I am confident they are OK with everything they've been eating (with one exception that you can read up on another post). I would like to have more milk per day and with twins on her as well as me I'm afraid that will cause her health to go downhill.

IMO - it's probably like brestfeeding your own babies. Some people say 6 weeks and switch to formula, some say 6 months - I had a friend who nursed her daughter until she was 18 mos old! It's all preference and gut feelings, I guess.

 

[Beekissed]

I've known people who breast fed clear up past 2-3 years of age! Even knew one who was still getting out a breast for a 6 year old...he would stand next to the couch and nurse....

Talk about emotional scarring....

I'm wondering if one could let lambs or kids nurse and only wean about a month before new lambs are born. Sort of like the dry off period for dairy cattle. This would give those lambs a real good start in life for up to 6-12 months. If the ewe hadn't self-weaned in that time, it would be a good time to do some line weaning and letting Mom get in condition before new lambs were born.

I think this would give the ewe ample time to self-wean or not, give the lamb ample milk for good growth and bonding time and still not risk stories like the previous posts.

Sound reasonable?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I've known people who breast fed clear up past 2-3 years of age! Even knew one who was still getting out a breast for a 6 year old...he would stand next to the couch and nurse....

Talk about emotional scarring....

I'm wondering if one could let lambs or kids nurse and only wean about a month before new lambs are born. Sort of like the dry off period for dairy cattle. This would give those lambs a real good start in life for up to 6-12 months. If the ewe hadn't self-weaned in that time, it would be a good time to do some line weaning and letting Mom get in condition before new lambs were born.

I think this would give the ewe ample time to self-wean or not, give the lamb ample milk for good growth and bonding time and still not risk stories like the previous posts.

Sound reasonable?

I think that sounds like a plan! Maybe make it 2 months prior to lambing. It's cutting it close leaving only a month. The last month is when the fetus(es) really start growing. I'd leave a month to get her in condition before the last month of gestation. If she's in poor condition only a month prior, it opens up the door for issues like hypocalcemia.