Weaning?

[Iwantgoats]

Hi everyone,

Have two kids that are to be weaned. The bottle fed baby was easy! The one I am worried about is the one momma has. They are nine weeks and still nursing. She also eats hay and grain. I do put kids in separate stall at night so I can milk in the morning. We were thinking of leaving them all together but I am afraid I won't have milk in the morning. Any suggestions from anyone who has done this before? This is our first batch of kids. Thanks!

 

[20kidsonhill]

Pretty much you just have to do it, since it would be several weeks, they would need a pen area big enough to get some sunshine and exercise, but secured well enough that they can't keep getting out. It is a lot easier on them, if the mom isn't right on the other side of the pen, so we have built pens around the side of our barn. You can use dog houses or calf huts for shelter. Not sure what your exact barn set-up is. We never put our younger does back in with the mom's, because we feed them differently. I am not sure how long it is before a doe being milked will not allow a weaned kid to no longer nurse, we don't milk. It takes around 3 to 4 weeks for our does to dry up enough to not let the babies nurse.

 

[Georgiamainers]

Same here, we're trying to wean our buckling that's 9 weeks. I was only separating him at night, but now I've started to separate him at around 1:00 in the afternoon and milk mama at night as well as in the morning. Right now he gets her between 7am and 1 pm, so hopefully eventually she'll start kicking him away. Not likely, he likes his milk!!!!!

 

[elevan]

You'll need to start separating the kid(s) for a longer amount of time or if they are eating grain and hay well some people just completely pull them. Once they are off for a couple of weeks them mom shouldn't let them nurse again. Some dams will stop allowing them to nurse with less of a time separation.

 

[Ariel301]

I've found in my herd that dam-raised kids have to be away from the does for several months before they can safely be put back together. The kids just seem to remember who their moms are and where to get milk, and they will chase and pester the does until they corner them and get what they want.

 

[babsbag]

My dam raised kids nursed for 7 months, until their moms went into heat. And then when the doe kidded last years kid tried to nurse again and mom let her. Fortunately she had a kid of her own a few days later and she forgot about her mom. Unbelievable.

The first year I had goats I did not separate them at night and I was always racing to get to the milk before the kids did, I usually lost. And a 7 month old kid drinks A LOT of milk, and they get fat on it too. Last year I only milked in the morning and let the kids get whatever they wanted for however long mom would let them, after I was done. Some weaned at 4 months, some went longer. I had enough milk so I didn't mind.

My DH tells me he saw a calf nursing on its mom and another calf nursing on the calf, go figure.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

In my experience with cattle, goats, and sheep, the moms will never really wean the babies on their own. They'll always let the babies come nurse, even if the babies are as big as they are.

IMO, cold turkey weaning is the way to go. Preferrably leave the babies where they are and move the moms out of sight and earshot. Or, you can move the babies if you'd rather leave the moms where they are. They will both be noisy for several days, but eventually they'll settle down.