# When should baby goats be weined off Mom



## red hott farmer (Nov 13, 2006)

We have 3 baby goats ! all born with in the past 3 months. 2 of them born 10 weeks ago and the third born on Thanksgiving day. i am just wondering for mom's sake? Should I wein the goats or let mom take care of business.

Also does the Dad or mom determine the baby sex of the goat? or does it matter or is it just random?


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## lyceum (Oct 20, 2006)

Weaning age depends on the breeder. Everyone has their own preference. We wean at 10+ weeks. We like the babies to stay on milk as long as possible. Usually bottle babies are 12+ weeks. Kids left on mom may be younger.

Sex of kids is determined by the dad. Mom carries XX chromosomes and dad XY. Males are XY, females XX. 

Carisa


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## AllWolf (Dec 27, 2005)

I do agree everyone has different opioins when to wean their baby goats. So let them be with mom until mother is ready to wean and others do it other ways. 

Good Luck.


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## PygmyLover (Oct 12, 2006)

depending on if you want to bred mom back at any particular time, I would just let her do it. She knows when she has had enough.


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## DocM (Oct 18, 2006)

I have three does with doelings born April, still psuedo nursing, heh heh. Moms have been dry for 2 months, but they still let the kids nurse.They have to scrunch way over. I have a 16 month old colt, nearly as tall as mom, still nurses. I guess we are attachment farmers.


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## TC (Jun 22, 2005)

I let the mom decide when to wean. Some does will wean around 2 or 3 months old, some will let them nurse until they kid again. Most of my does seem to wean closer to the 12 week mark, however.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I wean dam raised kids at 8+ weeks, and bottle babies get weaned at 12+ weeks. 

Sex is determined by the buck, due to the doe having only X sex chromosomes. Each egg gets one, so all eggs are either X, or X, hehe. With bucks, exactly half are X and exactly half are Y. But it's random. I've been lucky with my buck, 7 of 8 kids born have been doelings.  But it's just luck. I have a feeling someday I'll get all bucklings from that boy.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

My does with kids did not wean them until last month, all kids 8 months old plus. They had to get on their knees to nurse  . I used to tape the dam's teats over night and milk them, but when I stopped, they naturally weaned the kids probably because they were heavily into their estrus cycles, and weren't receiving the quantity of grain they did while milking for me. I also heard on this forum that settled does will wean nursing "adolescents" as their teats are sensitive due to pregnancy hormones.


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## computerchick (Jun 24, 2005)

Yep, breeder's preference. I keep my does that I'm retaining on mom up to about 6 months. Helps skip the creep feeders, and I've found those doelings are more robust, worm free and just all around nicer than the others. Also helps mom balance out her hormones. In 'free run' herds, this is about the time does would wean off their kids on their own. (also in the wild).

Boys have to come off much sooner for obvious reasons. About 10 weeks.

And yes, up to the buck. You'll find some folks 'changing out' bucks because they throw too many boys!

Andrea


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## momofmany (Feb 23, 2005)

DocM said:


> I guess we are attachment farmers.


LOL I did not have the heart to actually milk my first doe ever, because I wanted her to be a mom first and a milker later...just never got around to making that milking stand....so I paid my boarding fees to get my goat share milk instead. Now her baby is as big as she is and still nursing even though she looks silly on her knees. But I nurse my own children for about 2 years, so .....sigh.....
I am an attachment farmer too, I guess...


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## Lizi (May 21, 2006)

Oh, let mom do it! My Boer doe nursed her boy until he was 7 months old and almost as big as her!


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