# How soon after kidding to milk the doe?



## Narnia75 (May 16, 2015)

When should we start milking the does after kidding, and when do we milk them out completely?

Thanks for your help in advance!


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## punchiepal (Oct 11, 2008)

Dam raising or bottle?


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## Narnia75 (May 16, 2015)

Dam for the most part. Supplementing with bottle, due to kids not being able to get enough milk because Dam's teats are hanging so low to the ground from being too full.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Milk out the doe if she's so bagged up. Will help her production and you'll get colostrum in your freezer for use in the future. It's liquid gold. 

I bottle raise exclusively, and I get them up on the stand to milk as soon as they can. I'll milk does on the ground if they're a little sore after kidding. I try to get to milking them out within an hour or two of kidding.


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## Narnia75 (May 16, 2015)

Thank you!


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## Farmers Pride (Feb 26, 2011)

I do the same. On the stand as soon as I can get her on it. Often times within the first hour if she is up to it. It's a good time to make sure teats are open and clear and gives her a chance to hydrate and get some feed in her. If she has lots of colostrum freeze some for emergencies later on. For milk for the table most will let the kids eat all day and milk the doe out one time a day in the morning or evening. As the kids grow and start to wean you get more and more for yourself. 
I normally bottle all the kids as well so I take it all from day one. A doe with a managed udder and milked out completely twice a day stays really nice and produces the maximum amount of milk. Doe's that are allowed to raise kids will tend to make only what the kids need. A supply and demand thing. Not a bad thing, but after a while she will stay on that production schedule and tend to produce less over time as a high demand was never put on her. If you only want a little milk and are not concerned about how long her lactation is that may be the way to do it. If you want milk all year and are willing to make the commitment to milking twice a day for the next 280 days or more rain or shine bottle raising is the way to go. You get it all and she is put on a schedule that will allow her to produce the most she physically and genetically can. I have also found that the first freshening on a doe kind of sets the pace for future freshening's. Sounds silly, but if she was not milked to her potential her first year her years following may not be as good as they could have been had she been out on a milking schedule and milked out completely every day. 

Greg


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## Narnia75 (May 16, 2015)

Thank you. I wish I had this info prior to kidding... A friend said to milk them only half-way and leave the milk for the kids. Now the 5 year old doe has mostly tissue and not that much milk, although she looks gorged. She kidded at 3:00 a.m. on Wed. This is Thursday.

Our first freshener did not get milked down until today, and she kidded on Monday night. I hope that we have not ruined these does already!

I did Dr. Naylor's Mastitis indicator on the 5 year old doe today, and the bigger side showed yellow and the smaller side showed slightly green. How accurate are these? Should we have her milk tested?


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## Farmers Pride (Feb 26, 2011)

Well I have never used the blotter tests so I can't speak to them. The CMT I have used and trust the results. 
The caution on the blotter test tells me it has a very small window to be accurate. The weeks after freshening it looks like accuracy is not there as during the dry off period. CMT has been accurate for me during the entire lactation. Just my experience. 
*
Caution(s):* The colormetric test should not be relied upon during a period of two or three weeks after freshening and before drying off.

Milk them out as much as you can and still leave enough for the kids. Some doe's have what we call a fleshy udder meaning they have allot of flesh and the udder seems firm even when milked out. It doesn't mean she has a problem. It's just the way she is. Some milk out and have a very loose and floppy udder. Some milk out and still have a smaller, but firm udder. I don't worry unless I get very little milk and the udder does not get smaller as I go and feels hot. Swollen teats and difficulty milking what looks engorged I start testing. If they do have mastitis they are difficult to milk and many times act like it is painful. 

Trying to guess what the kids to eat and what they do not eat is tricky. Best practice is to pick a milking. Morning or evening. Take your pick and milk her out, but be consistent about it . Unless she has a problem she will recover and still make enough to feed kids in most cases. Milking part way out and leaving some behind is a guess at best and can lead to a short lactation because the demand goes down or is inconsistent. Some people don't want long lactation's and want to be done in the fall before it gets cold out. I have been milking year around for the last 15 years and like it. The cold winter months do suck sometimes. Not that the animals are hard to deal with, but some days you just want it to be over for the year. Personally it is bonding time for me and a time to let the rest of the world go by. Very peaceful. It's also a time where I get to put my hands on each doe. I milk until they are due again and dry them off about eight to twelve weeks before kidding. Some volunteer to dry off and some do not. I have had doe's milk two years running and never take a day off. 

So, now that I have rambled on, I would do a CMT or have milk tested at a lab. CMT has been accurate for me. 

I seriously doubt you have hurt your does. Milk, Milk, Milk. that is what they were bred to do if they are a dairy goat. You may be very surprised at how things turn around as kids grow and start eating solid food and drink less milk leaving more for you. 

Greg


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

On my does that are raising kids, I milk them out fully once a day from day one. My girls make more than newborns could ever drink, it needs to come out so their production stays up and mastitis is less likely. They make milk continually, and baby goats are more efficient at getting it out than I am, so she will have more for them. I usually go for milk out in the evening anyway because they will all be going to sleep soon anyway. Then when the kids are two weeks old, I start locking them up at night and milking the doe out fully in the morning, before I give the babies back. They do just fine and grow beautifully this way.


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## Narnia75 (May 16, 2015)

Thanks for your input, everyone! The babys bump her and my DH bumps her when milking, and she does not flinch, so does that mean that she is not sore? May not have mastitis?


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## Farmers Pride (Feb 26, 2011)

Mastitis is not always painful, but can be. If the kids are butting the udder and she stands to nurse that is a good sign. A CMT kit is cheap. I wouldn't be without one. The cost is about $15.00 and will last you several years if you store the reagent properly. 
I personally don't bump udders while milking. I massage the udder if hand milking. When things pick up I break out the machine. Massage before and during milking. Most of the girls eat their grain ration and chew cud while on the stand and seem content. 
If you really want be make sure mastitis is not a problem, test. Then you know. 

Greg


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