# Drying a doe off



## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

Now that Jenny's kids are gone, the real work begins. She needs to be dried off, or at the very least, her production needs to be dropped to the point where she starts gaining weight again, but there's a ton of problems I'm facing right now.

Problem one: This is the first time I've tried to dry off a doe right at her peak. I don't expect her to be dry by next week, but I want to know how to work it so she actually starts drying off without risk of mastitis.

Problem two: She's got a MASSIVE tear on her teat that bleeds every time I milk. It just so happens to be the side that's the biggest, hardest, and fills the fastest. It can take me upwards of 20 minutes just to milk out that one side, especially with the tear. I have been using iodine on it, and will be starting udder balm today, but is it going to hurt it much if I keep milking out that side like normal?

Problem three: She's horribly uneven (due to the kids getting nailed in the face whenever they bit down on her sore teat), and I'm afraid the right side will dry off long before the left side does. If this happens, would there be any permanent damage done, as in her always being uneven?

Also: Despite the unevenness, her udder is HUGE now that she's not nursing the kids. It goes from roughly this size to smaller than a canteloupe when I get done milking.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

WOW she is huge! :shocked: 
I don't know the answers but ..when you milk her are you emptying her? With humans if you keep emptying them they then proceed to fill back up (demand=supply)
I am suer some of the experienced milkers out there have your answers. Good luck with her.


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

Just think, she was still somewhat soft and about 1-2 inches larger in diameter when I got home...just milked her out partially, left roughly half there, we'll see how tonight's milking goes. It's getting to be a pain with that teat the way it is.

Oh-I JUST bought BOSS for her-think it would help without having to dry her off? Her breeder's convinced it will, and if it does, that would be awesome because her udder is HUGE, and she's definitely producing roughly a gallon a day, given her production's dropped already since I didn't milk her with the kids.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

WOW bigger!!
BOSS for what?
Are you wanting to dry her up or milk her?


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

I'd rather avoid having to dry her off if I can help it, but if she can't gain the weight she needs, I'll have to dry her off.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Yes then the BOSS would be good and I also would add Alfalfa pellets if she isn't on alfalfa hay.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Someone a while ago posted about using Wheat Germ Oil for goats. I haven't done it and no one had replied that they had last time I saw the post. I use it for my horse and it helps him get some extra weight (he is a hard keeper). If you try it I would introduce slowly and use only 1/4 or 1/2 oz a day. It should also make the coat very nice looking!


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

She's on both pellets and hay, plus calf manna.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Well it sounds like you are doing everything possible! :thumbup:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hmmm... I know you want to get weight on her...have you fecal checked her for worms or cocci..just to rule those out ...

Also... that udder is extreme...I would cut back on her feed... as she is a easy milker producer for you... just so she doesn't try to produce as much...and be overly giving.... her udder is at jeopardy of exploding a teat or mastitis...

With her injured teat...put some udder balm on it.... even though she has that....you will still have to milk her... ouch... :hug:


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

That was her udder while it was still soft to the touch. I think it just looks bigger than it was because of the way she likes to walk with it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow... :shocked:


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

Wait...BOSS dries them up? Because I've been giving it to all my goats - even the lactating ones that I'm milking and I haven't noticed anything...

I did hear that sage helps dry them up, though.

And, on a side note, I have a Saanan named Jenny too!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

No BOSS *doesn't* dry them up it helps them produce and sometimes the extra fat help put some weight on.


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

TheMixedBag said:


> Oh-I JUST bought BOSS for her-think it would help *without having to dry her off*?


Golly - my bad. I read that wrong from the get go.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

When did she freshen?
I have a FF that freshened 2/10 and she really had that sunken boney look up til 3 weeks ago, her twins are with her for 16-17 hours and she was wormed due to a fecal showing me a few barberpole eggs, she gets a mix of an 18% goat feed with added BOSS, calf manna and alfalfa pellets,( a total of 4 cups grain mix and 2 cups AP a day) browse and a mixed hay, she has finally started to fill out, I milk once in the morning after a 7-8 hour fill and her twins are eating great on their own and only go to her when she calls for them.
They peak at 6-8 weeks fresh, if you start to milk her every 12 hours, this will tell her to stop production once theres pressure in her udder...be consistant with the every 12 hours, no more and no less at least for the next 2 weeks, if you don't want to dry her off but want the weight gain, up her feed a little and you can add any type of oil to add fat, I've used Corn oil as well as Veg. oil in my bucks feed over the winter. If she's not eating the feed you have, I've made a warm mash that my boys devour by mixing the grain mix with warm water and adding the oil...you can add the alfalfa pellets too.
After 2 weeks you can start by not milking her totally out each time, as well as cutting her feed to dry her off, after a week of partial milking 2 x a day, you can go to once a day for a week and then only partial milkouts during that time, then every other day til she's not filled and uncomfortable. Once you reach that point, you can focus on her eating to gain condition.
I think that everyone dries off does differently , this is the way I have done it for years when I want to dry off before breeding time.
As far as the boo-boo on her teat, once you wipe her for milking, apply a little Bag Balm(green can) to the area then proceed to milk, it helps prevent friction from your hand and it will help her heal, wipe her and dry her after milking and reapply the bag balm.
When kids get a little rough with nursing, those teeth are sharp and they will cut mama.


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

She's 7 1/2 weeks fresh, will be 8 weeks on Monday. Kids are gone, Barclay still catches a drink or two at night. My husband milks her out around 10 at night, and I milk about 8 in the morning. I didn't milk her out fully yesterday, and my husband milked her out completely. I stripped her dry this morning, and will probably do it again tonight, just to see how much I actually get from her in a day, then go to just most of it in the morning and most of it at night, leaving at least a little bit.

Odd thing-Thursday morning (I didn't keep evening or any milk from Friday), she produced *maybe* two quarts, which is twice what she produced with the twins, but a little under what I'd expect for a 2nd freshener. This morning she dropped a hair over 4 quarts in the bucket for me. Her legs were also wet and she was dripping from the right side, which *would* say to me that she was overfull, if I didn't know her udder could get tighter (I haven't let her go too long without milking before, who said that?  ). What in the bleepy could make her production shoot up like that in less than a day?

I've got all 3 goats (no separate feeding right now) on 1 scoop BOSS, 3 scoops pellets and 1 scoop calf manna, evenly mixed. I know she gets most of it, she's fairly bossy about feed. I also started letting her and Talala graze in the front yard (weeds to the knees...) for 1/2 to an hour a day yesterday. I'll be adding corn oil to their feed tomorrow, forgot to do it today.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Is there any way to feed her when you milk? Even if you don't have a stand, maybe taking her away from the others so she can eat may help.


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

I generally give her a little calf manna with as much of the pellets as she can eat on the stand, same with Talala.


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

They're blurry as heck, I'll try to get better ones, but my camera doesn't like to focus when I have to sit 6 feet back JUST to get her whole back end in the shot.

This is Jenny's udder at it's fullest. I mean a little bit of pressure and one side's streaming full. Don't know how much I got, Talala spilled the WHOLE bucket....


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## GodsGloryGoats (May 7, 2011)

Hi, what is BOSS and whr do u get it please? Would it be good to give to my 3yr old Alpine in milk who kidded 3wks ago and had preg. toxemia, she needs to gain weight.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

BOSS is black oil sunflower seeds...available in most stores that sell bird seed. It can help with weight gain and is rich in selenium and vit E as well as good fats.

Looks like Jenny is putting everything into her production, she's a tad lopsided...kid's fault, but that will go away with a twin birth. 
She's at peak now, other than looking skinny, does she seem unhealthy to you? Bad haircoat, pale membranes etc.?
To me she looks like a dairy doe that isn't keeping any nutrition for herself, try adding the corn or veggie oil to her feed and see if it helps with adding fat. I would milk her too...she will improve her condition the further she goes into lactation.


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## TheMixedBag (Oct 16, 2010)

Oh believe me, I know how skinny she is. The little bit of weight she's got over her hips is only because I stopped milking her altogether when her kids were still here (believe it or not, she did have twins-they only liked the one side, no matter what I tried). That's why I've been feeding her everything. She'd probably be thinner now if I hadn't.

Other than being emaciated, she's in great health. Good appetite, energy, nice pink membranes (a bit pale, but they've always been, no matter what I do-my guess is light pigment), her hair is always rough so that's not a good indicator of anything.


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## GodsGloryGoats (May 7, 2011)

Where do you find BOSS and is it spelled BOSE instead? Ive nevr heard of this. Has anyone used "Mo' milk" from Molly's herbals...to increase milk production?


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