# How to keep a goat from drying off



## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

My goat had twins 8 days ago and we are bottle feeding them, I have bin milking her twice a day since then and she has bin giving almost 5 cups each milking but last night she gave only 4 1/2 cups and this morning only 4 cups.:book:
How do I keep her from drying off ? I don't want to breed her again for a long time I want to just keep milking her.

She is a 3 or 4 year old Nubain. I am feeding her alfalfa chaffhaye twice a day along with her grain which is a co-op goat ration but I have bin slowly replacing it with co-op 16% Pelleted milk goat enhancer feed. and she gets as much good bermuda hay as she wants(I cant get alfalfa hay)and she always has fresh water. and she gets a big hand full of raspberry leaves twice a day.
Any tips are welcome.
Thanks,


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Go to milking 3 times per day. How much grain are you feeding her?


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

Ok thanks. I will start milking three times a day.
I'm feeding her 10oz (1 1/2 cups) of grain twice a day.
How much do you think I should feed her?
And should I start feeding her three times a day too?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What size goat? Probably not enough. My Nigerians got 3 cups of feed per milking and my full size girl got 5.5 cups of feed per milking. This kept them in good body condition and milk in the pail.


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

She seems a normal size for a nubain. Maybe a little on the small side.
How much grain do you suggest I start feeding her each milking?
How dos this milking schedule sound (7am 1pm and 7pm) or (7am 2pm 9pm) or would that be too close together?

Yikes!! I just went to get a pic of Ruby so you could see how big she is and there was a big string of brownish goo coming from vagina.Help I don't know what's wrong? she has bin doing good since she gave birth 8 days ago.
what do you think is the mater?

Thanks,


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Just normal kidding cleanup.

Any dietary changes must be done slowly. Just up it like half a cup every few days. See what 3 cups per milking does and go from there.

I would do the 7 2 9 times but do what works best for you.


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

Thank you so much!:-D
I will slowly start working her up to three cups
here is a pic of her babies.They are lamancha/nubain.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very cute! 

If you feel she needs more than the 3 cups than do more. You will see as time goes on.


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

Ok


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I give my kinder 4 cups of grain and 2 cups alfalfa pellets in the AM and 2 cups of grain and 2 cups of alfalfa pellets in the PM... Most of the grain is Nutrena golden goat, 17% protein. She's a lot smaller then your nubian, so I think yours may need more. I milk mine in the AM and the kids have her all day, all 3 of them.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

My nubian takes 6 cups at each milking (2 x a day I milk). The mixture is 2 parts alfalfa pellets to one part sweet feed.So she eats 12 cups a day at peak and gives me a gallon of milk.


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

Her milk levels are still decreasing:tears:. I started feeding her three times a day yesterday and at 7am that morning she gave almost 5 cups and at 2pm she gave almost 4 cups and the same at 9pm but this morning I had to really bump and massage her udder and I didn't even get 3 cups.
Her current diet:
I give her a little over 1 1/2 cups of grain (it is Co-op goat ration feed but I am replacing it a little more each day with Co-op 16% pelleted milk enhancer) she gets that amount for the 7am and the 9pm milkings but I gave her less for the 2pm milking because she isn't used to being fed at that time yet. I will start increasing that amount each day though. And I also give her 2 cups of alfalfa chaffhaye and a big hand full of raspberry leaves along with her grain each feeding. and she gets as much bermuda hay as she wants and she eats a lot! of it. 
Should I start feeding her alfalfa pellets with or instead of the chaffhaye? and how much should I be feeding her of either?
And is the feed I'm starting to give her ok? onder:
What and how much of anything should I start feeding her??????

Pleas any suggestions I need to increase or at least stop! the decrease of her milk.

Thanks,


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I would feed alfalfa pellets. My girl (kinder) in milk gets 6-8 cups a day, it depends on if she can get out and get some green stuff, if it's bad weather I normally give her 2 cups on my mid break...when I come home. Sometimes she eats them sometimes not. You could also try beet pulp pellets, add that slowly if you do. Some of my girls love it soaked, others like it dry, and my picky one in milk doesn't like it either way.


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

Ok. I will definitely try the alfalfa pellets. And I will look into the beet pulp pellets. How does this sound: 2 cups of alfalfa pellets along with the grain chaffhaye and raspberry leaves (3 times a day)? 
And I will keep giving her more grain.

Thanks,


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do you know what her milking was like before? You say she is 3 or 4? Was this her first kidding or has she kidded before? She does need a lot more feed than what you have been feeding her but I'm wondering if she was sold because she wasn't a good producer.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Ksalvagano could be on to something. I wouldn't necessarily up her grain really, but try the alfalfa pellets.... I would slowly introduce the alfalfa pellets. Like one cup one day, and 2 cups the next etc. You don't want to overbear her system.


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## Sharon-R (Feb 8, 2014)

Well I don't know if she was a good milker before or not. She was owned once before the lady I bot her from, and I don't think she was taken very good care of by her first owner. I know her first owner bred her wen she was 1 year old. And the lady I bought her from bred her only once and she gave birth last Jun. And she was bred when I bought her and gave birth Jan,31 2014.
The lady sold her and one of her daughters to us because they had too many goats I don't think it was because she wasn't a good milker but she mite not have bin I don't know.
I will start feeding her the alfalfa pellets as soon as I get some. (And I will feed them to her slowly!).

I won't mind if she doesn't give a lot of milk but I do want a good steady amount.

And thanks every one for the advice 
P.s what do you think about the chaffhaye.


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