# Weaning the boys...omgosh the noise!



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Well, usually I don't actually "wean" kids...they go to their new homes at 8-10 weeks old and I usually just leave them with mom until then. But, since I want to milk Lucy and the boys "found" their way into the other pasture yesterday...I just "sealed" the exit and there...boys in one pasture...Lucy in the other. 

I milked her last night and she was trying to hold back on me. :roll: But, I got over a quart...for about 7 hours alone. I will see what she gives this morning...13 hours since I milked her yesterday. She's a ff, alpine.

So, how long do they scream for each other? It will be a week or so before their new Daddy comes to get them. They are 7 weeks old and growing like weeds. Should I put them back together or not? I guess I should just milk in the am and put them back with her till evening. Now that I know I can keep the boys corralled! :doh:


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Stay strong! The first two days are the worst. They will probably call on and off for three or four days, and it will get better and better. We try to wean the kids before we sell them for this reason, they will actually be quieter for the new owner (louder for us, yes, but a more pleasant start with their new family). The owner we sold our boys to told us they didn't make a peep.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I dont wean the babies before I sell them because they are going to cry because they are in a new surrounding anyways. But...when I have kept kids of my own to wean it is about three days of crying then they will settle down. Once they decide they are going survive without mom.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Thank you for the "pep talk" lol. I feel bad for them...but...they are out there eating in the pasture now. Yelling, eating, yelling, eating. I swear they are yelling with their mouths full! DH wants to put them back with her...Lucy, on the other hand, is relatively calm. She looks at them every now and then and bleats a little. But, shes acting fine. She was ready to milk this morning and I got 2 full quarts! I'm going to be swimming in milk!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Awww weaning is my least favorite part of having goats. Hang in there, IMO, as long as they are eating and drinking they are fine.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Di said:


> Thank you for the "pep talk" lol. I feel bad for them...but...they are out there eating in the pasture now. Yelling, eating, yelling, eating. I swear they are yelling with their mouths full! DH wants to put them back with her...Lucy, on the other hand, is relatively calm. She looks at them every now and then and bleats a little. But, shes acting fine. She was ready to milk this morning and I got 2 full quarts! I'm going to be swimming in milk!


Completely normal. No matter what you do NO NOT put them back if you'll have to wean them again. It will just make it more stressful for them and the doe in the long run.


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## fd123 (May 29, 2012)

the last little doe i got was pulled straight from her mom. when i got her i went ahead and put her in the pen with my 4 other does. they did chase her around, and be mean to her but, i never heard the new baby cry at all.. Did i just get lucky?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

fd123 said:


> the last little doe i got was pulled straight from her mom. when i got her i went ahead and put her in the pen with my 4 other does. they did chase her around, and be mean to her but, i never heard the new baby cry at all.. Did i just get lucky?


Maybe! :laugh: Or maybe different breeds and different individual goats handle weaning differently.


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## Farmgirl675 (Oct 21, 2010)

I agree most are 2-3 days of crying then they get over it...EXCEPT my little bottle wether it has been 3 weeks and he screams bloody murder anytime he sees someone and feverishly tries to steal milk from any goat that will stand still...he even tries on the other wether and the bucklings! I'm afraid I created a monster...


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Farmgirl675 said:


> I agree most are 2-3 days of crying then they get over it...EXCEPT my little bottle wether it has been 3 weeks and he screams bloody murder anytime he sees someone and feverishly tries to steal milk from any goat that will stand still...he even tries on the other wether and the bucklings! I'm afraid I created a monster...


LOL We have a doe that had triplets on 5/11, well we weaned 2 other does kids at the beginngin of June, and decided that one of those does who had a single kid, we'd use to help 'supplement' the triplets so they didn't take too much out of their mama.
2 of the triplets took up to nursing on her every evening. We did this for a few weeks until they started eating grain/hay/grass pretty good, and then when the heat wave came a few weeks ago we stopped letting them nurse on her. OMG, monster indeed, that poor doe LOL We were feeding her seperately outside, and they wouldn't stop harrassing her, they got really crazy for a while, any goat that stopped they were searching for a teat.

I've decided I am going to sell the triplets off of their mama instead of weaning....hopefully the girls go together then they'll be just fine. We call one of them 'screamer' for a reason....I don't think I can go through weaning with her :laugh:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Weaning time... is a pain in the bum... :doh: :help: :hair: the screaming makes you want to scream too...do it.... no one will notice... :wink: :laugh: 

Things will calm down.... :hug:


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## use2bwilson (Aug 4, 2011)

we just weaned our two doelings. it's our first experience weaning and i've been dreading it. the one doeling was born "noisy" and she's definitely be very vocale about missing her mama. but i've tried to spend extra time loving on the babies and scratching them. this seems to help a lot. they still try to squirm their way into the pen their mama is in ... and they were successful once. luckily i was there and quickly ended the brief reunion.

how long before the babies can be with their mama again? a month or two?

is it bad if they are only separated by a fence and are able to lay right next to each other on the other side of the fence? or is this okay and less stressful?


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## Farmgirl675 (Oct 21, 2010)

use2bwilson said:


> is it bad if they are only separated by a fence and are able to lay right next to each other on the other side of the fence? or is this okay and less stressful?


Fenceline weaning is fine depending on the fence. If the little ones can get their noses throught the fence they may still nurse momma through the fence! They are quite determined to not give up the milk, my first fenceline weaning was not effective as the doe would back up to the fence and the twins would nurse her through the fence :doh: lesson learned! Now I have fencline with tiny holes between the does and babies and all is good.


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## use2bwilson (Aug 4, 2011)

our babies are separated by welded wire with 2"x4" holes ... although they can reach through the fencing to nibble the alfalfa ... i haven't seen any attempts to nurse and think it would have to be a very strategic and coordinated effort to pull off nursing. i'm gonna watch out just to be sure ...


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks everyone! Great info. Kids are going to their new pet home friday am. So, I'll finally have some peace and quiet!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Congrats Di.... :thumb: :hi5: :leap:


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## Lucky_072508 (Jul 22, 2011)

My oldest boy, Sully, was taken from his mom at 8 weeks. I wanted him to bond with me so I started bottlefeeding him. The plan was to wean him at 12 weeks...I wound up weaning him at 4 months because he was extremely vocal and it was heartbreaking to hear him cry. Lol. Then i got Jakey and the same thing happened only Jakey was weaned at....6 months. He is LOUD LOUD LOUD and I was worried the neighbors were going to complain so it was a long drawn out process. Basically, if you're waiting for them to stop wanting milk it probably won't happen. You just have to deal with the noise for a little while.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Well, the boys left for their new pet home a few minutes ago. This fellow comes up here from Maryland...he bought kids from me a couple of years ago...LOVE return buyers! So, they will have a wonderful home and he will send me updates on occasion. Yeah! :hi5:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hi5: :greengrin:


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