# Milk production on average



## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

I'm just wondering what everyone's "normal" milk production is? I know it varies by goat breed, by # of freshenings, and so on and so forth. If people would list their stats, it would be nice to see a list of what's normal compared to what is reported as record amounts (I found that easily). I have a mini alpine (half ND) she is a FF that is raising her single doling and at 3 weeks fresh is giving me a little over a pint in the morning, to be exact it 2 cups and 4-5oz on average the last 3 days. Not much, but she's not very big. If there is already a thread on this just let me know, didn't see one.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

first fresheners: 3/4 gallon a day
second fresheners: gallon a day
mature milkers 1 1/2 gallons a day

Most I can remember out of one doe was 19 lbs a day (just over 2 gallons) that her udder held up over her lifestime. The absolute most was 23 lbs a day but that does udder totally failed by the age of 4. She was the dam to the 19 lbs doe. We actually breed her to a lower production buck to get away from that kind of production.


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## horselovergoatnewbie (May 3, 2014)

Well, I just got my dairy doe, a mini Lamancha, but she gave me today 11.5oz this morning and 13.5oz this evening! I'm hoping that the more she settles in, the more she will give  


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## LamanchaAcres (Jan 11, 2013)

Same as tdg farms.... Our first fresheners are giving a 1/2 a gallon per milking. And we have a 3 year old, 2nd freshener giving 1.5 gallons per milking. The other dozen or so havnt really been measured as we left kids on them this year. 


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Well my kinders 2nd freshening for both they give me a little over a quart each, milking once a day. My ober/Saanen/alpine cross 2 quarts in the AM nursing bucking son during the day she is a FF. Nubian FF she's giving a quart in the AM, while nursing her buckling son during the day. Can't wait to see what my 2 standards give me after the bucklings are weaned in a few weeks;-)


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## Anne-J (Apr 10, 2014)

I have a 2 fresher ND. I'm getting a quart a day. I'm only milking in the morning. Her triplets nurse during the day.


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## Silvery_moontears (Apr 25, 2014)

My 6 year old Nubian gives 1.5 to 2 quarts a day
3 year old Nigerian was giving 1 quart but has been drying herself up so I stopped milking her when I could only get a pint out of her
My alpine/ oberhasli is giving 1.5 quarts a day while her baby doe nurses during the day.

Only been doing goats since February so I'm not sure if these are good or not.


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## OakHollowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

Last year my FF Nubian averaged about a gallon a day and my FF Alpine this year is giving almost 3/4 gallon a day with one 1 week old baby nursing too.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Average production is 1.5-2.5 gallons a day, per doe, here.

My highest milker was my smallest doe, she milked 22.5-23lbs a day, very close to 3 gallons a day. She hasn't kidded in the past 6 years, so I have no idea how much more she would have milked. She was on her 2nd freshening. I was really hoping to get a kid from her this year, but that didn't happen. :sigh:


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## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Anne-J said:


> I have a 2 fresher ND. I'm getting a quart a day. I'm only milking in the morning. Her triplets nurse during the day.


I right there with you on the ND not giving as much, HOWEVER, its totally worth it for me because my kids can handle our goats. Ours are actually "mini" goats--ND crossed with a dairy breed, (buck crossed with Saanen, my doe in milk crossed with Alpine) We don't get a lot from her, but her udder is shaping out nicely and she'll be awesome next year I think. She is also dam raising one doling, so her demand isn't crazy high like it would be with multiples. She is now a couple days past 4 weeks fresh, and she's still increasing from what I can tell. I'm wondering when others separate the kids in order to wean? I was thinking around 8-10 weeks, but we also want to start milking 2x a day as soon as possible. Her kid Totes (ya, I know, totes ma goats) is eating small amounts of grains we offer her by hand, and munching hay, so her rumen appears to be doing well.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

bboyd1 said:


> I'm wondering when others separate the kids in order to wean? I was thinking around 8-10 weeks, but we also want to start milking 2x a day as soon as possible. Her kid Totes (ya, I know, totes ma goats) is eating small amounts of grains we offer her by hand, and munching hay, so her rumen appears to be doing well.


My 2F ND was giving me just over a quart per day. She's still giving me no less than a pint and she's been in milk for 12 full months. ND's are PERFECT for me. I have two... so even if each only gives a pint a day... that's still a little more milk than I actually use. Enough to make cheese every other week or so and have all the lattes I want. 

She had quads at her 2nd freshening - raised 3 of them. I was milking in the morning after locking kids up at night... getting about 3c. The two boys went to their new homes at 10 weeks and she was left with just the one doeling I was keeping. I stopped separating the doeling, and milked twice per day. Even with the doeling on her 24/7, I was getting about 3c per milking. She weaned the doeling herself and I never saw a drop in production until around November when she started having heavy heat cycles. Even so, the drops were temporary.

A year after kidding, I still get at least 1c from her 2x/day and a little over a cup from my other doe once/day... so still almost a quart per day. Since it's just me and my teen daughter... that's all I need. It's highly illegal to sell the milk here - even as pet milk a license (and color tint) is required. So, the drop in production is kind of nice. I was swimming in milk last summer!


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

If they ever have any excess milk, you can milk them out 2X a day starting from the day they kid. As far as weaning, once they hit 12-13 weeks, I cut them off cold turkey if they are eating 2lbs of grain a day, along with alfalfa hay, and drinking water.
(I have Alpines and Boers, so they are standard size kids)


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## Ikkaya (Mar 23, 2014)

My FF Nubian 1 gallon 
My mature does - 1.5 gallons


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## greenfield (Apr 5, 2012)

Glad to hear your stats FarmerJen as I have been milking two FF ND for almost a year. I notice milk production down during their heat as well and now that it is hot here in Texas their production is down again. From two girls, two times a day I get about a quart and a half. That is enough to make kefir and cheese for the two of us!


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## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Wow, I love how many ppl are responding, gives a much more accurate description of what normal is for healthy goats!! I hope more ppl chime in, (and make sure to say if you have a standard sized breed or not) I love being able to compare not just standard to dwarf or mini, but also compare each breed. I've always been told Saanens produce the most (not pound for pound) but theirs is much less rich, than say, ND's who produce the lowest for a goat considered "dairy". I've also heard of ppl milking out boer(sp?) goats for home use even though they are meat goats and hope someone lists their experience with that--or even a dairy x with boer!! So I hope ppl keep listing and we get a wide assortment of goat breeds production averages figured out. Thanks again!!!  I'm going to be putting these true averages down in my goat binder, for future reference if/when we expand our home milking and I consider a different breed, of course keeping in mind that breeding lines matter. 
I also want to report that my girl was up to a full quart a day, milking once a day after a 12 hour separation at night from her doling, then having the doling on her all day. .......until yesterday when she ripped her teat trying to escape the fencing...after a visit from the vet and a couple stitches, we are milking her just enough to try to keep mastitis off her and dry her out till next year..ugh...


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## sbaker (Nov 11, 2012)

I have a 2nd freshener Nubian, who was giving me 3/4- 1 gallon a day at 3 weeks fresh. Then she decided she didn't like her grain, and I'm trying to build her back up from two weeks of picky eating lol! But I think that's a pretty good amount.  Especially considering the fact that most people in my area think 1 quart is acceptable for a Nubian!


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## Cactus_Acres (Sep 24, 2013)

I haven't checked volume in the last few days, as I have been dumping milk following Bree getting worming meds, but I did get it on my digital kitchen scale. She gave 5lb8ozs yesterday morning, and 4lb10oz last night.


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## Cactus_Acres (Sep 24, 2013)

I should note that Bree is a three year old 2nd freshener. Twin bucks both times, though only dam-raised the last two.


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## imbossofchaos (Mar 23, 2014)

My nigerian gives me a half gallon per day. 


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Right now I'm milking once a day and getting about a gallon from three does. One mature Nubian who's been milking for 12 months and only has one function teat gives me about a quart. A Boer/dairy cross who's been milking since last summer gives another quart, and a 2F Nubian is giving almost a half gallon (was getting 3 quarts between her and her sister last year.) And I still don't know what to do with all the milk!


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## melzhippy (Jun 26, 2013)

My girls are both FF's, kids just went to their new home this past weekend at 15 and 12 weeks old. The girls are Mini Alpine/Nigerian Dwarf mixes and I'm getting 1/2 gal + a pint total between the two... that's with them on a morning-only milking schedule (b/c my daily schedule is so busy, not sure I have time to milk twice per day!) We are happy with that amount overall... even just 1/2 gal per day is enough for my family of 4 to drink and some leftover for soaping for me, too!


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

3 Yr old Guernsey milked once a day 3 quarts, 2nd year Nubian 1 1/2 gallon a day (milked twice a day), first year nubian/angora 3/4 gallon a day (milked twice a day). I am swimming in milk....


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I have Nigerian Dwarves. It actually has ranged quite a bit depending on the goats. I have one doe who is not a high producer, but has looooong lactations and the riches, most delicious milk. She gave me 3 to 4 cups per milking at her peak every year. We're still milking her, and she hasn't kidded for over a year (she's retired). She's giving us a solid 2 cups AM, we don't milk her in the PM since it takes her awhile to fill back up, haha!

Busy Bee 3F gave me 5 cups AM. I only milk her once a day. Once I milked her in the PM (after weaning her son and still nursing her daughter, her udder was lopsided) she gave me almost 3 cups from the untouched side. After that night her daughter learned to nursed from both sides, but I feel like if I was milking twice a day, I'd be getting 5 cups AM, 4 cups PM.

Ginger, a FF, gave me 4 cups AM.


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