# Our doe is not producing very much milk.... HELP!



## MamaLudo (Apr 19, 2011)

Hi! So our doe, Mama is not producing very much milk. We are getting no more than a quart a day. It is extremely important this is fixed. She is a mixed breed of what I think might be Toggenburg(spelling...) and alpine, but that's just an uneducated guess. Her kids left about a month and a half ago. She always has access to fresh water and hay. She is quite skinny but nothing we do seems to get her to fatten up. We were thinking maybe worms? But then how would we treat her without contaminating the milk? Please help


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

When did she kid?
Length of time has a good deal to do with how much she produces.

If she hasn;t been milked at all during the time her kids were with her, she was likely in the weaning process...the less they nurse, the less she makes.

As far as her being unthrifty, worming would be a step in the right direction...if you can't get a vet to do a fecal to see what type of worms to treat for, Ivermectin is one that is broad spectram and kills off many of the stomach worm species.
I use it when needed in milking does, I do dump milk for 2-3 days after the last dose. This needs to be given every 7-10 days for a total of 3 doses.

What type of feed does she get?
Does she have access to loose goat minerals?
Is she getting an alfalfa hay?
These questions are key to knowing wether or not her low production is diet related.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Does she have a temp?
Can you get a fecal check done?
WHat color are the inside of her eyelids?
Is she getting any grain?
Are you milking her out all the way each time you milk? 
How often are you milking her?


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Does she have a good source of calcium?
Does she drink plenty of water?


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## MamaLudo (Apr 19, 2011)

Liz, she kidded in April. She was milked in the morning when the kids were 2 weeks old. Okay, We will worm her. She gets sweet goat feed. She gets loose mineral in her feed when she's milked. I do not think the hay is alfalfa. 
Freedomstarfarm, She acts 100% healthy and she looks great except being skinny(AKA shiny coat, clear eyes, etc). I can check the color of the eyelids if she'll let me. And yes, all the way everytime. We milk her twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, usually 9 am and 9 pm.
Goathiker, She has access to water 24/7 all the time. On really hot days they get 1 water bucket and a trough full of water.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I also would recommend a fecal ...for worms and cocci.... 

Alfalfa hay is really good to help build milk.... along with grain.... and fresh water...

Have you tested her for mastitis? Is her udder hot or discolored... how does her milk look that you do get out...?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Other than the worming, I would leave the minerals out for her freechoice....they'll eat what they need, attach a feeder or small bucket to an inside wall and put 2-3 cups in it.

What I give my mini does is likely only half of what a fullsized doe would need to keep up production as well as condition. Mine get: 2 cups of 18% goat feed with 1/8 cup black oil sunflower seeds and 1 cup alfalfa pellets...this is 2x a day, with each milking, plus they have pasture and a clover mix hay as well as minerals, salt block and always fresh water.
I feed this amount from the day they freshen thru til the time I start to milk once a day, my does are not fat and they keep condition during production. At peak(7-8weeks past delivery) I get just under 8 cups a day from my 5th freshener....att this point, she's slowed down after freshening mid February and gives 3 cups once a day, of course with once a day milkings, the grain has been cut in half too.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Every doe needs different feed from others. I have one doe that eats eight cups of feed, three cups of sweet goat feed and five cups of dairy goat feed spit into two feedings as well as alfalfa available most of the day yet she is still skinny. It is not worms and she is clean of everything she just has a fast metabolism and she puts allot into her milk. The more I feed her the more she makes. While I have another goat that only gets four cups one cup sweet goat feed and three diary goat feed with rationed alfalfa and she is slightly on the fat side. So you need to just experiment and see what keeps her in good condition. As long as she is healthy looking and not losing any more weight your on the right track. As for the minerals I agree with the other keep it out to free feed so she can get it when she wants it.


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