# milking without separating



## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

I asked a similar question before, but I don't think I made my meaning clear.

My nubian doe has two kids, about 2 months old. Thus far I have simply let them nurse with no milking. I'm not in a hurry to start milking, and I'm happy to let the kids keep nursing.

However I don't want to miss the lactation, so I went out this morning to milk her, figuring the kids might have nursed yet. She was pretty much empty. I had thought to start milking her once every morning and start getting a little milk and keep the demand on her udder high, so she'll keep producing.

I don't really want to separate them yet. I'll have to separate the little buck in a month or so anyway. At what point does the "kid demand" start to taper off? I'm happy to share the milk with the kids. I just want her at a decent level when I start to milk her seriously.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I've heard of separating the kids @night and then milking in the morning then putting the kids back in and leting them nurse all day... Might that work?
M.


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## Goat Song (May 4, 2011)

I start separating my kids at night when they hit 3 weeks old. I try and have them completely weaned by the time they're 8 weeks. The kids will never taper off nursing, on their own; if you let them, they'll nurse right into adulthood! The doe will also usually let them continue nursing, so it's up to us humans to do the separating. 

A doe's lactational peak is usually at 8 weeks, and after that she'll begin going down in production. You might consider separating the kids at night, and milking her first thing in the morning to keep her in high enough production to make it all worthwhile. 

Just my :2cents:


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## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

If I decide to wean them, how long do they have to be apart before they can be allowed back together again?


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

billmac said:


> If I decide to wean them, how long do they have to be apart before they can be allowed back together again?


They can't be together as long as the doe has milk. Atleast that's what I think. We don't let the does keep their kids so I'm not super sure. :shrug:


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Goat Song said:


> The kids will never taper off nursing, on their own; if you let them, they'll nurse right into adulthood!


I can attest to that! I never wean and have had pregnant does nursing off of their pregnant mom. They do stop around that time on their own though.

I tried to wean mine and kept them separated for 4 days and as soon as they were back together they went back to nursing.
If I want any milk I have to separate at night. The little piggies take it all.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I separate them at night and milk mom in the mornings too. Then I leave them together. Sometimes I separate them for a month or so when they are 11 or 12 weeks old, Usually I do it when I have to separate the buck kids anyway. I had good luck last year with the kids not going back to nursing. So sometimes they will stop and sometimes they won't. I think it depends on what mom will tolerate.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I found that if I want any milk at all I need to separate at night and milk in the mornings.... even if you can do a 6-8 hour fill as opposed to a 10-12 hour, you should get a substantial amount from her.... not wanting to milk before you "need" to is understandable, I have waited in past years with different does to milk after kids have left at 7-8 weeks and still had a good amount coming from my girls.

And I can attest to the fact that dams and daughters don't always wean...I kept Tilly out of Bootsie and even with taping Bootsie's teats, Tilly still nursed and Boots let her..I dried her off and when both does freshened 2 years later, Tilly would still nurse her dam after Bootsies new kids were sold...I finally had to take Tilly to my moms for 3 months to wean her, when I brought her back...it was like a new goat in the herd and Bootsie never let her nurse again, nor did she try.


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## Rev144 (Jan 22, 2011)

Glad this subject was brought up... 

My nubian babies are 26 days old, I kept them off mom Saturday night. Mom Milked out 3 cups or 1 lb 10 oz. Is she producing enough milk to feed her babies and give me some? ( keep babies off over the night, me milk her out in the am then put babies back on) That would give each baby about 1.5 cups of milk a day.... It just does not seem like that much milk. This doe's udder is really odd too! Her teats, when first milking feel really thick, kind of like a thick flexible rubber. 

My other doe's baby is now 20 days old. I kept her off mom the ohter night too. Mom gave me
2 lbs 12oz. I have no problem taking milk from her in the AM . 

I have noticed in the past that if I let mom nurse her two babies until they were 8 or 9 weeks old. then I sold the boy and kept the girl, I kept the girl away from mom at night and started milking mom in the AM. She was giving about 5 cups in that AM milking, then all the sudden about two weeks later she dropped to 4 cups for that milking. My question is, would she of kept up the higher production if the boy was still there, or did she realize her boy was gone and cut back ? This has happened with more than one goat. If this is the case, would it be better to pull the babies at birth and only hand milk mom?

Sorry Billmac, did not mean to co-op your thread......


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Sometimes when I pull one kid, Mom will need to be milked out on the evening. This keeps her comfortable and keeps production up. Usually, the single baby will realize it now has both sides and will start emptying them both. To maximize production the dam should be milked in the evening every now and then just to see if there is extra; then keep milking in the evening to keep her producing. I do not have to do this very often as my babies pretty much always keep Mom empty.


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