# when do you dry off for breeding



## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

i am wondering when you all dry off your does? my does were bred in december, kidded early may, and are in milk right now. i will be breeding them again in december. when would you dry them off if you were to breed on this scheduale? when do you breed, dry off, etc.? thank you!


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

I breed first, and then let them dry off on their own about 2 months before kidding. If the doe did not dry off on her own, I would dry her off anyway.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Mine freshen in February, I breed again the last of September and usually they start to slow in production by then so I dry them off in October.


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## potentialfarm (Apr 11, 2011)

I dry them off at 2 1/2 months pregnant. Their milk production usually takes a serious nose-dive at that point anyway.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I dry off at about 100 dsys bred. It depends on the doe also, I have one who never wants to dry off at all and one I can't wait to dry off, pain in the....


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

We don't milk our goats as of yet so right now we dry them at 2-3 months after kidding..depends on if the kid needs more time with mom. 


I have two that I need to get the kids off (rescued a group) 2 mama's have 6 month old wethers sucking still :shocked: ...as soon as I get these wethers sold then mama's can dry off cause I'd like to breed them for spring babies!!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Keep in mind, Jess, that once you've trained your does to short lactations you may not ever get them to milk a full one. It may be very hard to keep your does in milk.


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

Its not that you need to dry them off before breeding, but rather 2 months before kidding.

I like to milk for as long as their lactation allows. For instance- my does (being ff's) didn't produce as much milk at 1 month bred that I let them dry off.
If they are heavy producing does then you should milk until 2-3 months before kidding, just to get the most most out of their lactation.
Like "goathiker" said you don't want to get your does locked into a short lactation.


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## JessaLynn (Aug 30, 2009)

We breed in October and dry them off when snow falls if they haven't dried up on their own first :wink:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

When it is time to wean my kids.....I start drying off the Does then and there...so they have months of dry up time... before I breed them again....
a good rule of thumb is... to have a Doe dried off a minimum of 1 to 2 months ...at the soonest.....before rebreeding her......I feel though... the longer the better.... :wink: :thumb:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I'm thinking that there wouldn't be much cheese if Pam was running the dairy. 
Meat goats are cared for very differently than dairy goats though. Meat goats are not bred for sustained milk production. They are bred for enough milk to feed 2 or 3 kids and trouble free udders that dry up well when the kids are weaned.
A good dairy goat should be impossible to dry up 16 weeks into her lactation. They should keep up production a good 9 to 10 months whether bred back or not. Their udders are not as trouble free either. Leaving them "dry" for long periods allows bacteria to grow in the leftover milk that is always in a dairy girls udder.

I know that some Nigerian does can sustain a full lactation, we have a Nigerian dairy here in Oregon. If I were to decide to buy one though, I would definately choose from someone milking full lactations with their stock over someone drying them off early every year. Same for any other dairy breed.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> I'm thinking that there wouldn't be much cheese if Pam was running the dairy.
> Meat goats are cared for very differently than dairy goats though. Meat goats are not bred for sustained milk production. They are bred for enough milk to feed 2 or 3 kids and trouble free udders that dry up well when the kids are weaned.


 LOL yep ...I know..... I was just putting it into another prospective for the non dairy breeders... :laugh:


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

our girls are spoiled. They usually kid between may and june, and we stop milking about november october, and breed again in december


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

well i would keep them milking but the way i'm breeding right now is running the buck with the does for one month. then he goes home. if i were to keep milking it would be kinda useless.... i have a very strong stomach for smells but this buck makes even me gag. though i'm hoping to get my own buck or two in the next few years, after i get a few more does. then i can do stall breeding


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Freeze this months milk and raise a bummer lamb for the freezer on it this winter. I raise 4 every year. 2 for my freezer and 2 to sell to pay the butcher.


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