# How many times a day do I milk if I bottle feed?



## GoatJoy (Aug 9, 2010)

We're going to be on a strict CAE prevention program and I was wondering how many times a day you milk the mom to adequately feed the kids AND have enough milk for our home? We'll have 5 does to kid out this year and three are due next month. I've never pulled a kid before, so I didn't know how many times a day I needed to milk the does to get a good enough milk supply..Will the kids need colostrum 4x's a day at first? That means I'd be milking three does 4 x's a day?!!?? :shocked: :whatgoat:


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Never pulled kids but I do know that a strutted udder will need to be milked to keep up supply as often as you can, once the doe starts labor, and you know she'll progress soon, I would be milking her totally dry as soon as she can stand....depending on the breed, you should get quite a bit of colostrum and that first udder full is the most beneficial for the kids.

I milked my doe who had a stillborn 3 x a day for the first 2 weeks because she was always so full, after she regulated the supply I went to 2x a day milkings.


----------



## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I milk mine 3 x a day for at least a few days until they really start producing. After the first milking they usually won't give a ton of milk for a couple days as the body knows that the kids won't be able to drink all of it, plus they all seeem to have some amount of swelling in the udder when the milk first comes in. By milking 3 x it helps to loosen the udder and keep the pressure down so she knows to make more milk. You won't want to drink the milk for the first few days (DHIA says to wait 5 before sending milk samples as there can be some traces of colostrum until then) so you can use that time to get the does udder into a normal schedule. Once their milk really comes in and they start producing you can back off to 2 x per day. Even in the beginning you should get enough milk to feed the kids between milkings.


----------



## GoatJoy (Aug 9, 2010)

ptgoats45 said:


> I milk mine 3 x a day for at least a few days until they really start producing. After the first milking they usually won't give a ton of milk for a couple days as the body knows that the kids won't be able to drink all of it, plus they all seeem to have some amount of swelling in the udder when the milk first comes in. By milking 3 x it helps to loosen the udder and keep the pressure down so she knows to make more milk. You won't want to drink the milk for the first few days (DHIA says to wait 5 before sending milk samples as there can be some traces of colostrum until then) so you can use that time to get the does udder into a normal schedule. Once their milk really comes in and they start producing you can back off to 2 x per day. Even in the beginning you should get enough milk to feed the kids between milkings.


Awesome thanks!!!

Btw, I've been admiring your buck you have for sale. Hubba hubba!!!  LOL


----------



## GoatJoy (Aug 9, 2010)

liz said:


> Never pulled kids but I do know that a strutted udder will need to be milked to keep up supply as often as you can, once the doe starts labor, and you know she'll progress soon, I would be milking her totally dry as soon as she can stand....depending on the breed, you should get quite a bit of colostrum and that first udder full is the most beneficial for the kids.
> 
> I milked my doe who had a stillborn 3 x a day for the first 2 weeks because she was always so full, after she regulated the supply I went to 2x a day milkings.


Oh good! I hadn't thought of milking while they were in progressive labor! Thanks!


----------



## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I haven't ever pulled a kid, but I have a friend who does it all the time, and the kids get all the milk for awhile. Having said that, I start to separate the kids at night at three or four weeks, and I steal most but not all of their milk in the morning, and they have always done well.


----------



## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

We milk ours two to three times a day. Bottle kids are SOOOOOOOOOO fun! You will love it


----------



## beckyh (Apr 21, 2011)

I'm not sure how to start a brand new post, but I need some help quickly if someone could. Our nubian doe just kidded - this is her second time. Last year she delivered two healthy kids no problem, but we were there at the time of the birth. This year, she delivered sometime during the day today while we were at work and had FOUR kids, something we've never experienced before. Sadly, all four are dead. Two were licked clean and still warm, but two were still in the sac and very cold. All were good sized and none had any apparent birth defects of any kind. My first concern is that there is something wrong with her that all four were dead (although it would appear two were live births initially) that could possibly affect our other pregnant does? The second is that we have never had a doe have all kids die - always at least one left to nurse. Do we need to milk her and how often? Third, is there anything special we should do for mama - obviously she is very distressed and missing her babies - other than what we have already done like we would after a live birth (give her warm molasses water, grain and a dose of probiotics)? any help you could give would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## LoneStarChic (Jan 19, 2012)

With one of my Alpine does, I milk her 3x's a day the 1st 3 days because if I don't she'll leak! She just freshened Monday with twins. One I pulled as a reserved bottle kid. The other one is going with momma as a wether (she's sold as a milker). Even with one kid nursing, I still had to milk 3x's because she was producing so much (14-15lbs the 1st few days). Now I'm getting a gallon & a quart from her and am able to milk just twice a day.

One of my other does is kind of the opposite, she takes a lil while for her milk to come in, so with her, I'm able to milk twice a day from the begining. So I just watch udders, make sure no one is filling to the point of leaking, and milk accordingly. I rarely milk 3xs a day with the exception of the first doe I mentioned and with her, it's only those first couple days. Otherwise, everyone is milked on a 12 hour schedule: 8:00am & 8:00pm


----------

