# Milk year round



## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Ah, the questions my mind thinks up when I am bored!

So, I have a Sannen doe. I will be able to milk her from about April to July, her mom is this way. Slows down her production when the weather gets hot. Then she will dry up and be breed in Nov/Dec. 

Now, if I want milk all year, or at least more than 4-5 months, what other breed could I getso I can breed to have milk through the winter months? Is this even possible? :whatgoat:


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## Realfoodmama (Apr 13, 2010)

Because I alternate breed my girls I get milk through the winter. 

So for example, this year my S. Saanen was bred and is currently in milk (has been since March). I will breed my Nubian when she comes into heat in the next month or so, but will continue to milk my S. Saanen until my Nubian kids - probably NEXT march depending on when the breeding takes. 

Once the Nubian has kidded, my S. Saanen will be dried off over the summer and bred again a year from now.

That way I get milk year round without stressing either doe. Last year when I milked my Nubian through she really was only giving a few cups a day by February, but it was still nice to have


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Nigerian Dwarfs are year round breeders. So depending on how much milk you are looking for, they might be an option. If you get one with a good milking line, you can get a good amount of milk.


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## CrossCreekTX (Aug 10, 2009)

It depends on your lines more than anything. Saanens should milk thru though. Sometimes people just milk them till they kid, whether on purpose or because they forgot to check the calender. I'm planning to see if my girls will milk until they kid this yr. All the fresh does are in excellent condition. Some are even a little fat, though they get very little except what grows here. I want to only keep the persistent milkers.

I depend heavily on the fresh goat milk for health reasons and need my goats to produce enough all yr. They don't have to produce a lot each, just enough as a group to get us thru.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I milked my nubian for 18 months and dried her up to breed her. Then she had a false pregnancy. Now I'm trying to figure out who to breed her to to get milk. Then I will never dry her up again until she quits on her own. I'm going to see if my vet will AI her with nubian sperm, if he has any left. Some kinders will milk year round. I have one who I think is going to do that, and another who I think might, I'm going to try. I also have a precocious milker who has to be bred this fall, after that I don't think I will ever dry her up. Some of them won't milk through, they make less and less until it isn't worth it. I think it depends on the milking lines. 

It seem like saanens make so much milk that it would really be a lot of strain on them to milk through, even if they are willing. Pregnancy is a lot less stressful than making all that milk. If you think about it a saanen who makes two gallons of milk a day is making around 10 percent of her body weight in milk every single day. That is just mind boggling to me. I think the breeds that make less milk that is more high fat are more likely to milk through comfortably. My vet has a herd of Saanens and Oberhaslis and he dries them up in the fall to breed. He breeds them all every year.

The easy keepers, the ones who are more often precocious milkers, are more able to milk through. He says nubians and pygmies are most likely of all the breeds to be precocious milkers. We discussed this because of my girl, who is making 21 ounces a day now. He said it makes sense that kinders would do this sometimes, being a cross between the two breeds who are most likely to do it. I expect these things are related.

Jan


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I was just thinking that if I got, say Kinders, who are all year round breeders, then I could breed some in the winter and some in the spring...that should give me more months of milking.

Right now the saanens are drying up on thier own. The good milker is only giving barely a quart a day and she usually does triple that on a bad day.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Plus quite a few kinders might milk through the winter also. I had kids in January once (it was bitter cold) and in July once (there were so many flies!) and that was enough for me. I breed for spring kids. Late October would be okay, but I haven't done that yet. I would rather milk through the winter with does that kidded in the spring. Some kinders will milk through, although everyone makes less in the winter, and then it comes back up a bit, never as much as the first heavy lactation. You could ask about it if you are hunting for kinders, and look for lines that will milk through. The trouble with breeding every year is that there are so many kids then. (I have too many goats right now) So a goat that will milk through is a real treasure if milk is a big part of what you are after.

Jan


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I'll check that out Jan. Maybe the lady you turned me on to will be able to help me.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Yes, that's what I'm thinking. She has most of the kinders that have been star milkers.

Jan


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