# Drying Up Before Breeding



## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I got to thinking on how I would dry Sasha up. Do I have to do it before I breed her or can I wait until she is twoo months away from kidding? Also, if her kids are on her, will she wean them herself and dry up, or am I going to have to seperate the kids till she freshens? Which, BTW won't be easy but can be done!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I can't help you with the kid situation as far as her weaning them herself....some does won't.

If I have a doe that isn't wanting to dry off readily the month she is bred, I go about drying her off slowly and will milk til she's at least 2 months along.

I leash breed, so bucky milk isn't an issue.....and a doe should be dried off at least a month to 6 weeks before delivery to be able to make colostrum for the new kids.


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

In my experience, the kids don't really get weaned by mom. They'll keep nursing as long as they can get away with it. It depends on the mom but mine wouldn't wean her babies if I didn't stop them.

As for milking, you can dry her off whenever, some people milk right through the kidding. I personally give most of the duration of the pregnancy for mom to break, but its not necessary. You can breed her while milking her, but the milk will taste/smell funny while she's with the buck and for a bit after. Just my experience of course.

Drying off is surprisingly difficult . . .


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

So, I am thinking that when I breed her, which will hopfully be in Dec, at that time I will just start drying her off. I am seperating the kids when the buck is here anyway so the doeling doesn't get bred. Plus it will be too cold for me to want to sit out there and milk!  Then I can keep them seperated as there will be snow on the ground so I will be feeding hay twice a day instead of them grazing during the day and put up at night. This could work. Then Sasha would have the 5 months to dry up. Does that sound like a goos plan?


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The less time your goat is dry , as long as she's maintaining weight, the better for the health of her udder. Also setting patterns of short lactations can limit how long she will milk in later years. A normal dairy goat lactation is 305 days. I usually dry my does off at 100 days bred. A couple of them won't be completely dry when they kid, but, that's okay, they have no weight issues here.
Your plan sounds alright, a heatlight above your milking stantion does wonders for your winter milking attitude and frozen hands. The does enjoy it too and let their milk down easy while basking in the heat.
I personally, would dry cow her with some tomorrow if leaving her dry for 5 months.
On weaning, some of them will just keep going. I had a pregnant yearling nursing off of her foster mom last winter. 
I've never had tainted milk from the my buck being in with the does. He's in with my does right now and I'm drinking their milk every day. He lives with them as much as he possibly can, only removed for the first couple months of heat cycles and for kidding. 
What actually taints the milk is touching the buck and then milking.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

*I personally, would dry cow her with some tomorrow if leaving her dry for 5 months*

I am not sure I understand what you mean here. Can some one explain?

I did talk to Barb and she educated me about how a goat makes colostrum...so now I know. The light is a neat idea! Now to get hubby to do that for me!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Tomorrow is a preparation that is made especially for dairy cows during their dry period. It is antibiotic and helps keep colonies of bacteria from invading the teat canal and causing mastitis during the next freshening. To "dry cow" a doe is to put in the Tomorrow and then seal her teats with a white glue. This is all done sterily to prevent contamination. The glue itself (elmers school glue) falls off in a few days but, by then the doe has keratin plugs sealing her udder.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

Itchysmom said:


> *I personally, would dry cow her with some tomorrow if leaving her dry for 5 months*
> 
> I am not sure I understand what you mean here. Can some one explain?
> 
> I did talk to Barb and she educated me about how a goat makes colostrum...so now I know. The light is a neat idea! Now to get hubby to do that for me!


 can you share that info, i was just wondering about that myself. My doe who is due first week of october is pretty close to dry but my next doe will likely be a heavy milker and I was curious how that all works because of the possibility of her milking through.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Barb told me that the doe makes the colostrum when she goes into labor. That explains why some people say that you can milk a doe until she is freshned. You get milk, then when the doe goes into labor she makes colostrum. If anyone says different, please explain!

Thank you goathiker for explaining the dry cow thing!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have had each of my does "dry" for up to 6 months, every breeding/kidding season for the 9 years I have been breeding and milking and have never used any antibiotics in their udders , I've not had any problems at all with drying them off and giving them a break during their pregnancies and each has freshened healthy.


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