# How do you wean?



## Redboer

If you are not milking, do you just suddenly take mom away? Or do you take mom away at night and put her back with her kids for the day for a while before completely weaning? 
Which way would be less stress on mom and the kids? Which would reduce the chance of mom getting mastitis?


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## toth boer goats

Yes... either the mom or the babies....separate them...don't put them back in together... until they are weaned and momma is drying up...maybe a month or so depending on your Doe.....they will be really noisy for a while....as they will call out to one another...unless the baby is going to a new home....but you will still hear the mom calling out for her kids...

When you wean...you will have to milk mom....for a while to keep her from being to tight in the udder as she is drying up.... If she looks tight milk out some to make her more comfortable and to prevent mastitis...

If you keep putting mom and babies together on and off they will be more stressed I feel.... And when the babies feed on her.. it stimulates her to produce more milk...

When you wean...don't feed mom high quality feed....maybe oat hay or grass hay...and it is best not to grain her...this will help her to dry up..... some people say don't give any water...I do not believe in that technique...that to me.. is cruelty...


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## Calico Patch Farm

We start putting the moms out in the pasture during the day when the kids are about 6 weeks old. It's a good way to work up to it and for the kids to learn to live without their moms for a period of time. It has worked very well for us.


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## Steve

I would limit her water,instead of free choice i water once a day,when she is done dont fill her bucket again.One gallon a day when its cool outside is plenty,if it is hot you should just let her have it no matter if your weaning or not,no reason to risk heat issues.

I always try to put the babies where the doe cant see them,this will help them not worry about them.If they see them they will try to get to them.

Has anyone tried to wean by the almanac?


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## Perfect7

Our babies are 4 and 5 weeks old and the dams are already starting to wean them off a bit. The kids are all eating grain (pigging out) and grass and the dams are letting them eat less and less off of them. I watch the moms walking away more often than nursing and the kids are staying fit. I think I'm going to watch and see if they just wean them on their own as I hear some boers do. The only kid we had born last year was weaned by her mother on her own. That same doe is already getting a smaller udder than even a week ago as her 5 week old kids eat more and more on their own. That may not work for some but if it works, that would be ideal. :thumb:


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## FunnyRiverFarm

I let mine nurse as long as they want to if I am keeping them...the does usually wean them completly at 6-9 months. If the babies are going to a new home, they get weaned then. I don't wean before 3 months of age.


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## milk and honey

My own "goat wisdom" ... if you live in an urban neighborhood, dont try to wean by putting the baby on the porch 10 yards from the goat pen... you just end up with 2 very unhappy and LOUD goats! I was able to stand it for 24 hours.. then they were back together again. 5 days later he went to his new home and mom just cried for a day and a half.
Much Better!


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## firelight27

I start separating mom and kids over night at 2-3 weeks old (depending on how many she is feeding and her capacity.) This way I can milk mom in the mornings (not all the way out, so kids can grab a meal) before putting her back with her kids and start getting some for myself. I then split them up cold turkey at two months old. By that time mom has already cut them back a lot anyways and they are eating grass, hay and grain like little piggies. If they have buddies they sometimes don't even seem to notice. If I am retaining a kid I will just leave it on mom and wean the rest to go to new homes. That way the kid helps to continue to stimulate mom to produce more milk on top of my hand milking, which I will increase to twice a day at this point. In this way I can keep my doe's udders nice for showing.


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## Itchysmom

I am glad you asked this question!
If you don't mind, I would like to add on to it.

Say you have a multible kidding. You want to keep one and you also want to milk the doe. You would leave the one you are keeping on her an let her wean it, but seperate the others at 3-4 mos? Here's a senario: Doe has triplets. You want to keep one doeling but get rid of the rest. weaning is easy if you just get rid of the other two to new homes. But, you decide to keep a buckling also to whether as a companion for a future buck. Does he stay on the doe also? When would you actually wean them to dry her off for her next year kidding if she hasn't already weaned them?


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## dixiegirl3179

Good question! I'd like to expand on it. How do I make sure the babies are getting grain without the adults stealing it all. I feed my adults in a feeder that's hanging from the fence and obviously the babies can't reach it, but even if I put it in a feeder on the ground the adults are going to steal it. I have twins that are about to be 5 weeks and one that is 4 weeks tomorrow. I see them nibbling hay a bit and drinking water, but I don't know how to go about getting them to eat grain. Should I take them out of the pen and give them some grain so they get the idea? I'd like to sell them at 8 weeks, but I don't want to send them to new homes unless they're eating well.


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## freedomstarfarm

I will answer the little bit I know. 
Itchys-- You should have the mom dry for 2 months before kidding again. I guess I would leave the buck on until you are ready to milk; the more kids are eating the more her milk supply will keep producing. I f you start milking than that will keep it going. 
Dixie-- The kids need to have a way to eat without it all being hogged by adults. I put my moms n a different area few times a day and let the kids eat. Lots of people use creep feeders (I hope to make one soon) it is a area that only the kids can get to I plan to make mine from livestock panels that only my kids can get thru. It also depends on the breed as to size of your kids.


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## Itchysmom

Thanks freedom!


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## freedomstarfarm

Any time!
Maybe some people with more experience will have other pointers.


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## toth boer goats

> Say you have a multible kidding. You want to keep one and you also want to milk the doe. You would leave the one you are keeping on her an let her wean it, but seperate the others at 3-4 mos? Here's a senario: Doe has triplets. You want to keep one doeling but get rid of the rest. weaning is easy if you just get rid of the other two to new homes. But, you decide to keep a buckling also to whether as a companion for a future buck. Does he stay on the doe also? When would you actually wean them to dry her off for her next year kidding if she hasn't already weaned them?


 If the wether... is old enough to wean ...I would remove him and keep the Doeling on momma....but ...you will have to teach that kid.. to go to the other teat ...so she will go back and forth ....

everytime you see her nurse ...grab her and place her on the other teat...she will eventually... go back and forth...however ...if the Doe is a real good milker...you will have to watch her and may have to milk her periodically....

Some Does... will naturally wean their babies.. while others won't let go....so if you are wanting to dry her off and breed her....she needs a minimum of 2 months dry off time....but... more time is best..so they can recoup..... 
you can decide. when ..you want to wean the Doeling....Also.. watch moms condition... if she is getting super thin... it is time to wean anyway...cause the kid is taking to much out of her...

Now... it is your decision... if you want to keep the buckling on her longer or not...


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