# Nubian milk volume



## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

My nubian doe, first kidding, gave birth on Nov. 23. She's only giving about 1/2 gallon a day, which seems a little low this far into her lactation. Her mother gives almost a gallon a day, and that's with a weak side. She's getting as much grain on the stand as she wants (about 4 cups).

Anything to worry about?


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## DrakesFarm (Apr 1, 2013)

How old is she? That can play a factor, if she is a yearling ff compared to a 2 year old ff.


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## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

She's 2.5 years old.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Does she have a kid nursing on her?


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## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

No. She had preemie triplets. None of them survived.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

The kind of grain, kind of hay and how much, water consumption, mineral consumption, how often she is being milked, her sires genetics, her dams age at the time she milked that much, worm count etc, all plays a role in how much she will milk right now.


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## epayne (Jul 22, 2015)

If she's a first freshener, no matter the age, she won't have the capacity she will later on after a couple freshening. It can take a freshening or two for a doe to "stretch" out her udder and build her capacity. It can also depend on the doe and how fast or slow maturing they are. I have a four year old nubian from slower maturing lines and this is her third freshening and she finally came into her udder. Before it was rather small for her lines and age. But other does on their first freshening might already have a lot of capacity and production. Are you milking her twice a day? From my experience milking twice a day really helps to keep their production up, I've had does who were only milked once a day before I got them and they didn't produce as much and it took awhile to get them to produce more. When you bring her in to milk does she feel full and kind of tight (not painful, bursting tight)? Or does she feel pretty soft? If she feels soft she could not be drinking enough or eating enough calories to keep up her production. If she doesn't seem to eat a lot of mineral you can top dress her food when you milk her and that can make her more thirsty and drink more. She or another goat could also be nursimg off of her. What is the percentage on the feed she gets? I like to feed 16%, or higher for does that need the help keeping weight on. Alfalfa hay can also help boost production if you're feeding grass. When you milk her out does she feel completely empty or like she still has some milk left? She could be holding milk back or have a meaty udder which can sometimes mean they don't produce as much. If she doesn't seem soft or keeping milk back or anything, I would say it's just her first freshening and to see what she does next year


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## billmac (Sep 8, 2008)

She gets 16% grain, but most of our hay is grass, not alfalfa. She gave 42 oz this morning, which isn't bad.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

billmac said:


> No. She had preemie triplets. None of them survived.


This may have a big part to do with it. Her body wasn't told it was time to produce milk yet as they were so early and then lost.

I bet next year with a normal kidding she will do better.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I agree with Nicolemackenzie, delivering premies can reduce the milk production, at least to begin with. Being a FF could make the milk production even less. Just keep milking her, she will probably do better next year.


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

nicolemackenzie said:


> This may have a big part to do with it. Her body wasn't told it was time to produce milk yet as they were so early and then lost.
> 
> I bet next year with a normal kidding she will do better.


The premature kidding stood out to me as well and is probably the reason for lack of milk. I bought a doe who got head butted and gave birth a month early. Her breeder started milking her but she definitely didn't milk very much...the next year she kidded with triplets and milked a gallon a day.


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