# cant increase milk production



## joni55 (Nov 27, 2012)

I purchased my 1st reg. Nubian. She might have been bred, per seller! Not, she bred 6 wks ago. I've had her 2 months. Supposedly, she had weaned her kids, but two larger kids were still nursing. When I got her home I fed Bermuda hay and a small amount of goat dairy grain. She gave me a pint. After that day I have never rec. Over 1.25 cups at one time. I have wormed her, with ivomec. Give her goat minerals. Added blackout sunflower seed, tried oats with dairy food. I can not get her to give more than a cup at milking.

She was moved here, wormed, bred about 10 days later. She is a wonderful tempered doe. She is not a long or big doe due to having been bred to young? Per sales person. Bought off individual, not sale barn. And she is quite and loving, and a one person doe. She does not waller on you, just does her job. She is due in March, and I don't want to quit milking her until my other nubian kids first wk in Jan. 

Is there any way she just wants to dry up? Or is it possible she is not a big producer.
Nice teats, small bag. But no problem milking at all!!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First, I would find out if she is pregnant. You can send a blood sample in to BioTracking. 

Second, how much grain are you feeding her? Are you feeding her a good dairy goat grain? My Alpine/Nubian mix gets 5 measuring cups of grain per milking so she gets a total of 10 measuring cups per day of grain. 

I'm not sure what gift minerals are but she should have a good goat loose mineral out free choice.

Is this female a first freshener? Sometimes they might dry up sooner than a proven producer.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

I've definitely seen that diet and ample water supply quickly affects milk production. I have nigerian dwarfs, so was milking just over 1/c each, twice per day. Decent for lil gals.  But when the colder weather hit, I saw a decline in production. I started adding bedtime hay (had been feeding just morning alfalfa and they browse the rest of the day) and it helped. I've also noticed if their water bucket gets low, their production tapers off. Cold weather in general seems to make them hold back on production too... nice days I definitely get more milk than I do when it's cold/windy/rainy.


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## joni55 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have 3 buckets with water, today I let them in yard, put warm milk, with old molasses in it. Just a half teaspoon. Dairy feed us for goats 16%. I give her a coffee can plus each time I milk, and have even increased that. No, she is not a first time mom. This is second I saw her bred, and pooh test looks bred!


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## joni55 (Nov 27, 2012)

Karen, I have 4 generations of mini doxies, I rescue lab/rot mix. 2 clicks, appaloosa cutting horse. Only she is not used for cutting. I am feeding 2 pygmy girls, 2 four month old mini nubians, 1 bred mini nubian, and 2 full size nubians, bred. They get three sleeves of hay, 2 in morning, 1 late afternoon. Then some grain during, with goat minerals and baking soda for health.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

How long since she freshened?

Some does are "trained" to be in milk for only so long.
Example being... my does freshen, solely feed their kids for 3 weeks, I separate kids at night and milk in the mornings and after kids leave at 8 weeks fresh, I milk twice a day for 4 months then once a day for 2 months and dry off the month they are bred...giving them a 7-8 month lactation. Most dairy does should milk for 10 months but if your doe was trained by a previous owners practice, she likely won't come back up to production, regardless of how well fed she is.


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## joni55 (Nov 27, 2012)

Of gosh, not warm milk, warm water. I have milk(water) on the brain. HaHa


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## joni55 (Nov 27, 2012)

She was born in early 2010, I do not know if she has kidded once or twice. I would suspect 2 times, but her bag is still small, not distorted teats, or lopsided. I did not know enough to ask all of these questions. But, I'm learning. You have some beautiful goats. I have ran across your site multiple times trying to educate myself.

I did buy a first generation mini nubian, that had 3 kids het first time. I was wanting to go smaller, as I figured out real fast that the big girls can be a handful.

I also purchased her two doelings, 2nd generation mini nubians. 

My husband had purchased 2 little pygmys in may, not knowing that they were pygmys, instead of young kids, so I was looking for a ND buck.

But, evidently they are bred by an old pygmy buck. Now, he was gray and nice looking. So I might try milking them.
My doe has very good milk, I was surprised at the sweet taste.

I can't wait til they all get fresh. I am going to make Soap, for family and friends. My daughter steals my milk all the time for grandkids. I have made ikr fashioned fudge. Nothin better.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If she is pregnant and your not sure if this was her first freshening or not, then I would probably consider just drying her up. You definitely want her fully dried up 2 months prior to kidding so she has good colostrum for her new kids.

You have quite an animal crew! I guess it is safe to say you love animals!


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

I always offer the molasses/warm water immediately after milking. I make sure I bring my doe's nose right to it so she's not distracted checking everything else out. I also give her plain warm water a couple extra times a day and it does help a lot. It sure sounds like you're doing everything right--have you tried contacting her former owner to see what their routine was?


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