# Please help me dry up my doe!!!



## Mandoziz

Why is it that I never see any threads on how to dry up a doe? Is this some easy process that I'm making into a complicated one?? 

My nubian doe gave birth to two kids on new years eve. Fast forward almost 6 months and I'm done milking. She gives over 2 gallons at each milking and it has been crazy difficult trying to dry her up. In the beginning I was milking her twice a day, then we got down to once a day milkings. Then we went to every other day, then every three days and so on. We are now milking every 5 days and every five days she gives me 2 gallons. I feel like this could, and will, go on for eternity. Do I keep drawing this out? 

My dairy cow friends think I'm crazy and should just stop milking her completely. So, this past week, I have. She hasn't been milked in 8 days. Her udder is HUGE, she's dragging it around (who knows how much that weighs). I feel horrible. 

She gets half a cup or grain in the am and pm. Only on prairie hay, occasionally grazing (maybe twice a week). No kids still nursing. What do I do? Just leave her? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## JessaLynn

Stop graining her! Milk her just enough to relieve the preasure or she could get mastitis. It could take months for her to completly dry up.Good luck


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## Mandoziz

I was told to either milk her out completely or not at all....milk a little will cause mastitis. I'm telling ya, everyone says something different. I really should only milk her out a little??


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## Jane

JessaLynn is correct. You should stop giving her grain. I have never tried milking out just enough to relieve the pressure when drying off a heavy producer, but I doubt it would lead to mastitis. It is dirty udders, equipment, hands, bedding, etc. that really cause it. 

What signals the body to stop producing milk is the fullness in the udder.


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## Goat Crazy

This is what I do, I don't know if its correct or not, but it works well with my nigerians. I hate to see them get super tight by just stoping it looks to pain full.
I start out milking once day for a week, then switch to every other day for 1-2 weeks depending on how tight they get,then milking once every 2 days or just stop. For your doe, I would milk once a day for 2 weeks and then switch to every other day for 2-3 weeks before stoping. They do need to get tight so that they will stop producing, but I know some does just don't want to stop and it takes a little longer to dry them off. 
I hate to see them get super tight by just stoping it looks to pain full so


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## lissablack

This sounds like a goat who would give you milk year round, nothing is better than that. Maybe you should rethink drying her up.


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## sweetgoats

The BEST thing to do if you can is give her a good handful of sage. We grow it every year in the garden for them. I give it to them for about 4 days and they dry up really fast and yes no grain. 

If I do not have the sage, I let them go a couple days, then milk them out just a little bit to take the pressure off.


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## ksalvagno

ToMorrow or QuarterMaster are highly recommended for drying off high production does to avoid mastitis...helps them dry off faster and protect that udder.

I haven't used it myself but I know others who do use it and are successful. The ones that I know use QuarterMaster.


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## liz

WOW...You have a wonderful doe there! With that amount of production this long after freshening, I myself would be keeping her in milk as long as possible.

I've never dried off a doe that wasn't ready to...my girls tend to start slacking with production around the end of June to mid July after freshening in February...it's then that I go to once a day milkings til September, once they drop more I start the drying off process by stopping the every day milking and doing every other day for a week...I cut grain too, they get just enough to get them on the stand, at the end of the week I don't milk at all or give grain, I just watch their udders and check if theres any extreme tightness, if too tight I'll express just enough for comfort and leave them alone, they're usually totally dry within 3 weeks.


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## Mandoziz

Thank you all for the advice! Like I mentioned I'm currently milking her every 5-6 days. Have been doing this for three weeks, she's still super tight and gives a ton of milk. I use a milking machine and it takes 25 minutes to get 2 gallons out. 

Perhaps I should just keep milking her once a week until she decides it's time to slow down. I will try the sage idea....wonder where I could get my hands on some of that! Thank you all again, at least I know how to proceed now.


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## RMADairyGoats

This is how we dry up our girls:
milk once a day for a week
milk every other day
milk every other other day (milk once every two days)
milk every other other other day (milk once every three days)
after you milk once every four days for a week we just stop.
How this helps!!!


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## Tenacross

I'd sure like to see a picture of this milk making machine.


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## Natural Beauty Farm

Mandoziz said:


> She gives over 2 gallons at each milking and it has been crazy difficult trying to dry her up.


Wow at that production you must have the 
Top producing doe in the whole country. Having 5 nubians here that are in the top 5% I thought I had good milk genetics.


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## KW Farms

I personally would lower the feed intake and give no grain. For most of my does to dry off I stop any milking or nursing completely...and we've never had mastitis. Can you get a picture of her and her udder? I am just so curious to see what a 2 gallon per milking udder looks like...my goodness that is a producer you got there!


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## Hidden Waters Farm

Like KW Farms, I would also Love to see a picture of her udder!

It looks like everyone else has great suggestions! I agree with the sage! It helps our does dry up good.


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## Abra

I just found this post, and although old, I HAD to comment...
2 Gallons of milk in the morning and 2 Gallons in the evening?
That's 4 gallons a day!

I 've never even heard of a doe making so much (2 gallons is rare, but 4?!)
If you have ever considered selling your doe, and you can provide proof that she produces that much, I will GLADLY pay you $2,500 for her. I will also drive down there personally, and bring her home myself. 
She would be worth her weight in gold, and her offspring would be worth a small fortune! 

I would be THRILLED to have a doe that produces even half that much! (one of my girls gives nearly 3/4 of a gallon twice a day at her peak (that's 1.5 gallons a day), and I am tickled pink with her!)


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## NyGoatMom

WOW.


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## ptgoats45

I think they meant the doe gave 2 gallons when she wasn't milked for 5 days. Nubians very rarely give over 2 gallons a day, if they do they are on the best feed available (lots of alfalfa). The only breed I know of that has given 4 gallons a day is the top milking Saanen. The best way to measure milk is in pounds, one persons gallon is not always another persons gallon.


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## happybleats

yes..my Saanen give me 2 gallons a day but my nubians half that...My oberhalsi give just under 2 gallons...and she was a ff last season..cant wait to see what she does this season..: )but FOUR gallons...WOW...that poor mama..


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## NyGoatMom

Wouldn't it be hard to keep her healthy like that? I mean, sheesh, that's a ton of milk!


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## ptgoats45

By the way they said it the doe was not giving 4 gallons a day. When she was unmilked for 5 days then milked once they got 2 gallons. So in 5 days time the doe made 2 gallons of milk.


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## NyGoatMom

aha....I read it wrong....lol...that's what I get for working overnights and only sleeping for a few hours....


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## kandice

I have tried all of that and she is still producing milk i have a 2 year old milk goat and i was thinking if you could buy a medicine or something to help her dry up i am still milking her because it got so big it started to crack so i put bag bomb and started milking her every two or three days any help would be good


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## Goats Rock

Start gradually cutting her grain back (3/4 of the amount for 5 days to a week, then 1/2 the amount for another 5 + days, down to a small amount over 3 or 4 weeks) while you milk normally. Don't give her real good alfalfa, that helps increase milk production, gradually decrease the alfalfa (if you feed it) and replace with a grass hay. Peppermint will help decrease her milk, give her a couple of peppermint candies (made with real peppermint) every day. 
You can start milking once a day and do that for a couple weeks, then, milk her out well, infuse her teat with a mastitis preventative ("Tomorrow" is good) and don't remilk her. If you do, re-infuse her. (This works for my real milky does- I hope it works for you.) 

Her body is programmed to milk, so you have to reprogram her! Good luck.


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## TDG-Farms

We have had several does over the years give 2 gallons per milking and being milked twice a day. Our most productive doe would give right around 18 lbs. per milking. She is still alive at 11 or 12 years old but has been retired for the last two years and is just living out the rest of her days in peace. Granted, at that kind of production level, non of the these super high producers had show quality udders. Not terrible swing bags by any means but you cant get that kinda production outta an udder and have em hold up that long. Had one about 8 years ago who was producing around the 2 gallon per milking mark and came out one day to see that her medial suspensory ligament had actually tore on the inside and her udder dropped nearly to the ground. Currently we dont have any super producers, thank God. But we do have does that simply refuse to dry up and we are are still milking into December. But thats kinda expected when you only breed to bucks with 3500+ lbs. milk dams.


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## Jewel52

What I do is take the grain away from mamas and baby's and let the baby's still nurse for ten days then take the mommy away from babies and I cut back the alfalfa to half the amount each day for five days, the babies are in a separate pen and I start giving them grain again then after five days give mommy goats the amount of alfalfa you normally give them. The goats dry up and I keep them separate from the babies for one month.


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## dianelyman

*I too have this problem only difference mine is a virgin milker*

Babe is her name she is 5 years old and has given tons of milk for 3 years straight. I have tried everything that all these other people has mentioned and none of it worked. I never heard of Master ??? or the other product. But I do know if you take all her grain, fruit and vegetables away and give her straight water and hay she will slack back on the amount of milk but she will still produce and need milking once a week. Don't know what to do from there because it say a virgin milker will go three years continually producing milk. So if you get it figured out I sure would appreciate your help. Thanks.
A problem with get a virgin goat from producing milk.


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## Suzanne_Tyler

Make some udder balm (some combination of Shea butter, beeswax, coconut oil, and/or olive oil) add in a ton of peppermint EO. Say 20 drops per 1/2 cup balm. I add other oils as well, lavender and tea tree, but the peppermint is the one that dries them up. Then apply it on the udder twice a day. I had a doe producing 3-4 cups (this was a mini) and I started putting the above udder balm on her, I didn't milk her again except a few tablespoons to relieve the pressure in the first few days.


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## sophie2016

Just don't milk her out less and less and It will let her body know that her "baby" isn't as hungry anymore and she can put the calories toward herself. That's the basics


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## Jewel52

My two goats had babies and to dry up milk. First take grain away and let babies still nurse for ten days. After 10 days put mommy in a pen away from babies and give her half the amount of hay you normally give her, no grain at all. Do this for four days. Then you can give her normal hay again but no grain. And do not let babies by mommy for one month. Her milk will be gone. Sometimes the babies will still try to nurse after this but the milk will not come back. My goats had a huge udder but after i did these instructions the milk went away. No problems at all.


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## wndngrvr

A lot of us would give anything to have a doe that keeps on giving milk. I know another lady that has a milker like that and has been milking her for several years now. Is she bred - is that why you are trying to dry her up? Sounds like she could keep you in milk without the hassle of breeding every year.


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## dianelyman

*balm recipe*



Suzanne_Tyler said:


> Make some udder balm (some combination of Shea butter, beeswax, coconut oil, and/or olive oil) add in a ton of peppermint EO. Say 20 drops per 1/2 cup balm. I add other oils as well, lavender and tea tree, but the peppermint is the one that dries them up. Then apply it on the udder twice a day. I had a doe producing 3-4 cups (this was a mini) and I started putting the above udder balm on her, I didn't milk her again except a few tablespoons to relieve the pressure in the first few days.


Shea butter does it come as a lotion or what, beeswax, does it need to be melted and how much would I need also peppermint oil where do you get that. I live in a small country town that has no large animal vet and very little needed supplies.


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## dianelyman

This is great stuff but it sounds like all you goat owners have bred your goats to get your milk but I never, she just produced it on her own. So how would Babe know that the baby should stop sucking if she never had a sucking kid in the first place. Taking her grain away is the only thing that is slowing down her production and it does not matter how long I don't milk or how full she gets she will continue to produce for 3 years. Right now I milk her out 2 times a month and I have been trying for 1.5 months to dry her up.


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## Suzanne_Tyler

Not sure where to get beeswax... I've always used what our bees produce :scratch: Shea butter is available at whole foods, or your local health foods store. It's not absolutely necessary to have those two ingredients, though, they're just good for the skin. I've made it before with only coconut oil and olive oil. It just turns out a little runny  The peppermint is also available at health foods stores, and you can order it online. 

Another thing with drying her up, never milk her out completely, just enough to relieve the pressure.


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## Gretch0316

dianelyman said:


> This is great stuff but it sounds like all you goat owners have bred your goats to get your milk but I never, she just produced it on her own. So how would Babe know that the baby should stop sucking if she never had a sucking kid in the first place. Taking her grain away is the only thing that is slowing down her production and it does not matter how long I don't milk or how full she gets she will continue to produce for 3 years. Right now I milk her out 2 times a month and I have been trying for 1.5 months to dry her up.


I am currently dealing with the exact same problem with my 2 1/2yr old Nubian doe. Did anything end up working for you?


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