# arg... doe won't wean her kid



## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I'd been locking kids up at night from 2wks on to milk in the am. 8 wks separated the 2 does full time to milk out 2x/day. Needed the pen to put the bucklings in so the girls (after being separated for a month- 12wk old) back in with the doelings. The one went right back to nursing! SO out came the tape for the teats. 4 wks later- still taping- every day she keeps trying to nurse and mom just stands there. Yes good momma, but really. I don't have room to separate them again, and I hate to keep taping but not sure what else to do.?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Sell the doelings. Some goats just don't mind their kids nursing. I have a doe that is still letting her 8 month old nurse. I have no where to put daughter so I have to let it go on. But I'm not milking mom and not planning on breeding her anytime soon.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

if you want the milk and you want the doeling you will have to find a way to separate OR just keep taping.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree, even though you do not have room to separate, it is best that you do so, to get the point across and dry up the doe as well in the meantime. 
For some Does, it puts the idea in her head, that she doesn't have to feed her baby anymore. But some of course are hard headed. This should be done for 4 weeks, then re-tape, let her out with her daughter and watch. It no activity after a week or 2, remove tape and watch again.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I only have a few doe/doelings so they are both staying. I did have them separate for 4 wks, but needed the pen. I am milking her until at least the end of Sept. So I guess I'll keep taping maybe once a week try not to tape on the pm and see if she tries again. :sigh:


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Try putting some cayanne on the outside of the teat tape. That may be enough to discourage babies and momma from removing it.


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Well may I interject a question here too? What's the normal way to begin to wean? I have never separated mom and baby. Baby is 9 weeks old now. I don't want her milk but I do plan to move the baby over to keep his daddy company. (We banded him.) Do I just begin by separating them at night and milking her out in the mornings? I don't want to increase her milk supply. Help!


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Cut down on her grains if you give it to her to help decrease the milk. You may want to start separating them at night and let the kid nurse a little during the day, or milk out a little while her supply decreases. I have one doe who automatically wants to wean about 7 weeks. I do separate at night starting at 2 wks because I do milk in the mornings.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

giving sage also helps decrease milk supply. not sure quantity though...


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I have so many does that will let their babies nurse I swear forever. I havegone as far as taking them to someone else place becuase the mom will stand next to the fence and hold her leg up for the baby. lol


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

sweetgoats said:


> I have so many does that will let their babies nurse I swear forever. I havegone as far as taking them to someone else place becuase the mom will stand next to the fence and hold her leg up for the baby. lol


Golly!!!! That's hilarious!


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

clearwtrbeach said:


> Cut down on her grains if you give it to her to help decrease the milk. You may want to start separating them at night and let the kid nurse a little during the day, or milk out a little while her supply decreases. I have one doe who automatically wants to wean about 7 weeks. I do separate at night starting at 2 wks because I do milk in the mornings.


So are you saying go ahead and separate them when I'm ready (or rather when he is big enough to handle his daddy's bullying around) and milk mom out little bits through the day to keep her from being engorged til her supply ceases?


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I'd say start cutting any grain and milk out just enough to keep her from being engorged. Yes, as mentioned sage will also help dry her up. I put my boys separate until they are big enough to be with the big boys- or at least safety in numbers and lots of room.


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

I am dealing with this EXACT same situation!! I need to keep the doe in milk until October. I had her two doelings separated for about a month or two, but my fencing on one of the pastures went down, so I had to put mom and babies back together. That was about 4 days ago. For the first day or two they weren't nursing, but now they're both back to it!!  So frustrating! I hope you can get your girl to stop nursing! 

I'm thinking about taping the teats, but I'm worried that the babies will eat it. Will they? Also, what kind of tape do I use? Thanks!


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

I don't know that I've ever had a doe that weaned her babies the way a cat or dog weans. They all seem to need a little help. Some more than others.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Separation must be permanent on most occasions or at the least till the dam is dried up. Here, we dont let the babies back in with their moms till they are over a year old.


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## Rev144 (Jan 22, 2011)

Make a goat tractor out of 4 cattle panels. Put wheels on one end so you can move it easily. Put the baby goats in it and move their goat tractor every day.


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

Sorry to jump in on your thread, but I would like to try taping my does teats since my fencing situation is still uncertain. Will the babies eat the tape? What kind of tape should I use? Thanks!


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## Texaslass (May 15, 2013)

nchen7 said:


> giving sage also helps decrease milk supply. not sure quantity though...


I've heard a few drops of sage essential oil in their food will help them dry up.


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## Sensible (Jun 14, 2013)

StaceyRosado said:


> if you want the milk and you want the doeling you will have to find a way to separate OR just keep taping.


Exactly. Sometimes there are no hints, tricks or shortcuts. Only the obvious, common sense solution will work.

This thread illustrates one of the very good reasons why it is better to bottle feed than to allow kids to nurse. I sometimes don't understand the resistance. I see a lot of people who complain that it is too much work. That mentality always confounds me. Raising dairy goats is always a lot of work, one way or another. There is no getting around it. I don't see the sense in trying to avoid 8 weeks of intense work by bottle feeding, in favor of months of half-fast solutions like taping or seperation, with less than ideal results.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

I understand your pain. I've been trying to get my keeper doeling to wean from her Mom. I'm not going to dry her up because I am milking her, I WANT her to produce milk. But I've kept her daughter away from her for over a month too, and if they get together (I usually let all my girls out in the evening for some 'free range' supervised grazing), the daughter goes right for the udder. Mama Yoko stand there calmly for it, too. So I tape her teats, too. 

Once I tried bitter apple spray on her teats. The daughter didn't even bat and eye, and tried to drain her. And Yoko HATES getting her teats taped up, too. 

I have the daughter and a friend in a separate 10x10 pen. But I want them to have access to the big pasture, to stretch their legs and play on all the toys!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Frosty1 said:


> Sorry to jump in on your thread, but I would like to try taping my does teats since my fencing situation is still uncertain. Will the babies eat the tape? What kind of tape should I use? Thanks!


teat tape -- Hoeggars carries it


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

You can purchase a bra of sorts for them or make one..I bet it wouldnt be too hard to come up with a design ..I would use a mesh type fabric so her udders can breath

HA!! I found a link.right here on goat spot 
http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f193/goat-bras-pics-added-125096/


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

if you tape make sure the teats are clean. You can cause mastitis by taping in bacteria. Just be mindful of it and everything should be ok.


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

Thanks!! I just ordered some of the teat tape!!


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I use the cloth/nylon type (can't explain it better) tape in the human first aid section $2/roll. Paper tape would be pointless, and the 'waterproof' kind would be too harsh. 
Still taping I didn't have one on well yesterday, time to milk yep you got it that side was nursed dry!


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

I had a Toggenburg doe that would feed anyones kids  we ended up selling her,teejae


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

HappyHarrisFarm97 said:


> Well may I interject a question here too? What's the normal way to begin to wean? I have never separated mom and baby. Baby is 9 weeks old now. I don't want her milk but I do plan to move the baby over to keep his daddy company. (We banded him.) Do I just begin by separating them at night and milking her out in the mornings? I don't want to increase her milk supply. Help!


My herd is mostly meat, and when I wean the kids, I simply pull them and put them in a separate pen. I will not pull two or three kids off a doe at once, though. I pull the biggest kid, wait a week and pull the next kid, etc. I do not milk the mothers, either.


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

We have Dairy goats so I bottle raise them anyway.I wean the wethers at 3-4 months and the does at 6.They are then sold on to other studs or if really good looking they become part of my herd/show team.The wethers are kept till 6-9 months then into the freezer.teejae


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

happybleats said:


> You can purchase a bra of sorts for them or make one..I bet it wouldnt be too hard to come up with a design ..I would use a mesh type fabric so her udders can breath
> 
> HA!! I found a link.right here on goat spot
> http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f193/goat-bras-pics-added-125096/


We had to do this when Begonia was down with pole worms the first round. She had to go into the baby pen and they WOULD NOT leave her alone. I ended up sewing an udder bra out of an old t/shirt for her poor body. Kids felt around but no teat, no milk!


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