# No milk, should I worry??



## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

One of our goats just freshened on Saturday. She gave birth to two healthy babies and the all seem to getting along well. The only problem is that is seems like she is producing very little milk. These are our first kids to be born on our farm so I'm not quite sure what's considered normal. But...I was expecting her to get much fuller as we were told that she produces ALOT of milk when we bought her. Her bag looks the same as it did weeks prior to kidding and really hasn't filled up at all. 

Now my questions are......
1. If the kids look healthy and vibrant should I assume that she is producing enough for her kids?
2. Is it possible for some goats not to come into milk until days after they deliver and what the cause of that?
3. Is there anything I can do to help boost milk production or encourage her to let down her milk?
4. If there was something like a retained placenta how would I know? (We weren't there for the birth and didn't find a placenta when we got to her)

So sorry for all the questions, this is our first time ever dealing with these kind of issues and are overwhelmed! Thanks so much in advance!




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## DesertFlowerNigerians (Mar 27, 2014)

Can you post a picture of her udder? She probably will let it down more in the next few days. You can give her a little bit of grain (I use Purina Goat Chow) to help boost her milk production.

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*Desert Flower Ranch Nigerian Dwarf Goats*
http://www.desertflowerranchaz.com

Home to a small herd of 4 does, 2 wethers and 2 bucks.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I am in no way a expert with milk goats but 1. I wouldn't worry if the kids seem happy and healthy and not sunk in on the sides. Next I think it is normal for them to not produce a ton of milk right away for some. Again not a expert but my lamancha usually gives me a gallon a day, she kidded on the 28 and no where near a half a gallon on my half...baby gets the other half, but I do see a increase.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

DesertFlowerNigerians said:


> Can you post a picture of her udder? She probably will let it down more in the next few days. You can give her a little bit of grain (I use Purina Goat Chow) to help boost her milk production.
> 
> _________________________________________________
> 
> ...


I will take a pic and post it. Right now I am giving her some grain (alfalfa pellets, sweet grain and BOSS), a bit of calf mana, some probios, and diamond v yeast. Not all of this every time, but often. She gets free choice hay of course and occasionally some Chaffhaye.

We're trying everything and I really do hope she will let down more in the next few days!! Thanks!!

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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Jessica84 said:


> I am in no way a expert with milk goats but 1. I wouldn't worry if the kids seem happy and healthy and not sunk in on the sides. Next I think it is normal for them to not produce a ton of milk right away for some. Again not a expert but my lamancha usually gives me a gallon a day, she kidded on the 28 and no where near a half a gallon on my half...baby gets the other half, but I do see a increase.


That's sounds promising! I check the babies stomachs several times a day and the look fine. They also drink what seems like every few minutes! But when I try to express some milk from the udder there is virtually nothing...like nothing.

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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

If kids are healthy thriving that's what counts. She is just not letting down for you cause you aren't one of her kids & she probably thinks you are trying to steal it from them.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

nancy d said:


> If kids are healthy thriving that's what counts. She is just not letting down for you cause you aren't one of her kids & she probably thinks you are trying to steal it from them.


For now that is my main concern of course. But they are dairy goats that we have for the purpose of providing our family with milk, so....does that change over time? Will she let down milk for us later when she is separated overnight from her babies? We don't milk her now to drink her milk, but one of the kids was not drinking from her for the first couple of days so I wanted to get milk from mama to bottle feed or tube feed the baby if necessary. Otherwise, there was no need to milk her.

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## DesertFlowerNigerians (Mar 27, 2014)

She'll let down the milk later when her kids are weaned. When I need to bottle feed a kid, I put the doe by herself for awhile to let her fill up, then I milk her and feed the kid.

_________________________________________________

*Desert Flower Ranch Nigerian Dwarf Goats*
http://www.desertflowerranchaz.com

Home to a small herd of 4 does, 2 wethers and 2 bucks.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

DesertFlowerNigerians said:


> She'll let down the milk later when her kids are weaned. When I need to bottle feed a kid, I put the doe by herself for awhile to let her fill up, then I milk her and feed the kid.
> 
> _________________________________________________
> 
> ...


Ok, thanks! I really hope so. The babies are eating well from mama now, so I'm leaving them alone for the time being. I guess when I separate them at night I will see what she is really producing. Is there anything I should be doing now, or should I just be hands off until those first few weeks are up?

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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Her udder will never look full while babies are on her. They drink all day long, her udder never has a chance to fill up. The exception to that is if she were producing way more than what they need. A goats body knows how much milk to produce for the number of kids they have. Therefore a goat that has one kid will not produce as much a goat that has 3 kids . . .

You will not know how much milk she is producing until you wean the kids. You can get an idea by separating at night once the kids are old enough, but you still don't want to milk her out completely, they will be hungry in the morning too.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Devin said:


> Her udder will never look full while babies are on her. They drink all day long, her udder never has a chance to fill up. The exception to that is if she were producing way more than what they need. A goats body knows how much milk to produce for the number of kids they have. Therefore a goat that has one kid will not produce as much a goat that has 3 kids . . .
> 
> You will not know how much milk she is producing until you wean the kids. You can get an idea by separating at night once the kids are old enough, but you still don't want to milk her out completely, they will be hungry in the morning too.


Thanks Devin! I wondered about that. I know the kids drink nonstop, I see them in action! But I was not sure if that was because they weren't getting enough milk or because this is just how things work.

When the babies are weaned and we start milking her, is there any hope for her producing more milk? Or will she always just produce the amount necessary to feed two kids because her body has become used to it??

Thanks again.

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## Hurkett_Hill_Farm (Jan 12, 2014)

With my Alpines, I milk twice a day at 12 hour intervals and they get 4lbs (6 cups) of sweet feed twice a day plus free choice hay, pasture and water.
I experimented with cutting their feed but the milk production fell. I bumped up their grain but didn't get any increase in milk so you can see what works for your gals. They won't produce much milk without grain. The kids do suckle away all day so you can't tell how much she is producing until separated. 
I separate at night when the kids are 2 weeks old and just milk in the morning. Everyone gets kicked outside for the day and the kids eat all day off mom. Once the kids are weened or sold, I start my evening milking. I would get 3 litres a day after the kids were sold. 



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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Hurkett_Hill_Farm said:


> With my Alpines, I milk twice a day at 12 hour intervals and they get 4lbs (6 cups) of sweet feed twice a day plus free choice hay, pasture and water.
> I experimented with cutting their feed but the milk production fell. I bumped up their grain but didn't get any increase in milk so you can see what works for your gals. They won't produce much milk without grain. The kids do suckle away all day so you can't tell how much she is producing until separated.
> I separate at night when the kids are 2 weeks old and just milk in the morning. Everyone gets kicked outside for the day and the kids eat all day off mom. Once the kids are weened or sold, I start my evening milking. I would get 3 litres a day after the kids were sold.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Goat Forum


Thanks so much, I am trying what you suggest with one of our goats now. We've been trying a little bit of everything to see how it effects milk production. We've increased/decreased grain. We've used Chaffhaye to see what effect it had. And now we're experimenting with calf manna. I guess I'll have to go through that same process with this goat and see what she can produce and what things help.

I was wondering though if you miked a goat from the beginning a few times a day, would it trigger her brain/body to produce more milk as if she had an extra kid on her or would it just deprive the babies she really did have of adequate milk.

I know as a breastfeeding mom this happens (ie. if you pump milk out it triggers brain to produce more and baby still gets plenty), but wasn't sure if the same applied with goats.

Thanks!

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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

The more you milk her the more she will produce. However, she is limited by her genetics. If she has the POTENTIAL to milk a lot she will as long as she is healthy, well fed etc . . . but if her genetics limit her you can only do so much.

You can milk 3 times a day instead of 2 just to try to jump start her into giving more, and make sure you are always milking EVERYTHING out. She will only produce what you take, so always ask for more than she can give.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Devin said:


> The more you milk her the more she will produce. However, she is limited by her genetics. If she has the POTENTIAL to milk a lot she will as long as she is healthy, well fed etc . . . but if her genetics limit her you can only do so much.
> 
> You can milk 3 times a day instead of 2 just to try to jump start her into giving more, and make sure you are always milking EVERYTHING out. She will only produce what you take, so always ask for more than she can give.


Thanks, great advice! I will wait for the two weeks to be up and see what she is producing. I was told that she gets tons of milk, but I've been duped regarding milk production in the past so I won't get my hopes up. Right now she doesn't look like she produces much at all though. When I wean the babies at night and start milking her will that be a strong indication of how much milk she's going to give? Or will it take time to see what her potential is (other than increasing at peak production)?

I always try and milk all the way out. I even massage the udder and try to get every last drop if I can (although you can do that forever as they produce constantly!). It helps me with being familiar with how they feel and noticing any abnormalities if they should arise.

Thanks for the tips!

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## Hurkett_Hill_Farm (Jan 12, 2014)

Someone told me that squash or pumpkins increase milk production. I usually feed that to my gang anyways because they love them. I don't buy them specially but grow in the garden, and have a small mountain after Halloween. Someone gave me a crate of squash the other day as they grew too many and are sick of eating them. I gladly took them! I've also heard that pumpkin seeds are a natural wormer, has anyone else read that? My chickens love them too. 




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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Hurkett_Hill_Farm said:


> Someone told me that squash or pumpkins increase milk production. I usually feed that to my gang anyways because they love them. I don't buy them specially but grow in the garden, and have a small mountain after Halloween. Someone gave me a crate of squash the other day as they grew too many and are sick of eating them. I gladly took them! I've also heard that pumpkin seeds are a natural wormer, has anyone else read that? My chickens love them too.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Goat Forum


That sounds good! We usually feed our goats boxes of veggies that we get free from our local organic market and when our garden starts to grow we'll add to it. Now I know what to do with extra squash! I'll try anything, just want them to be healthy and happy while we're getting from them such a great gift of milk! Thanks for the suggestions.

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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Yes, if you separate out for 12 hours you will get a general idea of how much she is milking if you milk her all the way out at 12 hours. however, I wouldn't do that very often as babies will be hungry too. Leave some for them to eat most days. Also she will peak between 8 and 12 weeks, so at 2 weeks she will continue to increase so it will not be real accurate, but you can get an idea anyway. How much are you expecting from her?


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Devin said:


> Yes, if you separate out for 12 hours you will get a general idea of how much she is milking if you milk her all the way out at 12 hours. however, I wouldn't do that very often as babies will be hungry too. Leave some for them to eat most days. Also she will peak between 8 and 12 weeks, so at 2 weeks she will continue to increase so it will not be real accurate, but you can get an idea anyway. How much are you expecting from her?


Ok, I'll remember that, thanks. We were told by the breeder that she produces about 3/4 gallon a day. I can't see that being the case though, but I am still hopeful. She was listed as being a heavy producer from the start. So her udder is pretty horrible (definitely not a show goat), but we are not breeders and just want a good milking goat. If she doesn't produce idk what we'll do.

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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

3/4 gallon does not take a huge udder, so she may have more than you think  Milking 2xs day is only 6 cups at each milking. and I will bet those babies are eating that easy!


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Devin said:


> 3/4 gallon does not take a huge udder, so she may have more than you think  Milking 2xs day is only 6 cups at each milking. and I will bet those babies are eating that easy!


I really hope so devin! I will soon find out. That is what we are getting from our full size goat, but she only produces a lot from one side . Can't figure out what to do about that.

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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Is that goat nursing a baby? The baby may prefer one side over the other. OR if she had a single but that kid is no longer nursing, he may have preferred one side and allowed the other side to start to dry up . . .

Some goats also just have an uneven udder, or she may have had damage in the one side caused by an accident or mastitis. Or she may be self sucking. Many things can be the culprit.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Devin said:


> Is that goat nursing a baby? The baby may prefer one side over the other. OR if she had a single but that kid is no longer nursing, he may have preferred one side and allowed the other side to start to dry up . . .
> 
> Some goats also just have an uneven udder, or she may have had damage in the one side caused by an accident or mastitis. Or she may be self sucking. Many things can be the culprit.


We bought her two weeks after she kidded, and although she did gave one baby it was pulled at birth.

I don't see any self sucking or any of our other goats feeding from her, but then again I'm not always watching. I guess I won't really know until she kids again next year or does this kinda problem persist?

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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If she was a first freshener, it may come in better next year.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

ksalvagno said:


> If she was a first freshener, it may come in better next year.


She's OLD. One of the reasons I bought her was because she has been milking almost a gallon consistently for the past few years according to breeder. Hopefully this is the case! We can only have a limited amount of goats on our property so those that don't produce I can't really keep. We get attached to the girls so this is always difficult 

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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

How old is she?


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

ksalvagno said:


> How old is she?


I think she's five. Is that too old for me to expect that kind of production from her still??

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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

No, that really shouldn't be. Was she bred only once a year?


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

ksalvagno said:


> No, that really shouldn't be. Was she bred only once a year?


Yes

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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I don't consider 5 to be that old. This has been a very funny year.


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