# No milk?



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We have been milking Cinnamon for about 2 weeks now. We only milk once a day in the evening and have never separated her kid from her when milking. In previous years, we continue to milk like this for as long as we want to....getting up to a half gallon daily. Then....this year. We left her for 2 weeks after kidding and started milking like we normally do. We were getting just over a quart a day. Started increasing a little. Suddenly, we are getting less than 1/2 cup! 2 nights in a row now we are getting that small of an amount. Her udder is not full. It is not hot or hard or congested. There is just no milk. She has free choice hay (alfalfa and grass mixed or just alfalfa....depending on hubby grrr...whole nother story there). She gets grain on the milking stand. Water all the time and free choice minerals. 

Our goats have been penned at the barn. We had the mamas separated from the dry does. The drop occurred after goats got "out" and started mingling all together. Cinnamon is herd queen so I know she isn't getting shoved out of the feeder or getting bullied (bullying everyone else more likely). She will absolutely NOT allow anyone else to nurse....threw a fit when hubby was milking the side her baby drinks out of. 

Hubby says temp is normal. She is acting normal. Not sick. Not off in any way. Just no milk...her baby seems to be getting enough at least for now. I'm stumped.


----------



## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

She or another goat might be sucking on her...signs of that would be a wet udder, a milk mustache on her/or another goat...
We had that with our cow; she drank her own milk.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Hmmm...never thot of her sucking herself. I KNOW it's not another goat cause she won't tolerate any of them close to her. LOL I'll have to watch and see....


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

So. I go out this morning to check on goats. I've been told "they have plenty of water and the heated buckets are working". My lactating does have NO water. The buckets for the others are FROZEN over. Sigh....:wallbang: If I hadn't gone out there, the lactating does would have had NO water until tonight! What part of "no water=no milk" is so hard to understand??? Hopefully that is all it takes to fix. On a good note, Cinn's baby IS still getting enough to drink....she's a solid, fat little toad! I threw another bale of straw in for bedding and she was bouncing off the bale trying to land on her mama. :laugh: Poor Cinn.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Hubby just told me that he took a bucket of warm water out and put in for the lactating does. They must have sucked it dry. They are NOT getting enough water....that is most likely our issue with Cinn not producing milk.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Sounds like it. Husbands are never as observant plus they are always in a hurry and not paying attention.


----------



## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

That sounds SO like my husband too! Ha ha ! 
These guys just don't seem to "see" things like a mom! (Sigh...)


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yep, no water will create lack of milk for sure.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Hmmm...still hasn't bounced back to a full udder. We didn't even bother trying to milk before we left last night. And don't think our stand-in will milk tonight. Is it possible that one baby could be drinking that much? I know she's getting big and is super active (she's like animated popcorn. ...popping all over the place lol) but can't see her using that much. We'll be back home tomorrow so will see if we can't figure it out. Cinnamon has just never quit producing like this before

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Some kids do drink more than you think.


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

it does sound like The lack of water dropped her milk production, sometimes they dont recover from that drop...she may only be making enough to feed her baby now...hopefully she continues to at least do that


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I do agree.


----------



## crownofjules (Dec 31, 2013)

I keep fresh water in with my milking doe but I never, ever see any signs of her drinking out of it. I keep it fresh none the less. When she, along with all the others, come out of their pens in the A.M., they all bolt to the outside water dish - the six of them can down a gallon of warm water in several minutes. Poor dummies! 
I do know Leelu (the milkbelly :-D ) will NOT drink tainted water. That means stray hay, dust from the wind, ice chunks - she tuns her nose up at it! I can't wait until I have my garden going so I can stop wasting water :doh:

I wonder if I can get her to drink her water in the pen if I add a bit of molasses to it? :scratch: 

How long would it be good? I don't want her to drink spoiled water - it's been getting near to the 80s during the day here (but still freezes the water at night)!


----------



## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

I've never gotten more than a few swallows from a doe with the kid on 24/7. Maybe her previous kids just didn't nurse as much.


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

You could try the whole locking up at night and milking in the morning. Its surprising how much they can still get out of that bag after you milk....and the more they nurse the more she should make. They also have 'dairy' grain....like noble that might do something to make her produce more :shrug: I hate milking so I'm not much help lol


----------



## RoseBoerGoats (Oct 17, 2013)

I'm sorry to hijack this thread, but I have a doe that had twins Monday night. She's getting 1 1/2lb of 16% morning and night so a total of 3lbs a day. I just started adding calf manna. She has free choice alfalfa pellets, sweetlix minerals and grass hay. Fresh water in a heated bucket. She doesn't seem to be producing enough milk and her kids always seem hungry but don't have sunken bellies. She's producing some, just doesn't seem to be enough. Anything I can do? Thank you in advance! p.s. she's a Nubian/Boer


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

You are welcome to hijack. Does her udder seem full at all? With mine I have gone from an udder that looked like this

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

To looking like this...

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

As long as their bellies are firm they're probably getting enough. Mine will try to nurse almost any time mom lets them.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

so her kid is with her all the time and you are trying to milk her? are you separating them at all? TO make sure she isnt nursing herself tape her teats to see if the tape is still on them in the morning. If you are keeping her kid with her all the time try separating the kid from her at night.


----------



## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I had to separate a single from momma if I wanted milk, otherwise I didn't get any.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We have never had to separate during previous freshening. We only milk once a day and usually get about 1/2 gallon. This year she hasn't given us much over a quart and then sorta quit overnight. I thought maybe because of water but that hasn't changed anything. Baby is growing like a weed and is fat and sassy so I know baby is getting enough. We were gone for a couple days so going to separate tonight and see what we have in the morning

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Well each kid is different and this one likey is just gobbling it all up. Then with the lack of water for a period of time any extra production was dropped. I'm currently nursing my son and it can take a couple days of extra nursing and me drinking more water for my production to increase but only one day of lack of drinking enough to drop that production for days and it really hasn't gone that much up (I was pumping twice a day along with him nursing exclusively. Now I'm having to thaw out milk for him - I'm trying to drink more but it's hard since I'm not that thirsty with it being so cold).


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Very true Stacey. I had a horrible time nursing my kids and had to give up because I simply had none. I do think this baby from Cinn is drinking way more than her others did because she is way more solid than any of the previous. We may have to start carrying warm water out a couple times daily. On a good note hubby says she has more udder tonight!! Maybe baby was just in a huge growth spurt and sucking it all down?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We got a quart tonight!!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Glad it's improving! Hopefully it continues to do so.


----------



## RoseBoerGoats (Oct 17, 2013)

kccjer said:


> To looking like this...
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


Thank you very much. This is what she looked like this morning. Normally the kids are with her 24/7 but I am thinking about separating them at night just to give her a break and see what she looks like the next morning. Her teats seem dry(especially the left) so I've been putting udder balm on them. And nope, not milking her. :wink: This might be a dumb question but, how do you know if they're congested?


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Hmmm....you definitely should be getting some milk out of that udder. Congested will be kinda hard and lumpy feeling. Does that make sense? Mastitis will hard and HOT and any milk you get out will have a ***** or bloody look to it. Warm compresses and massaging with a peppermint oil mix will help.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

congested will look and feel like its full or mostly full but no milk will be coming out (or very minimal)


----------



## RoseBoerGoats (Oct 17, 2013)

I just checked and she doesn't have lumps. Just feels warm and firm. Not tight or hard. Maybe I'm overreacting lol. She absolutely hated me touching her. Had amber colored discharge on her vulva? I'll let you know if anything changes. Thanks again!


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

if she is a FF and recently freshened (within 2 weeks time) she can still have edema (swelling) that will eventually go away and the udder will become more soft and pliable.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Update. Cinn only gave about a pint yesterday. However, hubby said when he milked that her teats are really sore as if she is nursing way more than one baby (which, knowing Cinn that is definitely NOT the case). Looking at that baby of hers and how big she is getting, I'm going to say that she is nursing a LOT right now....growth spurt! That baby is so active it's amazing to watch her. Hubby made sure to put some ointment on and hopefully that will help. We also upped feed for all the lactating girls. Poor little Tabitha is turning into skin and bones. Good thing that little girl of hers is going away today although I'll miss watching her popcorn all over the place.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad you got it all figured out.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Did things improve when her kid left?


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Different goat Stacey. Cinn only had one and we still have her. Cinn has increased milk again tho. It's kind of going up and down but averaging a quart. Tab had the 2 boer x babies and one of hers left today. 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yesterday...I meant.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Ah sorry mixed up the goats.


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

No problem Stacey. Knew immediately what you had thought! Sigh...it's not any better tho. NO milk last night. But her udder is engorged already today! I don't know what the heck is going on with Cinnamon right now. She is driving us all nuts. Her little doeling is, however, a pig. She is HUGE compared to past kids at this time. The ND that had the huge babies (that's the baby we sold...she still has one on her) hubby could NOT get her to stand and milk last night. hehehe First time for her on the stand tho, so not too surprising. She isn't nearly as engorged as I would have expected. She IS getting super thin tho. They have free choice grass hay, get a couple flakes of alfalfa daily and basically have free choice grain.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

can you separate Cinnamons girl for a couple nights in a row to see if there is a pattern? Tape the teats too. I know you said she wouldnt let anyone else nurse, but since the other doe isnt as engorged its possible her kid/s werent needing as much since they were sneaking milk from Cinn.


----------

