# help! plz!!!!



## usamagoat (May 2, 2013)

i need a proper answer for this question, can i milk a doe straight away after she gives birth or do i have to wait, also is it harmful to her. Thanks


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## dixiequeen (Nov 16, 2012)

I think the first 24 hours is for the baby only. Most folks let the kid have all the milk for 2 weeks. Then you take the kids away at night & milk in the early a.m. then the baby has her for the rest of the day. Good luck.HTH


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

The doe will have colostrum for the first few days...we dont milk to drink for two weeks...Colostrum taste bad! so you will know when the milk is clear to drink...If her udders are engorged you can milk her along with her feeding her kids..We often have to milk our does the first week since they make so much milk..the pigs enjoy it lol


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

There are people who milk right away and feed the colostrum to the babies by bottle. If your babies are on the doe, I would let them have all the colostrum and not interfere. Let them have the milk for a while as stated above. If the babies are bottled already, you have to milk the colostrum out and give it to them. You will not hurt her by milking her but it may be a little tougher just because the colostrum is thicker than milk. Shouldn't be a problem though. I would wait at least a while before you start drinking what you milk. Even if they are bottle babies, they need the milk until she is producing enough for all of you.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Depending on the doe... if the newborn's have drank a good amount of colostrum and are content and sleeping. I will sometimes milk the side they aren't using. (they usually prefer one side for awhile) and freeze the colostrum for emergencies. The stuff is like liquid gold when you need it. My dairy does I milk even more and freeze. At 24 hours I milk my dairy does clear out and save that too, but I mark it as 24 hour colostrum and use it on a bottle baby after they get the good stuff. Personally, I wouldn't drink it.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

> I will sometimes milk the side they aren't using. (they usually prefer one side for awhile) and freeze the colostrum for emergencies


I do this as well...once babies got a belly full I snag a bit to freeze from each doe..I label it "day one" and put the goats name on it. I use either breast milk baggies or zip lock snack bags..then I put that in a gallon size freezer bag to protect against freezer burn. Its alwasy good to keep on hand


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

here's some good info from Fias Co Farms

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milking.htm#onceaday


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

This is how we do it here. At the 12 hour mark we will take about 1/3 of her colostrum to freeze for later babies who may need it. But if for some reason the udder is over filled before that time, feel free to milk the 1/3 then. During this time we are checking babies to make sure they are eating well and have nice full bellies. Then at the 24 hour mark we milk 1/2 the udder out. Not one side but both sides milked down to 1/2 capacity. Will also freeze this colostrum. We mark on the bottles that will be frozen at what hour the colostrum is from. Then at the 36 hour mark we evaluate and at least milk 1/2 again. This milking is usually dumped as its not hi enough in colostrum but still to hi to be put in with normal milk. Then at the 48 hour mark we will start to milk normally. 

So more or less for the first two days you are just making sure the udder doesnt get to full. The reason for light milkings is two fold. One you get to have extra colostrum on hand when needed. Secondly you are helping to cycle the colostrum out so the kids can start getting normal milk. The colostrum is MAJOR important for the kids but to much for to long and you could end up with babies with explosive poops


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

usamagoat said:


> i need a proper answer for this question, can i milk a doe straight away after she gives birth or do i have to wait, also is it harmful to her. Thanks


No, you cannot milk a goat immediately after birth because you are depriving the kid of critical colostrum. The kid(s) need to have full access to Mom's milk for the first 24-48 hours following birth. A kids rumen does not start developing until about 10 days of age, so I would be very careful of milking until the kid(s) were at least 2 weeks old and, personally, I would not milk until the kid(s) were around a month old to ensure they had the necessary milk for adequate growth and wellness. Just my .02.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Just for everyone's info, the first 12 hours of colostrum is absolutely crucial
for the kids, dam raised or bottle fed.
After 24 not so much so, but not tasty for humans.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

If our does are engorged we actually start milking the girls once they start dripping-even up to a week prior to labor. They only let down enough to relieve the pressure anyway. We freeze it in a container. Immediately after birthing and when momma's up, we pull the kids, milk momma dry, measure everything (keep track of weights in her health records), then package (portion) out for 24 hours out of the first milking. Anything extra is frozen. We milk 2-3x a day for the first week to keep the pressure off the udder. We only freeze extra from the first three milkings. The rest we drink after the kid's milk is portioned off.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

My does are such high producers that I have to milk the does after the kids have a big feed. I milk out half of each udder and then pasteurize and freeze the colostrum. My girls get milked from day 1 even with the kids left on them. If I don't the udder gets too tight and the kids have trouble latching on and Mom gets a painful udder.


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