# Milking Question on a Nigerian Dwarf?



## Little Bit Ranch (Sep 14, 2011)

I've had my Nigerian doe and her two 9 week old babies for a week tomorrow. I have been separating them at night and milking her in the morning. I've only been getting one cup at milking. I only milk her once a day because she is still nursing the babies. Is this normal. :? Just wondering I read they can give one to two quarts a day and was nervous that I'm only getting a cup. Any advice would be appreciated Thank You. :wink:


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

When I first started seperating the kids at night it took about a week for my doe to come up in production. I was also just learning so we had our problems getting used to each other! She started out with a quart and I got her up to a 1/2 gallon. She is a saanen.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

You may have picked up a doe from poor milk genetics. There are some nigerians out there that can easily milk a couple quarts daily and others who can only milk a couple cups. 

What freshening is she on?
Is she in ideal weight?
What kind of hay...how often is she getting it?

For a nigerian from good milk genetics you should be getting more then a cup per milking. If she's a first freshener then this may be the problem because udder capacity can increase greatly with future freshenings. Is your doe papered?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Along with what Kylee posted...how long is she separated from her kids? The longest mine are separated is 7 1/2 hours due to my work schedule and my oldest doe gives 3 1/2 cups on that fill time. My First freshener gave 2 cups with twins on her...capacity comes with each freshening.
Also...she may be holding her milk, are you bumping upward to mimick the kids nursing? 

The right combination of grains and good alfalfa hay and browse as well as plentiful water and loose minerals can help with production.


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## Little Bit Ranch (Sep 14, 2011)

I'm sorry for the delay in post. I've just been so busy with work! but I'm on vacation now so time to get my goat milking station and stand squared away. She is registered and it says the sire's are Woodhaven Farms Bently Hotwing, Woodhaven Farm's Cowboy Cadilak and MCH Piddlin Acres Blue Thunder ++*SVG and the Dam's are Kaapio Acre's BT Rhondora, Caesar's Villa STS Panda and Kappio Acre's MG Shutterbug! WOW :scratch: I'm so new to this that this doesn't mean anything to me. Any in put would be great! The babies are separated around 10 hours. She definitely isn't skinny I think she is a good healthy weight. She gets around 1 and a half cups two times a day and quality hay 2 times a day. She has green pasture all she can eat but doesn't really seem to interested. just wants to eat the weeds. I Know she has been breed 3 times. First time she had 1 then 4 then 3. I do the bumping upward it does seem when she eats all her grain she gets mad and probably is holding her milk. How do you get her to drop the milk if she does start to hold it? Also I give her a salt block and I'm going to pick up a mineral block today and try that do you recommend the loose minerals or the block? Thank You its so nice to have help from professionals because my local Tractor Supply isn't that helpful! But they try.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I would really avoid the blocks. Not only can goats not get enough from it but they can also break their teeth trying to. You can keep a regular white salt block in there for them to mess with if you want but not the minerals they need to be loose.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

For sure, loose goat minerals. Not blocks. The goat minerals have enough salt in them, my vet told me not to leave a salt block in with them because it would make them eat less minerals, since it is the salt they like in the minerals. Getting rid of the 50 pound salt block was a pretty big problem for me. 

I put some hay in the grain bucket to make it take them longer to eat the grain. That might slow her down and give you a little more time before she gets impatient. Is it one and a half cups of grain she gets twice a day? That seems like more than plenty to me. It's more than mine get, although mine aren't NDs. Actually I have one that gets that much, but at her peak she was making nearly 7 pounds a day. Now it is just under 5. (A pound is about two cups.) She is as little as an ND, and gets that much because she is a little skinny compared to everyone else. I have one that is good at holding milk back, and since yours still has a kid on her she might be saving milk for the kid. 

I guess some of them just aren't good producers, I understand there are some kinders like that too. I hope that isn't what is going on with your doe.

Jan


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## Little Bit Ranch (Sep 14, 2011)

Thank you for all your advice its nice to know there is somewhere to turn. Its frustrating when you go to your local feed stores and places like Tractor Supply and No body knows anything about goats. Thanks.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

was she milked before you got her or did she just raise her kids and then wean them adn dry up? That makes a HUGE Difference in how much they produce.


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## Little Bit Ranch (Sep 14, 2011)

The lady I bought her from said that she was milked before but not for a couple years. I know she raised her babies last year and they just weaned them. Is there anything I can do to help?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

She's been trained to produce for only a certain amount of time....if you can get her on the stand more often to strip her out during the day while her kids are with her, you may be able to get her production up....also, would you be able to post a pic of her udder in the morning, after a fill and before you milk? Seeing it can also help with determining wether or not she has the build for capacity. Does she feel tight when you start to milk her?


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## primal woman (Sep 17, 2011)

I have a similar situation. I purchased a herd a month ago. Started milking the ones I bought whose kids I did not buy. Takes awhile to straighten life out for them and me. Give yourself some more time. 

But here is more info: I milk three Nigerians whose kids I did not buy. They give collectively one quart of milk ONCE a day. I also milk three Nigerians whose (old enough) babies were separated completely three days ago. THESE three does ONLY give 10 oz collectively ONCE a day!!!! What's up with this? Ha. I would think that since babies jump in and milk at any time and many times a day, they would be giving more milk. But it is NOT the case at all! 
(ironically, I did this measurement this morning before I saw your post. Was I reading your mind? :? :shrug: )

Also, My preference is to feed NO grain at all. Also, I do NOT feed while milking. They stand still and chew their cud. I DO talk to them and tell them they are good girls. And I have a bucket of free choice minerals hung at ALL times. And a salt block is there, but I agree with the above post and may take the mineral salt block out. My pasture is mostly browse such as tree leaves and weeds although there is dry grasses available as well. Alfalfa pellets are used to catch them up for milking or whatever. I try not to give them too much as it is not only expensive, but I want 'free range' as much as I can. 

These goats were not in excellent health but not real bad. I am in hopes they show their true colors better next spring after freshening and on better diets.


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