dairy goat question ?

[Farmerben308]

hi i was wondering i want to get some milk goats and i know that they have to get pregnant but i have seen while they have the kid or kids they take the milk and give some milk back to the kids but if my question is how much do you give to one kid if you get 1 gallon of milk . or do you give it all and when the kid doesn't need any more milk is there do they still produce for awhile after that sorry for this big question just need to know

 

[Stacykins]

hi i was wondering i want to get some milk goats and i know that they have to get pregnant but i have seen while they have the kid or kids they take the milk and give some milk back to the kids but if my question is how much do you give to one kid if you get 1 gallon of milk . or do you give it all and when the kid doesn't need any more milk is there do they still produce for awhile after that sorry for this big question just need to know

You give the kids what they needs to be healthy and grow. To make it easy for newbies and to keep from overfeeding or underfeeding kids (both are bad), you can calculate what a kid needs to eat based on the kid's weight. Obviously as the kid gains weight, the amount goes up.

What I do, is I let the kids nurse off of their mother all they want until they are three or four weeks old. Then, I start separating the kids at night from their mother. They're upset, but they're fine. Especially because they've already started nibbling on hay and grain, so I offer that to them. In the morning, I milk out the dam, then return the kids. They get to drink from her all day until that night. I can get a good amount of milk this way without having to bottle feed. It actually helps increase the milk supply the doe produces, since it is additional demand. I know the does never let me take all the milk in the morning anyway, since as soon as they are reunited with the kids, the kids have a good, long drink. When the kids are finally sold or weaned, I milk twice a day. It works well with my hobby farm situation.

Some people completely pull kids, milk the doe twice a day, then feed back what the kids need with bottles.

 

[Farmerben308]

how long does got produce milk after kids is it till the next pregnency

 

[cassie]

how long does got produce milk after kids is it till the next pregnency

A usual lactation is ten months. A doe is usually dried off two months before she is due to kid again. That would be three months after she is bred.

 

[Farmerben308]

so you have three months of milk

 

[cassie]

so you have three months of milk

I meant three months of milk after she is bred and while she is pregnant. You have had seven months of milk before that from the time she kidded until it is time to breed her again. If you breed the doe a year after she was bred the first time, this means she will milk seven months before she is rebred, and three more months while she is pregnant and before it is time to dry her off. She should have an eight week rest period before she kids again. That gives you a ten month lactation If a goat is milking well sometimes you can get by with not breeding her every year and just milking her through to the next breeding season. Does this clear things up a bit?

 

[Farmerben308]

yes thank you

 

[Star Gypsy]

what does goat milk taste like? can you taste a huge difference in goat and cow? if you milk a goat what do you do with the milk, like do you just put it in the fridge or is there a process to being able to drink it after it comes out of the goat.

 

[cassie]

Goat milk can be delicious or it can be undrinkable. It should taste very similar to cow milk. if it doesn't, there is a problem. Some lines of Toggenburgs produce strong flavored milk and this trait is hereditary. Mineral deficiencies and certain weeds can affect milk flavor too. People will tell you that the presence of a buck can cause bucky flavored milk but I have not found that to be true.

It is important that all milking utensils be very clean and the milk needs to be chilled quickly. Right after milking I strained the milk I would set the container in a larger container with ice water up to the level of the milk so the milk would cool quickly. I would stir it a time or two while it was cooling. I did not put a lid on the milk jar until the milk was cold. I read about one lady who milked her goat directly into a double boiler that had ice water in the bottom. The milk chilled while she milked. Then all she had to do was strain it and put it away.

 

[daxigait]

I like the double boiler idea. We separated them in the day and milked in the evening so just opposite of you, and it worked well. I have a nubian and a saanen who will kid this spring, and I did not find the milk 'goaty'