First Milk, a Very Big Thank You, and a Couple Questions

[chickenannie]

How much milk are you getting from her?
I am NOT any expert on this, but I think if she has kid(s) nursing as well as your milking, I think you have to take less milk, or milk once a day. A calf we had at the farm where I work was figuring out when we milked its mama and was having itself a BIG drink in the mornings just beforehand. (Mama was milked once a day, until calf got so big it took most of the milk itself).

Having a baby goat AND being milked can take a toll on the mama goat, so it is good to watch her condition generally and make sure her nutritional needs are being met.

I heard once that cows listening to spacey "new age" music give a little bit more milk!

the cows didn't like rock music though.

 

[sweetshoplady]

The 2 kids are not hers and not getting any milk from her. She won't let them have any.

I am only milking the right teat as the left teat had been treated for mastitis and production on that teat had dropped off considerably (before I got her) and the previous owner said to let that teat dry up and only milk the right side which has good milk and no problems, tested clear (I test each time).

That said, I am getting 1 1/2 quarts per milking, average.
I've gotten 2 + quarts and sometimes only a quart.
Which I think is probably good.

kstaven - It seems that she'd rather forage and eat the yummy bushes and vines, than eat her grain. It didn't look as though she had the opportunity to just go forage at her previous home. I know that the first time my QH got T&A, he would eat that rather than his grain, til it became old hat, now he eats his grain right up then eats the hay. I don't know how similar this is to that.

The previous owners told me how much grain to give them as well as a bag of feed so that I could keep them on the same stuff or make a transition to a new feed brand easier.