freshening

[kelliepulido]

As I am reading about the diary goats this term is used what does it mean?

 

[helmstead]

Giving birth...

 

[kelliepulido]

So if you want to have a diary goat for the milk you need her bred she has a kid and then do you let the baby feed from the mama and also milk her or do you have to bottle feed the baby and how often do you have to freshen the diary goat to keep up the milk supply? Thanks

 

[helmstead]

This is gone through in great detail on www.fiascofarm.com as far as how to begin milking. Generally you give the kids 2 weeks with mom, then start milking her once a day until they wean...then milk her twice a day. Large dairy goats kid once a year...so you usually have milk until winter...then dry them off...they kid and you start again.

 

[Chatychick]

After they freshen or give birth then you can either sell the babies or bottle feed them. I have bottle fed and never let them nurse the dam. Or you can pen them up at night and milk in the mornings and let the babies run with mom all day. Also if you dont want to have more babies you can just keep milking twice a day and not rebreed as sometimes they will keep making milk until you are ready to rebreed. You need a good nutrition plan for this as so say its hard on goats doing this but some argue it isnt...guess its just persona preference as what you want to do.

 

[greyfields]

"Freshening" is rebreeding the goat so that she has another kid, thus refreshening her milk supply. From the point of birth, onward, the milk production is in a constant decline. By the time the kids are 6 months old, you'll notice a lot less milk. Most people 'freshen' their goats so that they have the next kid exactly a year beyond the previous kid. You then stop milking for the 90 days prior to the new kid being born so as not to drain the mother too badly.