Milk stealing

[PotterWatch]

I keep having questions!!! Thanks so much for being patient with me and helping me out everyone. Now I am having an issue with Bella's older daughter nursing. She is a year old and I found out she wasn't fully weaned until she was about 5mos old. So now, she is trying to nurse as well. She tried a couple times the first two days after the kids were born, but Bella would kick her away. Now Bella isn't kicking her away and I am worried she is going to make the little ones not get enough milk. I don't really have a way to separate them (and she screams bloody murder if she is apart from her Mom). How can I stop her from stealing milk that she doesn't need anyway?

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Will the milk increase due to the demand? I'm totally ignorant of baby goats so forgive me if I am way off base.

 

[PotterWatch]

I have no idea. I don't really want her nursing though. Especially when I start keeping the milk for myself.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I know that when it comes to horses, you simply seperate the mother from baby for a while, to form a "mental" weaning.

Try seperating the mother from the older kid for a few weeks. I know that with horses, you do this sometime after the baby becomes physically weaned. It just seems to form a mental "weaning" from momma.

I don't know about goats though.

-Kim

 

[Thunderhill]

Yes, milk will increase with demand but a kid over 5 months can drink ALOT of milk. I would try to separate her...maybe if you could throw up a makeshift pen on the other side of the property...or something like that. I'd leave her in for a week

She'll yell for a couple days... but all will pass

 

[Orpingtonman]

Theres no other way other than separating her. Otherwise, she'll keep on trying to feed and the other won't get enough milk

 

[Chatychick]

I had 1 do this also after her momma kidded and had to reseparate again for about 4 mths. It worked and she is doing great now as she has her own babies. Good luck and put a friend in with her.

 

[Laskaland]

Do they make goat pacifiers? LOL. Just kidding (oops, no pun there either...) We seperate babies from mama cows. I suppose your baby is just jealous he has to share his mama with new ones. We also use the milk replacement stuff for babies, but at the age of yours, they probably don't need the replacement any longer.
Hugs and good luck!
Christina

 

[PotterWatch]

Quote:
I wish I could do that. I can manage to separate them for a few days, but there is no way I can do it for months. My goats live in our backyard and have a gated area where they are put away at night. I only have the two does and the kids, so I don't have a friend I could put her with. My husband is ready to sell her, but I don't want to lose the potential milk (she is due in May). I guess I will try keeping them separate for a few days and see if that works.

 

[onthespot]

can you safely tie her out in a corner of the yard?