Regarding goat breeding

[Frozen Feathers]

I am thinking about breeding my doe, for milk, but a bit concerned. She is a pure Nigerian Dwarf, out of great show stock, however she is unregistered because she has a teat spur on one of her teats, and the breeder felt because of this, she wouldn't be able to be shown. It's just a little bump on the side of her right teat. Is this something that would cause her difficulty in being able to feed her kids or us milking her? I would like to keep the kids with her until they are 8 weeks since milk replacer is so $$ and then would milk her until she dries out.

I am planning on "renting" a buck, since I don't have one of my own. The fee is $50, I believe that is reasonable, since if she has a buck I can whether him and sell him for more then that and we would retain any does.

Thanks for any information!!

 

[helmstead]

No, the spur (esp being that small) shouldn't affect her nursing at all. Worst case, the kid(s) don't like it there and nurse more on one side, in which case you'd have to milk the side with the spur yourself.

PS Milk replacer gives kids the trots - cows milk is actually better. So, still an option *after 2 weeks of nursing mom to get her colostrum*.

$50 bucks sounds right on (for a registered buck with excellent maternal lines).

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Thanks for the information, I have another question. Do you think because she is a dairy breed that I will be able to milk her while she is still nursing? Would she produce enough milk, or would I starve the kids?

Also cows milk as in raw cows milk, right?

I don't know the lines of the buck, I have 2 to choose from, but they are registered Nigerians.

 

[picklespickles]

fifty is fine. that is what i was going to pay before i got my own.

 

[helmstead]

A lot of farms milk while the kids are still on. They separate the does and kids at night, milk in the morning. They say the does will learn to hold back milk for the kids and then of course the kids nurse all day.

They never begin this regimine until after the kids are two weeks old, though.

So that should work fine. Have you already desensitized your doe's udder? A lot of them are uber ticklish...and you don't want her kicking when you're milking (trust me!) Stinks when you loose 5 minutes worth of milking!

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I appreciate the information...can you tell I'm new at this??

Good point about desensitizing!! We do handle her a lot, but I will start working around her udder area. She's little, but I bet she could give me a heck of time if she wanted to!

 

[helmstead]

Oh my gosh yes! I have a few that SO resent it, they kick the tar out of me and run around in circles on the leash. I check their udders to determine heat cycles and also to watch for the beginnings of bag development before kidding. Those that are ticklish see me coming!

 

[Chatychick]

I have Nigerians also and I do milk mine I separate them at night and then milk in the morning from the does that I dont pull the kids. The spur shouldnt cause a problem, I have a unregistered doe with them on both sides and it dont bother the babies at all. I do wether her bucklings and with the spurs it can be passed to the doelings and bucklings also. Check the doelings at birth for this flaw...some people put hte animal down because of this but not me They just are not considered able to be registered...they make good pet though...You should have enough milk and the babies will be fine.
I forgot to say I put my does on the milk stand and hand milk from the back and they seem to do better than milking from the side and my back dont hurt like it did when I sat on the side like milking my cow...just a thought

 

[SeaChick]

Awwww..... I am SO JEALOUS of you folks with your goats!!!! Angie, Olivia was just saying yesterday how much she wanted a goat! But it's never gonna happen while we are living here.... sigh..... so we will just have to wait. Maybe we can come visit your goat and Hazel sometime this spring?
Stacey

 

[gila_dog]

When I was a kid we had milk goats (Nubians and Alpines). We found that separating the kids from their mothers right away had several advantages. We would bottle feed the kids for a few days until they were off to a good start, then train them to drink from a bucket. Here are the advantages:
1. We could make sure each new kid was eating right. Within a week they were eating like hogs from the bucket. The mothers were able to get back to being milk goats instead of mothers right away.
2. The kids bonded with us instead of the mothers.
3. Goat kids can get really rough with their mothers' udders when they get a bit older. This can lead to mastitis and other problems.
4. It saved a lot of time. Milk the does, feed the kids. Do this twice a day.

A word about castrating bucks. If you plan to eat them or sell them for meat then castrating as young as possible(usually with castrator bands) is ok. But if they are going to be kept as pets or packgoats or cartgoats, then you should wait until they are 7 months or so old. Then it should be done by a vet. Wethers are vulnerable to urinary calculi (stones) that can plug them up and kill them. Waiting until their urinary department is more fully developed will minimize this risk.