[milliesmom]

HI all....I've been a new goat owner for 3 days....she's a registered Nubian named Millie and she's 7 years old. She had a kid 3 months ago and the previous owner said she was ready to wean baby Destiny from Millie so that I could take Millie. I think Millie may have already begun to wean the baby anyway though....Here's my question....Millie's milk production was way down to about only a cup or two daily. Since I brought her to the farm I've gotten maybe half a cup. Yesterday she only gave half a cup from one side and the other teat (both are small) gave nothing. This morning she gave about 3 T from one side and seemed to be uncomfortable from the other teat, squirming and raising her leg. Wow....this must sound like such a no-brainer question....but should I be worried? I'm not expecting much, nor could I use much milk so that's not the issue. I know I could breed her again. But is this normal----just the natural cycle of her milk drying up or should I worry about the teat being clogged or mastitis setting in? Conversely, is there anything I can do to bring milk production back up to semi-normal levels? She wouldn't eat her sweet mix yesterday or today but seems happy grazing...I don't think she's depressed either. Thanks for any answers...I've been lurking on the site since Thursday reading and learning...so I figured I'd just go ahead and join.

 

[pollywhit]

hi I have a baby 2 month old boar goat..the mamma died and was given to my husband at 7 days old....I am bottleing feeding her and I have no idea how to wean her!....or when I should wean her!!!she is adorable and we want to do this the right way thank you so much

 

[happybleats]

milliesmom: does the milk that does come out look normal..no flakes, blood or mucus..?? is the udder very hard...couldbe a few things..either mastsis or a very congested udder...pick up a California Mastisis test kid..they are pretty cheap and made for cows...follow the instructions to see if she has that...and treat..here is a crazy thing but it works...feedher back her own milk..she will build antibodies against whatwver is bothing her udder.. in the mean time take out some very warm water and a rag...keeping the rag warm fromt he water do compresses and message her udder..use some kind of udder balm..message message message..milk milk milk repeat..see how she feels...you can give her a regular apsirin if she seems uncomfortable...

pollywhit: you can ween a goat ideally no sooner than three months...if they are large and growing well you canween a bit sooner but if they are small and slow growing keeping them on milk a bit longer is good. how we ween is go from 4 feedings to 3, then 2 until at 2 1/2 months or so stay at one bottle until ready to ween...they will fuss no matter how you ween...they want the bottle..but soon will realize th well is dried lol..best of luck

 

[milliesmom]

Thanks, happybleats! I'll try that now....the warm compresses and massage~ makes sense and I guess I should have thought of that. It's really nice of you to respond so quickly. The milk looked fine....actually put it in hubby's coffee this morning...I did strain but it was fine. Thanks again....I've wanted a goat for a long time and even though she's an adult I just hate to think I might harm her in my "goat" ignorance. She's so sweet....gentle and really beautiful....and loves her chin scratched. I can hardly wait for the grandbabies to see her!

Blessings....Kathy

 

[Used2bmimi]

Ok I am not terribly experienced with goats yet so maybe double check my idea here. But, what comes to mind for me is low calcium. I understand that a goat will refuse its grain ration when low on calcium but for a while will continue to eat their hay. It is some instinct to rebalance their calcium/phosphorus levels. I would think that would cause problems with milk production too. Does she get any calcium from her diet? Is she on alfalfa or Tums or anything like that to help replenished her calcium after pregnancy and lactation? You might check in with her previous owner to see what they did with her and what they think. Good luck! She sound like a wonderful girl!

 

[happybleats]

Im sure she will be fine...perhaps the stressof moving to a new home clogged her up..B complex is wonderful for stress and can be purchased at Tractor supply...its injectable..always Sub Q ...probiotics helps the the rumens good bacteria flourish...
for an udder balm I whip coconut oil in my mixer and add vit E ( just snip open a gel cap and squeeze) conditions the udder nicely..
when you brought her home..did the wner give any grain to change her over to..or are you buying the same kind? switching feed, hay or mineral should be done slowly so not to upset the rumen..
a few meds you should always keep on hand are

CD Antitoxin **( some feed stores carry this but most of us have to order from Jeffers)
Thiamine **(per vet)
Nuflor antibiotic (per vet)
Tylan 200 ( OTC)
B complex (otc)
a good wormer ( I use Ivomec plus and Valbazen)
CD&T (OTC)
this is a small list but good meds to begin with...(**) these are ones that if you need them you will need them NOW and going out to try to find them my be too late..
Goat-link.com has a medicine cabinet link...its great to have a list and add to your cabinet as you can...

 

[milliesmom]

Thanks Mimi....I'll check with her but I don't believe the previous owner gave her any supplements of any kind. I just got her on Thursday so I haven't got any hay---just been giving her sweet mix (16% protein) and letting her eat whatever she wants to grass-wise (so far she's been going after the Timothy grass, autumn-olive and multiflora rose).

Also to happybleats....the massage and warm compresses worked. The teat that had been clogged gave milk and Millie seems happier...it wasn't much milk so I'm thinking she's probably on her way to drying up. I will check into the suggestions about bringing back her milk supply to see if they work for her. My husband just expressed the milk onto the ground ( I know---but I was gone when he decided to do this.....) and Millie lapped the milk right up. So hopefully she got some of those wonderful antibodies found in milk.

Thanks to everyone for these suggestions.....I'm eager to learn.....and if Millie's any indication as to what is a typical goat then I think they are wonderful creatures.

 

[milliesmom]

Thanks, happybleats, for the list of meds and things to keep on hand.....it's info like this I really need-----what a great help you've been. I felt helpless like this when I started keeping bees....but it didn't take too long to feel confident and comfortable----so I hope keeping goat(s) will be similar.

 

[milliesmom]

.....I forgot to add that I bought sweet mix (16% protein)----that and 12% was what Tractor Supply had. The owner didn't give me any food----but she told me Millie preferred sweet mix. We let someone keep our hay for mowing it-----guess I should have kept a few bales! The owner did say she was trying to give Millie brewer's yeast to build up milk but that Millie wouldn't take it. As I said before it's not a big deal if her milk has already dried up for the most part----but I'm hoping that by milking her twice a day we might get a cup or two....and hopefully that won't be detrimental to her. As you can tell I'll not be a "professional" goatherder....It seems I'm well on my way to making a pet out of her.....she's just sooooo cute! Will post picture for my avatar later.

It's been so nice chatting with you....

kathy

 

[happybleats]

I would find a 16% pellet feed...you can add a bit of sweet feed to that. sweet feed is like dessert..fun to eat but good to have too much...you can add alfalfa pellets to that for a nice calcium boost..
You also need a nice loose mineral for her...TSC has onyix (sp) which is a good one.
keep baking soda fre choice along with the minerl free choice..hay at all times..

 

[milliesmom]

....got it....thanks so much....Also---another maybe foolish question-----she's making a pig of herself on all the green food here----can she overeat on grass/briers/leaves? And she's drinking so much water....I have a large stainless steel pan that I keep filled and she drinks it all several times a day.

 

[happybleats]

No, She cant over eat on graze and leaves, Goats eat until they have their fill of what they need...the poorer the graze or hay, the more they will eat...then lay down and chew a cud