[still]

I have a doe who is very skinny and has been lactating for almost 4 months. Her babies were sold 3-4 weeks ago and I have been slowly decreasing the milking to where I am only milking her out about halfway once per day. Her udder is still HUGE but it is not hard or hot. I am giving her 5 cups of grain when I milk her and am afraid that if I decrease the grain she will really go downhill. I am at a loss as to what to do with her. I have just started the Molly's Herbal wormer and have copper boluses on order from Jeffers right now. She isn't getting any supplemental hay but does have free range browse on 4 acres. She seems skinnier now than she was when she had kids on her. Would the copper deficiency have anything to do with her weight? She has been dewormed monthly the last 2 months with cydectin and was coccidia free on the last fecal. She acts completely normal/healthy but I feel that if I dried her up it would allow me to get her weight back up. I am at a loss......any advice is appreciated. Sorry it's so long. Lol

 

[ptgoats45]

I would decrease the grain, but add in beet pulp. Beet pulp is very high in fiber and good for adding weight without upping the protein. I have been adding vegetable oil to my goats alfalfa pellets and could see a difference in their weight in about a month, so you may try giving her a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil on her feed to increase the fat in her diet. What are you feeding her? Have you had a fecal done to know she does not have worms? 4 months is not a long lactation for a dairy goat and your good milkers will be very hard to dry up, even when heavy bred. Some does just look bad until the fall when they naturally decrease production to prepare for their next pregnancy.

 

[still]

I've been feeding a mixture of beet pulp, calf manna, BOSS, oats,and alfalfa pellets. I know that 4 months isn't that long but I'm scared if I keep milking her she'll get even more skinny. I need to have another fecal done on her and will probably have it done next week.

 

[happybleats]

Instead of drying her up so soon, since she seems to be a heavy lactator..I would add quality grass hay...maybe fresh alfalfa..Also add a meal...I have a Saanen that literly puts in all in the bucket...she stays so skinny it kills me to see her that way..so we bring her up on the table for lunch...I know more grain seems to mean more milk..but she will only prodice what is taken..the rest of her food will help maintain if not add a bit of condition...Misty looks better..but still thin but not scary thin...its better to add a feeeding than just givemore grain..since too much at once can be hard to digest..this extra meal gives her plenty of time to digest : ) and Yes...another full panel fecal would be good too...
Now if you dont want the milk..that is another thing : )

 

[still]

So what your saying I'd just keep milking her once per day but feed her an extra feeding say in the mornings instead of feeding her once when I'm milking? Here's some pictures of her and her udder( and just ignore her horrible udder).

 

[happybleats]

yes..if she is only being milked once a day I would go to two feedings..just dont increase milking...she does not to me look that bad..a bit thin but not scary thin...I dont see ribs or spine..and her coat looks to be healthy...I would just add an extra meal and keep milking her..do you want the milk...just worried about her condition?? just wondering why you only milk once..
If she is a heavy producer I would be careful of her getting engorged..
she does have a sweet face!!

 

[still]

yes..if she is only being milked once a day I would go to two feedings..just dont increase milking...she does not to me look that bad..a bit thin but not scary thin...I dont see ribs or spine..and her coat looks to be healthy...I would just add an extra meal and keep milking her..do you want the milk...just worried about her condition?? just wondering why you only milk once..
If she is a heavy producer I would be careful of her getting engorged..
she does have a sweet face!!

I don't really want the milk.......I've been giving it back to her and then giving the rest to the dogs.....she's my sweetie! Such a loving goat! The only thing in worried about is her condition and it makes me feel better that you don't think she looks that bad......me and the kids have wanted to try it but we just haven't yet. We don't drink that much milk anyway and it looks like she's gonna give us waaayyyyy more than we will ever use! Lol. I've thought about freezing some.

I'll feed her more and just milk her out halfway once a day I think.

 

[still]

I just milked my girl out completely......gave her an extra cup of just beet pulp and let her drink as much of the milk as she wanted. She has started getting little cuts on her tests from being so full and catching them on the mesquite thorns and some kind of thorny vines we have out here. I guess I'll just milk her and feed her twice per day and see how she does. She really milks down to nothing! I wish she had a better udder!









The photos are from before and then after. Maybe that's gods way of saying I don't need any does from her. She's only given me bucks!!

 

[happybleats]

lol..she does look sweet....you can freeze it and make cheese...here is a easy cheese to make

bring a gallon of goats milk to a soft boil..remove from heat and add 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar (5% acid) stir to break up whey from curds......strain through a cheese cloth in colender ( the whey is still full of good stuff...good for pig and chickens and plants...) allow the curds to drain a bit and add salt to taste....Its yummy on spaggetti, salads...crackers..corn tortillas ...you can also add other herbs and goodies..just play with it..we use the jiuce from a jar of jalepenos instead of vinegar and chopped peppers for a spicy cheese..

 

[ksalvagno]

She sure does milk down nice!

 

[happybleats]

whip some coconut oil in your mixer and add vit E ...makes a good udder balm to help with the cracking...she does empty to nothing...

things to make with goats milk
Pudding ( I have a yummy recipe)
Icecream
cheese
soap
lotion
drink it
cook with it
raise orphan kids, lambs and cows..

What is your Does Name???

 

[still]

Thanks guys! Her name is star because when we got her she saw that she had a star on her poll. I love all my goats but she has a special place in my heart. She is just the sweetest thing! So calm and gentle except when she's on the milk stand! Lol

 

[happybleats]

Awe...star is a pretty name...Let me know how it goes...: )

 

[still]

Awe...star is a pretty name...Let me know how it goes...: )

I will! She's already feeling better.....it was painful for me to see her like that. I remember how they felt and it did not feel good.

 

[happybleats]

no they dont when your full...its painful lol..you could also ask around..see if anyone is needing to feed an orphan or bottle baby : ) Or maybe they want to drink it themselves.. I have one person who comes and gets 2 gallons a week...hardly puts a dent on our milk lol..but it helps : )

 

[still]

no they dont when your full...its painful lol..you could also ask around..see if anyone is needing to feed an orphan or bottle baby : ) Or maybe they want to drink it themselves.. I have one person who comes and gets 2 gallons a week...hardly puts a dent on our milk lol..but it helps : )

I think we may drink some but she filled up a whole bucket! That's more than enough for us. I may ask around too........do you sell your milk? Or just let that person have it?

 

[happybleats]

she pays us for the milk,..but have a milk share program we will do if we need to sell openly to public..right now its just a friend., we have sold frozen milk and colostrum to a guy who raises white tail deer..he gets a few orphans each season.....you are welcome to look at and use the goat share info we have...Im not currently up and running with it this season, but may have to..our freezer is already full and we are just beginning lol...of course home made icecream will use a lot of it up lol...( and we still have five kiddos at home. My 14 year old will grab a quart jar and stick a straw in it lol...here is the link...
http://happybleatsdairygoats.weebly.com/goat-share.html

A goat share is a legal way to share raw milk..: )

 

[still]

she pays us for the milk,..but have a milk share program we will do if we need to sell openly to public..right now its just a friend., we have sold frozen milk and colostrum to a guy who raises white tail deer..he gets a few orphans each season.....you are welcome to look at and use the goat share info we have...Im not currently up and running with it this season, but may have to..our freezer is already full and we are just beginning lol...of course home made icecream will use a lot of it up lol...( and we still have five kiddos at home. My 14 year old will grab a quart jar and stick a straw in it lol...here is the link...
http://happybleatsdairygoats.weebly.com/goat-share.html

A goat share is a legal way to share raw milk..: )

Thank you sooooo much! Hmmmmm ice cream! I may have to try that!