[backyardFarming]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site.. and I love it! I am new to milking and enjoy giving my family "home grown milk". But I have a question: my little Alpine doe freshend her first kid-buck on May 8th. I have let her dam raise him.. saving me the time from bottle feeding. (He is now wethered) I seperate the both of them at night and milk once a day in the morning. She has been giving me more milk than I expected for a little Alpine... just
enough for our family of 5.
Then after milking, I unite mom and baby for the rest of the day. Since I started milking her, the kid beats her udder up hard to get milk. I had wondered whether or not he was getting enough milk. In the meantime my doe developed a hematoma/lump just above her left teat that tends to be a little iratating to her when I milk her. Assuming the buck caused it due to how rough he is on her. I seeked advice from two different goat experts. One said to start bottle feeding the kid and start milking twice a day so as to prevent anymore roughness on her udder. The other said to milk doe out half way so kid does not have to work so hard to get milk. (minimizing production) Both agreed that her left teat needs a break from roughness.
I took both of their advice and tried 1- First time bottle feeding a kid that's already a little over a month old is a joke. Spent a long time trying to bottle feed him and he would not give in to it, but I did and ended up uniting doe and kid. Then, 2- I milked my doe 1/2 way out and realized if I continue to do this then I will need to buy a half gallon of cows milk to give my family the difference we need.
What do you all think and do you have any ideas of what I can do to give my doe's udder a break and hope to get rid of hematoma/lump before it turns into mastitis. (which I was told it could happen)
Any of your ideas given would be appreciated!

 

[ogfabby]

Bump.

I know nothing about Dairy does and udders but I'm sure someone else will help you.

 

[ogfabby]

I would try taping up that side so the kid can't nurse from it though.

 

[happybleats]

first..welcome to Goat Spot : )
that is some problem you have there...if your wether is old enough for grain..try feeding him a bit of grain and hay while mom is being milked...he wont be as hungry
Bottle feedingis an option if youhave the patients to teach him...he will get hungry enough to finaly try...but at a month old it can be funstrating..but not impossible..usually once thye taste moms milk in the bottle they go nuts for it..but getting that first taste can be hard lol...a bit of honey on the nipple might help

After Jr nurses..you can takeyour doe back to the table and messageher udder gently...working that sore spot..use a bitof coconut oil whipped smoooth with Vit E and peppermint Ess. Oil to keep blood flowing..

short of weening him way too young...there are few choices...I would nothow ever milk her half way to save milk for Jr....this will decrease her production, she holds back enough milk for him...

 

[happybleats]

first..welcome to Goat Spot : )
that is some problem you have there...if your wether is old enough for grain..try feeding him a bit of grain and hay while mom is being milked...he wont be as hungry
Bottle feedingis an option if youhave the patients to teach him...he will get hungry enough to finaly try...but at a month old it can be funstrating..but not impossible..usually once thye taste moms milk in the bottle they go nuts for it..but getting that first taste can be hard lol...a bit of honey on the nipple might help

After Jr nurses..you can takeyour doe back to the table and messageher udder gently...working that sore spot..use a bitof coconut oil whipped smoooth with Vit E and peppermint Ess. Oil to keep blood flowing..

short of weening him way too young...there are few choices...I would nothow ever milk her half way to save milk for Jr....this will decrease her production, she holds back enough milk for him...

 

[backyardFarming]

Ok.. good idea about using honey on the nipple!
How long should I try to bottle feeding him? When I tried the first time, it was a whole hour or more that I had tried to bottle feed him. And he was MAD at this deformed imitation of his mother's udder. How long should I try before he "starves to death?

Let's say some how I get him latched on to the bottle, then next question would be how much (how many ounces of milk) per day do I feed a whethered kid who is a month & 1/2 old?

 

[happybleats]

with new borns who have trouble taking the bottle we put honey on our finger and touch the way back of their tongue to stimulate the sucking reflex..we will do this several times until we have a real string suck...then we slip the honey covered nipple in and usually take after once or twice..but with him being a month old and has a good suck..I would put honey on your finger and just lethim taste it a few times...if he sucks on it, even better... then slip the nipple in ( with honey on it of course.).... you could puthim to bed at night as usual..by morning he will be hungry..sit down and sit himon your lap..put your left hand under his chin and gently lift it, slip the nipple in from the side of his mouth and move it front word..pulse the bottle a bit to squirt milk in his mouth...be sure the milk is nice and warm...hold his chin so he cant fight too much.... it might take a while but keep at it..he will get it..if after 30-40 minutes he just wont suck..leave him for another hour and try again..make sure he has full access to water ...

Once he is a bottle baby...weigh him and multiply that number by 16 to get his weight in Oz...then multiply that by 10-12% to see how much he needs per day..then divide that in 4 bottles...I never feed more than 16 oz at one time..its hard to digest..weigh him weekly to adjust his milk...once he needs more than 16 oz a bottle he is ready to cut milk some and feed hay more..and some grain..the les milk he drinks the more he will eat and help build a good rumen function..

 

[backyardFarming]

Thank you for responding again... Your information is helpful!! So... in the morning after (whethered buckling not having milk all night) trying to bottle feed him... how long should I keep trying if after my first atemp fails? How long can he go without having milk?? Thank you for your response!!

 

[happybleats]

I would go about 30 -40 minutes or so at a time...if he wont take it after that then wait an hour..try again..keep it up until you win...make a bucket of electrolyte for him to drink and he wont get dehydtrated...he wont starve going with out milk one day but I would hope it wouldnt take that long lol..
here is a good recipe for electros
Electrolytes

A half gallon of hot water
2-6 Tablespoons of Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses
1-2 Tablespoons of Either Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, Baking Soda or Table Salt.
1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar


Mix well and drench or let them drink it.

 

[backyardFarming]

Thank you happybleats! I will try this!!

 

[backyardFarming]

Ok.. since my last post.. this is what I have done:
I followed happybleats advice and bottle fed my whethered buckling only in the morning for one feeding to spare his my from the his abuse because he is hungry from being seperated at night... and like happyeats said; I stuck with it and eventually he started to take the bottle, but still reluctantly. (Thank you happybleats! I would not have realized to stick with it if you had not replied to this post) It is still a chore to do and he still beats her udder up after I bottle feed him.. and because its hard to figure out just how much the wethered actually needs so as not to beat up his mom for his first feeding in the morning... so this is what I decided to do and I hope I am doing the right thing: Since my doe gives me 1 and a 1/2 quart of milk in the morning I have been just milking out 1 quart and saving the rest for the kid. Then I reunite both mom and kid and noticed he has not been beating her up as bad as before. Do you all think this is o.k. to do??
I think it's less stress on me, the doe, and the kid. But next year after she kids or freshens I am going to pull kids away from mom and bottlefeed from the beginning of birth to save the above mentioned hassle.
What do you all think? Is this a practice that any of you have done?

 

[happybleats]

Im glad he started taking the bottle..I know it can be hard at that age...I think your plan is fine..mom could begin make less milk if baby dont drink her dry...
the way we do it here is at two weeks babies get pulled off at night and we milk mom in the morning...kids are provided hay, water and a bit of grain..the first few nights they all cry and call each other but it doesnt take long for them to get used it...in the morning while mom is beingmilked..baby gets more grain...of course at two weeks they dont eat much..mostly play with it but by the time they are a couple of months they are gobbling it up..

 

[backyardFarming]

Thanks happybleats!