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Barnyard Buddies:  drying up a goat  |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 7:32:18 PM
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| i am trying to dry up ginger. she is a lamanche. what a producer. i want to dry her up for winter. no she is not bred yet. her bag looks like it will explode. i have milked her out about every 2 1/2 days. she gets huge, tonight i left her. she was not crying, udder not red or hot. she is just huge. do i leave her or milk her out in am. does this stimulate her to make more milk if i milk her out. the book says to empty her udder if i am going to relieve her. what do you gals with goats think? then she goes tpo get bred after she is dry. so no one has to milk her while she is with nthe buck thanks sherrye |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 7:59:38 PM
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I would milk her once a day for a while and leave just a little in the udder each time. This simulates a kid self-weaning where they don't "finish the meal" so to speak. This tells the goat's body to stop making so much. So let's say you get a half gallon from her when sheis at full production, then you cut back to once a day. You would probably get a little more than a half gallon the first day or so, but by leaving say a cup or so behind, each day she should produce less. So after a few days you would be getting a little less than half a gallon a day, then after a few more days youl would be down to about a quart, and so on until she is harldy producing and then you can switch to ever other day and still leaving some behind and after he is down to say a pint I bet you could let her just dry up.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
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maggie14
True Blue Farmgirl
6784 Posts
Hannah
Washington
USA
6784 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 9:16:46 PM
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I think there's already a topic about drying up a goat on here. I'm drying up my goat right now and here's what I have done.
First week I milked her half way and left some still in her udder.
This week I am only milking her in the mornings and not at night.
After that I am just going to stop milking her. So far she is doing really well.
I also cut her grain in half so she's getting a little less than 2 quarts a day instead of 4 quarts a day.
Hope this helps!!
Hugs,
Channah
If you can dream it, and if you are willing to put forth the work and effort, you can have anything you envision. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 06:24:17 AM
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Sherry, the MAIN thing in drying up a doe is to CUT THE FEED down! I made that mistake the first year I had goats. It took forever. But once I cut the feed it worked. I go to OAD for awhile then every other day then to every 3 days, milking her out totally.
It's going to be hard to dry off a doe that's just recently kidded, too. How long ago did she kid? And how old is she? I just dried off my oldest doe and it just took a few times. Very easy. And the others will be easy, too. I will milk the other 3 as long as I can. I hate to be without milk. Now I just get a half gallon every other day. I think I'd rather have too much milk that just that much. I usually dry them up in Feb. because they should kid again in April.
Good luck. Hope all goes well. Just remember to cut that feed way back!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 06:55:10 AM
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| thanks for all the info. without looking at her papers i think she is 3 yrs. she kidded in march. its just that i am a cow milk girl. we got the goats to milk when we thought buttercup was not bred. 2 months later she had a heifer calf ya for us. i have goats cause i love their company. she is so loving and follows me everywhere. i will milk her this am. buttercup is giving 3/4 gallon now. this works for us. we share with the calf. i machine milk. love my cows sherrye learn as we go- silk pirse farm i have not cut feed way back. HOW MUCH hay a feeding? she gets long stringy sweet grass hay |
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maggie14
True Blue Farmgirl
6784 Posts
Hannah
Washington
USA
6784 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 07:51:01 AM
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I think hay is fine to give however much you want. But the grain you have to cut down. That's what I'm doing with my goat and it's working great. I love my goats too! When ever I'm out there they follow me too.
Hugs,
Channah
If you can dream it, and if you are willing to put forth the work and effort, you can have anything you envision. |
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Barnyard Buddies: drying up a goat |
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drying up a goat
