Nigerian Dwarf Goat beginner FAIL! :(

[NappyChappy]

So I have posted several times about my newest journey with goats. I recently bought 2 goats 1 in milk and 1 yearling. The doe in milk is a 2008 model and has had quads twice and not sure about her 1st freshening. They got her from a reputable breeder to add milk lines into their herd. She looked good had a good record but they don't milk so no milk records. I started milking her 12 weeks pp away from quads. We are 2 weeks into it and I am seriously disappointed I am only getting 9-11 oz or 1-2 cups. It's like half of what I should be getting. We are using it as milk but with this rate I am not going to be making cheese anytime soon.

Moral of my story. Don't buy without milk records. Colors are great but if they don't produce then it's just another mouth to feed.

[Jenette]

Are the kids still nursing? When and how often are you milking? By hand or machine? For how long?

[sahmofthree]

Also, what are you feeding her? How's her conditioning right now? Was she wormed after being moved to your place? Stress can cause a wormload to bloom, which can cause low milk supply. How's she eating for you? Is it possible she's withholding milk on you, have you tried massaging and bumping the udder lots when it seems the milking is almost done?

[NappyChappy]

My hand
15-20 minutes
She is thin I can feel her backbone and her hips and pin bones stick out.
I feed her 2c. grain, free choice clover hay, minerals, baking soda , and pasture
I haven't wormed her yet...her fecal was clean 4 weeks ago and she's been her 2 weeks. So I plan on fecal testing her soon.
I message the udders but I did bump her udder in the back today and I got a second let down.
The move away from her home herd and 'losing her 4 + 1adopted kid' was very stressful for her. They weren't weaned so I just ripped them off her
I milk once a day in the evening between 6-7:30pm everyday.
Her teats do seem small....so I hold them like a pencil and let the milk flow in then trap it with my pointer finger and thumb and squeeze it down with my middle finger. Her orface seems to be a good size since I do get some good squirts. I still have to catch her and pick her up and put her on stand. She won't get up on her own...idk even when I lure her with grain. And she is really put out with me after milking she jumps down quickly and runs off. But she is still aftER i catch her and start milking.
I am hoping after this next freshening she will be better. I am going to breed her to a really good milking stock and hope to keep a doeling.

Originally Posted by sahmofthree Also, what are you feeding her? How's her conditioning right now? Was she wormed after being moved to your place? Stress can cause a wormload to bloom, which can cause low milk supply. How's she eating for you? Is it possible she's withholding milk on you, have you tried massaging and bumping the udder lots when it seems the milking is almost done?

[Jenette]

Originally Posted by NappyChappy My hand 15-20 minutes She is thin I can feel her backbone and her hips and pin bones stick out. I feed her 2c. grain, free choice clover hay, minerals, baking soda , and pasture I haven't wormed her yet...her fecal was clean 4 weeks ago and she's been her 2 weeks. So I plan on fecal testing her soon. I message the udders but I did bump her udder in the back today and I got a second let down. The move away from her home herd and 'losing her 4 + 1adopted kid' was very stressful for her. They weren't weaned so I just ripped them off her I milk once a day in the evening between 6-7:30pm everyday. Her teats do seem small....so I hold them like a pencil and let the milk flow in then trap it with my pointer finger and thumb and squeeze it down with my middle finger. Her orface seems to be a good size since I do get some good squirts. I still have to catch her and pick her up and put her on stand. She won't get up on her own...idk even when I lure her with grain. And she is really put out with me after milking she jumps down quickly and runs off. But she is still aftER i catch her and start milking. I am hoping after this next freshening she will be better. I am going to breed her to a really good milking stock and hope to keep a doeling.

I don't have direct experience, my friend is in her 3rd year of having a goat milking heard plus helping on a goat ranch. She said that she gets better milkings in the am and the most milk when milked 2x per day about 12 hours apart if the kids are not nursing. If you keep kids she says after a few days separate from the mother at night and milk the mother in the am. Let them spend all day together.

[chloecat]

lots of good questions!! and if she can nurse quads--you should be getting more than that. are the babies still sharing or is that all mom is milking total?

[kristenjoy]

I don't know a thing about goats and I have been milking what I believe to be a toggenburg for over a month now! I have her bottlefed baby as well. I only milked her a bit before buying her, so I had no idea how much I would get. I get almost 1/2 gallon per day. That is only from one milking! So first of all, I'm guessing you have weaned the babies from the mom, since they are already 12 weeks old. I think that is a typical weaning age, my bottle fed baby was weaned right around that time. I don't even have a birthdate on her! Anyway, my best suggestion would be to milk her often to get her milk production up. I would basically go along with the same principles as trying to produce more breastmilk. I would definitely bump her bag and if you don't know how to tell if all the milk is out of her yet, then keep at it. My guess is that she is holding out from you. If all those babies were drinking from her, she had to have been producing more milk than that! Also, if you have never milked by hand before, it does take a while to get good at it. I probably had it down by two weeks in, but it sounds like you are milking a smaller goat, with smaller teats, so it might be a whole lot harder to milk. Good luck!

[chloecat]

also, did somebody show you how to milk?? i'm curious cause milking goats is different then milking cows. you don't pull down on the teat. so i'm just wondering if maybe you aren't using proper technique?

[chloecat]

i agree with the morning milking!! i get more in the am, even if it's less time in between!! also, it sounds like she wasn't used to being milked, just used as a breeder. she'll get better as you go along. also, if you bottle feed the babies (new ones next time you breed) they'll be far more tame than if you leave them on the mama full time

[FernHollow]

I agree with all of the above. Also it is common to have a major drop in time of stress, like a move. Also I find my does drop down drastically in production if they don't like what I'm feeding them - they are picky! We recently dealt with one of our does not liking the grain we were giving her and when we changed it she started gaining weight nicely and is producing REALLY well. I'd work on getting her body condition up since it sounds like she is thin and see if it starts to pick up more. If she throws quads likely she is a good producer, but you honestly just never know until you start milking even if they are from good lines. Good luck with your goats!