I am considering going to once a day milking. My top milker is still going strong, but the other two are only giving a bit under a cup and a bit over a cup per milking. I don't think it would be too hard on them, but might they just dry up? The pint a milking doe I only milk in the morning because she has her daughters on her all day, so she fits into the plan perfectly already.
Those of you who have gone to once a day milking;
- How did you go about making the transition?
- What has your experience been?
My main reason for doing this is because it really doesn't seem worth it to be home every evening on time, and unable to make plans to be away, and keep feeding grain for the 1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk I get. I'd rather get less milk total, but more in the morning if possible. Any chance of it working out? :)
Replies
Wow! What a girl! :)
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
If she is producing less milk, she should require less grain to keep the same body condition. So, I wouldn't say that you would cause any "problems." Too much grain = too fat. Too little grain = too thin. Just keep an eye on her and adjust accordingly.
Patty Meyer said:
She had kidded in July, so in mid-fall when she was the only milker, I cut her back to once a day. This was a couple years ago, so I don't remember how much her production cut back. However, when the other does started freshening, and I had more to milk, I put her back on twice a day, and she went back up to a quart a day, which is where she stayed until she'd been in milk for more than a year and started getting fat. I ultimately wound up milking her for 14 months, and she was giving about a quart a day until very close to the end.
Patty Meyer said:
I am milking only once a day, in the morning, and leave Ginger with mom all day. Ginger seems to be eating less so I have recently started milking in the evening though I don't do the entire milking thing as I give it to my cat. It varies between 1/8 to 1/2 cup. Right now, I'm just monitoring it to see if I want to keep doing it just to try to keep her production up. If I should get more than 1-1/2 cups in the morning, then I will feel I should milk her out in the evening to prevent any problems. I picked that amount because the most I've gotten was 1-2/3 cup so in my beginner's mind if it stays at 1-1/2 or less in the morning, all will be okay. Ginger is six months old and I plan to continue milking until mom is bred again but that has to do with next year. Last year, Summer nursed until nine months old so Capri had production that long and it seems logical to me to keep milking until at least that long even if there is very little. I'm looking forward to good productivity from Capri next year; it will be her third year and I will know what I am doing. I give Capri grain morning and night and have all along - maybe that is why her milk is so rich (and delicious!). As always, my comments are qualified as I am new to this.
One more question:
If I go to once a day milking, I'd really want to put Starlight (the doe who has two 5 month old daughters on her) on a once a day grain schedule along with the others. Her body condition is about perfect. I certainly wouldn't want her thinner. Could I combine her grain feedings into one A.M. feeding? It would mean going from half of a 24 oz. yogurt container of grain in the A.M. and P.M. to a whole container in the A.M. only. Would that cause any problems?
Thank you, Deborah. I'm curious, with the doe who was producing a quart a day, how long were you able to keep milking her once a day and have her still producing only a little less milk?
You would not want to do this with a doe that is in peak production, but with the two that are only making a pint a day, you can definitely drop them down to once a day. You will probably find that within a few days, you are only getting a cup a milking from them. And at that point, you can just stop milking whenever you want, and most does dry up with no further intervention on your part.
I've gone to once a day milking with a doe that was producing a quart a day. Her production went down a little, but it worked fine, and there were no adverse affects.
I need info on this subject too, and would love for all of you who are doing this or have done it in the past to give us some practical advice about this please. Thanks!