How long to milk through, does it do harm

I am looking at a nd an a lamancha. I have contacted a person about a lamancha and have been informed that it is from a very milky line from a colorado dairy. This particular doe that I am looking at has been milked through for 2 years regularly, then rested, and her grandmother who they are retiring has been milking for 4 years. I would like to hear some thoughts on this. I would like to do it for long term so that I am not having to breed every year as I don't want to keep a buck on hand and am afraid of not being able to sell kids. Is it good, bad, indifferent, do harm or just a matter of personal preference? Thanks

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  • I appreciate the insights and information. I am trying to learn everything that I can before I actually purchase the goats.

  • I wonder if that might be why these goats have been "rested" between breeding? Maybe they were dried off, and put on a diet!? lol 

  • Let us know when she dries up. We had a doe with a c-section last year, and that was my plan too. She dried up right at ten months! :-(

    Pam Haring said:

    I have milk long term and I agree with Deborah, It is much harder to go through being PG then milking long term.

    We have not had the breeding problem, in fact I breed a doe that had a C section I bred her again last fall after a two year rest, and she had to have another C section.   So she is retired and I will milk her from now on.  It will be interesting to see just how long she will milk for.   

  • I have milk long term and I agree with Deborah, It is much harder to go through being PG then milking long term.

    We have not had the breeding problem, in fact I breed a doe that had a C section I bred her again last fall after a two year rest, and she had to have another C section.   So she is retired and I will milk her from now on.  It will be interesting to see just how long she will milk for.   

  • I've done it a few times, and my only complaint is that I seem to have trouble getting does pregnant after a long lactation. It could be due to the fact that they get a little over-weight, but I don't know if that's necessarily the reason they need to be bred several times before actually getting pregnant, or if it's just a coincidence that they are over-weight. I have one right now that's been milking for two years, and she's been bred about four times and still isn't pregnant. I can't really complain at the moment as we need her milk to feed these quintuplets that we have. It actually a lot less stressful on their bodies to not have to go through pregnancy and birth so often.

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