Hi,
I had a first freshener go into labor over this last weekend and we lost all three of her kids. First one was breech and by the time I realized the problem we had lost them all. I would still like to milk her but she doesn't seem to be producing much milk.
On the day she kidded I milked about 1.5 pints of colostrum but then for the last 4 milkings I've only gotten about a cup each time. I've never milked a doe this early in the process so I don't know if this is normal and will pick up or if, since she lost her kids, I'll need to wait until next freshening.
The vet was pretty...invasive... to get the first kid out and I've no doubt she's in some pain (and not eating all that well yet either) so I thought that may be a significant factor as well.
I'm sure this has happened with some of you, what have your results been? Does the milk ever pick up?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Replies
Yay for Ginger!
Glenna Rose said:
Must brag, must, must, must! This morning, Ginger gave me the most milk from a single milking so far - 1.59 lbs (or 25.44 oz.). Remember, one pound is a pint so two pounds is a quart. If she makes it to a quart a milking, that is half a gallon a day! Even if not, that is not too shabby and I would have no idea if she had not lost her babies because I would not be milking her. She is at six weeks with peak production estimated to be at two months (so I read).
(James, what is the title of the thread on milk production? I looked for it but have not yet seen it.)
I had a ff lose her kids this spring and i have made a thread on the milk production if you would like to look at it. She is about 8 weeks in now and milking about 19 oz a day. I started on day one and milked 3 times a day the first week and then went to 2 times a day.
Thank you both!
My Ginger lost her babies on March 8th. I started milking her the second day (giving a chance to recover from of the horrendous pain she had endure). I did not track the milk at first but put the colostrum in 4-oz. jars and into the freezer. By the 18th, she was giving up to a quart and a half of milk a day, ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 with no pattern to it. I'm not sure if she is considered a FF or not - she miscarried a mummified 2-oz. fetus last year that was carried full term but produced no milk. I was told at a meeting last night she is not a FF since she had a full-term pregnancy - I disagree with that since I don't think a mummified 2-oz. fetus and no milk would count as a freshening. Her production seems quite good at this point, to me anyway, but her mother is a good producer and had an extended milking as a second freshener. Her milk is gradually increasing and she is now at five weeks. I am, however, working very hard to completely empty her at each milking and take my small kitchen scale to the milk stand so I know exactly what I am getting and try harder if it's not as much as the previous. Elsewhere, I posted two or three weeks of milk (after I got a better scale) if you are interested in looking at it. The important thing about milk is that it is a supply determined by demand system; whatever does not get milked out will not be replaced. I was not writing down the quantity in the beginning but I think it was significantly lower the first week or two which makes sense since babies need less with tiny tummies and then around a week or so, they become little piggies. Just my thoughts, nothing scientific.
We've had first fresheners lose all the kids because no one was there to clear the kids' noses, remove sacs, etc., so the situation isn't exactly the same in terms of the kidding, but ultimately it was just us milking the doe. We also had a FF who simply rejected her kids one time. In those cases, we milked 3 times a day. We'd get quite a bit more milk by doing that. Keep in mind that does peak around 6 weeks, so she'll continue to increase up until then.