Questions about milk production

[salviadorrii]

I have read through the Dairy posts and parts of my questions were answered but I  will go ahead and ask.

  I would like to hear opinions about if time of year for kidding affects milk production.I have heard that fall kidding can produce less milk.This makes a certain amount of sense to me if one is able to feed primarily on browse,as springtime foraging would most likely be higher in nutrients than fall.But what if the animals are in a dry pen and relying on one to provide all their feed?

  2nd question-if the genetics behind a doe are good for milk production but the doe typically has only one kid will she produce less milk.Or if the genetics are very dairy will that mean she  produces multiple kids and hence more milk?

  3rd question-I have read that FF will not produce as much as in subsequent freshenings,and that it takes a couple freshenings to get a feel for the production of the animal.Is there any proper way of handling milking of a FF to enhance production and to enhance production  in future freshenings?

  Ok I better stop here.More questions coming.Thanks!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I hope no one thought that I meant that every goat has the potential to be a bucket-busting milker, because that's definitely not what I meant. It is true that a higher demand will equal a higher supply IF a doe has the genetic potential and the environmental support to do it. You might have a goat with amazing potential, but if she has a single kid, and you don't milk her until the kid is weaning, you'll never know. Ultimately production depends on three things -- genetic potential, environment, and management -- and although some people might argue that one is more important than the others, I think they're all equally important.

PlayRite Farm said:

not necessarily, i had a doe that developed nice size udder and 3 kids and i had to supplement milk, her daughter was the same she had 2 as a ff and i had to help feed babies, next year had 3 had to help feed babies.. she had a wonderful milk pedigree. she is no longer here

 

 

Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

About five years ago, a ND breeder on the east coast got a SARE grant to compare March freshening and October freshening does to show that NDs provided a good off-season means of income for farmers. It's been a few years since I read this, but there was a slight difference between the fall fresheners and spring fresheners with the fall producing less. That said, the grant was only for one year, so it is possible that results would be different if repeated. I don't know that the goats were separated into their respective groups based upon any knowledge of their previous production or not. If there is a difference, I would not expect it to be much -- not enough to worry about if you want milk year round.

 

One kid = less milk! It is all about supply and demand. If a goat has one kid and you don't start separating them over night by a week of age, you will wind up with a fat kid and a low milk supply. To make matters worse, first fresheners are usually the ones that have singles, so they wind up with a supply that is pathetic. This leads into your third question perfectly. If the first freshener (or any goat) has a single, start separating the kid overnight and milking in the morning. If he is with mom for 12 hours, then he is getting the same amount of milk as he would get if he were a twin, so you are basically playing the part of the twin. Rather than dividing up the milk geographically (each getting one teat), you are dividing up the milk based upon time. Bottle babies go 12 hours at night, so it's not a problem.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

About five years ago, a ND breeder on the east coast got a SARE grant to compare March freshening and October freshening does to show that NDs provided a good off-season means of income for farmers. It's been a few years since I read this, but there was a slight difference between the fall fresheners and spring fresheners with the fall producing less. That said, the grant was only for one year, so it is possible that results would be different if repeated. I don't know that the goats were separated into their respective groups based upon any knowledge of their previous production or not. If there is a difference, I would not expect it to be much -- not enough to worry about if you want milk year round.

 

One kid = less milk! It is all about supply and demand. If a goat has one kid and you don't start separating them over night by a week of age, you will wind up with a fat kid and a low milk supply. To make matters worse, first fresheners are usually the ones that have singles, so they wind up with a supply that is pathetic. This leads into your third question perfectly. If the first freshener (or any goat) has a single, start separating the kid overnight and milking in the morning. If he is with mom for 12 hours, then he is getting the same amount of milk as he would get if he were a twin, so you are basically playing the part of the twin. Rather than dividing up the milk geographically (each getting one teat), you are dividing up the milk based upon time. Bottle babies go 12 hours at night, so it's not a problem.