I have a 7 year old dam that keeps sitting on me when I am milking her. She stands for a while and then decides I am done and sits or lays down. How do I correct this behavior? I just got her and don't know if she has ever been milked before. When I got her she had two 4 month old kids still nursing.
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
Replies
Not seeing her in heat does not mean that she wasn't bred while at your farm. When we pen breed, I'm lucky to see 1 out of 3 goats bred or in heat. This year is my worst ever! I pen bred seven does, and I only saw one in heat! :( That's why I hate pen breeding. The does don't get as loud and crazy when they're with a buck because they don't have to. The reason does in heat scream their heads off is because they're calling the boys.
So, if she dried up two weeks ago, she could be due as early as end of June, if she dried off at two months pregnant. If the bucks were removed mid-February, she could be due as late as mid-July, which would also correspond with her drying off at three months pregnant. Keep an eye on her udder. It will fill up with milk anywhere from two weeks to a couple of days before she kids because she has kidded before. First fresheners are not always as predictable.
Thanks for the grain tips. I had not found a that bit of information in my research yet so thank you. I will taper them off. They were only getting 3/4 a cup between the two of them through the cold months so i guess not any more.
In answer to one question, We had to wait a few weeks before we could separate them when we got them. They had to be in isolation until I could have them tested for CL and CAE. The previous owners did not know anything about health history. I also thought it would have been crewel to put her by herself(since they are herd animals) after being removed from her familiar surroundings. Until the tests came back negative she was with her bucklings. (I also did not have another place to put her and it was -30 at nights too cold to be alone.) So about the middle to end of February. Although I never saw her in heat so I think she was already bred when we got her.
There is definitely a relation between urinary calculi and grain in bucks, but some folks do feed their bucklings grain until they are at least 6 months old. It looks like Kate's boys are just 7 months this month. If you want or need to continue feeding grain to them, you should also supply ammonium chloride in their grain to keep urinary calculi from forming.
Glenna Rose said:
It is my understanding, Kate, that you should not be feeding grain to bucks because of urinary tract issues. If true, and you are still feeding it, you might want to back them off it over the next month or so so they are no longer getting it.
Kate Riggs said:
Our does usually dry up like that when they are 2-3 months pregnant, so she's probably due in about 2 months +/- a couple of weeks. When was she separated from the bucklings?
We did dry her up about two weeks ago. She went from giving 10 ounces a milking to 2 ounces a milking in a week. And since 2 oz is not enough to be worth milking. We dried her up. Then I wondered if she was pregnant. The vet was over today and we did an ultrasound. Wallah!! She has babies inside. We do not know when she is due. We bought her January 26th along with her 5 month old bucks whom she was being kept with. We have never seen her in heat. Sooooooo I have no clue when she is due. Could be any day could be next month. The bucks were born on September 10,2014. We got them from a family that was treating them as dogs, and did not know what to do with them. Grained twice a day no free range hay etc. They didn't know they could breed that young.
Anyone have this dramatic dry up before a mama is due. Could it be a clue to her due date?
This is our first kidding.. Only got our first goats in July last year. We are a little nervous and more so since I have no clue when she is due.
Just be persistent and patient. In my experience, even the most difficult ones eventually calm down. It may take months, but it gets better.
Thanks for all the good ideas. I have put alfalfa pellets i had on hand in the feed bucket. It seems to make her work harder for the feed and does slow her down. I have even almost got to milk her dry a few times. Although when she is done she still sits. I will try the bucket and the chaffehaye and see what happens. Last resort will be a sling.
Again thanks for all the great ideas. She is still a great goat and is willing to give lovings when everything is over. Just doesn't like me much when she wants to be done. Perseverance is the name of the game.
Oh, I have a doe that did this as a first freshener (and I was new to milking). I just got a small bucket, and placed it upside down under her chest. After a little while, I could go without it most of the time. If she started to sit down, I'd grab the bucket and put it under her chest. Eventually, she'd start to sit, see me reach for the bucket and stand back up. She's very good now. In fact, I don't even keep that bucket in the milkroom anymore.
Mixing the grain with chaffehaye slows them down a little, I do that for hoof trimming. I had a doe that would lie down on the stanchon and hubby fixed up a wide sling for her -she even figured out a way to get her front legs in a kneeling position on the sling and just hung there but at least I could still milk her. She didn't kick or anything it was just her "position" on the stand I guess. We have to be tricky to manage these little imps - but just think without all this how boring it could be.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next