Weaning and drying up

Hi, All,

This is my first winter to be milking; my kids were born in April and May. The one I kept is now is a little over six months old and I have been trying to wean her for months. I'm using teat tape and sometimes it stays on and other days Capri can pull it off and I have an empty half udder. How long does it take to wean kids? I can't separate her and let her cry because of neighbors and she is alone. except for Mom and Aunt.

Also I would love advise on drying up if I find that our Alaskan winters are too severe for me to continue milking: we get down to -20 in the barn (-40's outside) and I'm going on 77-whew! I don't know how long they will stay in milk if I continue to milk regularly twice a day.

I understand that should I breed one again I should stop milking her a few months before the kid is born for her to get a rest (that's an issue only if she should still be producing milk); confirmations or disagreements???

Also, when I have finished milking and go back to strip the udder, I have to do this several times as there is a tiny amount of new milk--how many times should I go back to a teat that has stopped giving milk the first time.

Lastly, being such a newbie, I have noticed some small crusty spots starting on my adults. At first I could scratch them off, but now they leave an open spot; my vet is gone for another week and I'm wondering if this is common or a severe problem?

With such appreciation for any responses--I feel pretty alone up here and I adore my goat girls--and their milk and cheese and...,

Barbara Rondine

Is there a reason you're trying to stop the kid from nursing, especially if you're not that interested in milking? I personally never wean does that I keep. The longer they nurse, the bigger they grow. I've actually never heard of anyone trying to wean a kid with teat tape, but I don't think it'll do anything to stop her from nursing. She'll stop trying when she or her mom is ready for that to happen. It varies tremendously from one kid to another and one dam to another. I've had a few does that quit nursing one kid when the sibling was sold at 2-3 months. On the other hand, if the dam isn't rebred, I've had kids continue to nurse for a year. Almost all does dry up when they're 2-3 months pregnant. You don't have to do anything. It just happens -- and even if you TRY to keep milking, they dry up. Because all the books say that you can milk until 3 months pregnant, my daughters used to try to get every last day out of them, and the does would go down to an ounce or two (sometimes when they're only 2 months pregnant) before my daughters would give up.

I am impressed that you are milking goats at all at 77! Was that a typo? I hope I'm still doing this in 25 years! :) Anyway, no need to worry about milking the doe if you just let her kid keep nursing. That's the beauty of letting them do their thing. If you want to milk once a week, you can do that. The only catch is that when that kid decides to stop nursing, you won't know it until you go out there to milk her and find she has little to no milk.

As far as stripping the teats, just keep doing it until it feels like it's too little to be worth it to you.

I assume the crusty spots are on the udder and/or teat? Could be a skin infection on the does or dry skin. You could try spraying iodine on them and/or putting lanolin on the teat after milking. If it's on the body, and they are missing hair, could it be ringworm?

Replies

Winding River Farm (Bev) November 11, 2015 at 2:50am

Congratulations on your milking and taking care of goats at 77. I am 74 and also going strong on my girls. I have ten does - milking five. We can do this for years yet (I hope). My friend was cleaning her horse stalls into her late 80's and only got rid of her last horse about 5 years ago. She is now 97. I think the work will keep us young or at least that is my plan.
Julia @Woody Glen Farm November 3, 2015 at 7:57am

I have used tape once to encourage drying off but my doe was almost 4 months pregnant and refused to stop feeding her doeling who was 1 year old and also very pregnant! It worked fine in this case. Otherwise, everything Deborah said is what I do too. If you don't want to milk her anymore going into the cold months... I would drop to only once a day for a bit and then just stop. The kid will keep her in milk for awhile and she will naturally dry off when she's ready.

What are you using for an udder wash? If you use something that is drying (like a little bleach) that could cause her to have sores on her teats. I only use very mild wash (a squirt of Dr Bronner's peppermint castile soap in a thermos of warm water).
Deborah Niemann-Boehle November 2, 2015 at 10:08pm

Is there a reason you're trying to stop the kid from nursing, especially if you're not that interested in milking? I personally never wean does that I keep. The longer they nurse, the bigger they grow. I've actually never heard of anyone trying to wean a kid with teat tape, but I don't think it'll do anything to stop her from nursing. She'll stop trying when she or her mom is ready for that to happen. It varies tremendously from one kid to another and one dam to another. I've had a few does that quit nursing one kid when the sibling was sold at 2-3 months. On the other hand, if the dam isn't rebred, I've had kids continue to nurse for a year. Almost all does dry up when they're 2-3 months pregnant. You don't have to do anything. It just happens -- and even if you TRY to keep milking, they dry up. Because all the books say that you can milk until 3 months pregnant, my daughters used to try to get every last day out of them, and the does would go down to an ounce or two (sometimes when they're only 2 months pregnant) before my daughters would give up.

I am impressed that you are milking goats at all at 77! Was that a typo? I hope I'm still doing this in 25 years! :) Anyway, no need to worry about milking the doe if you just let her kid keep nursing. That's the beauty of letting them do their thing. If you want to milk once a week, you can do that. The only catch is that when that kid decides to stop nursing, you won't know it until you go out there to milk her and find she has little to no milk.

As far as stripping the teats, just keep doing it until it feels like it's too little to be worth it to you.

I assume the crusty spots are on the udder and/or teat? Could be a skin infection on the does or dry skin. You could try spraying iodine on them and/or putting lanolin on the teat after milking. If it's on the body, and they are missing hair, could it be ringworm?

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