I got three goats this summer (my first goats) and two of them are mother and son. I have been milking Mom and trying to get her to wean her little one for several months. I had them separate for over a month and thought I had it done but now they are back in together and he is again demanding milk from her and driving her crazy. I do not want to keep them separated during the cold nights any longer and wonder if there is any way to make her stop letting him milk and/or making him stop nagging until she lets him have some. He is 6 months old at this point and I know he should stop.
Any suggestions or tips?
Replies
I've had lots of kids here nurse for many months. The only possible problem is if he bites her, and if you're milking her, you'll know. Of all my kids, I've only seen that happen twice -- and it's nothing permanent. It heals in three or four days. I do take the kid away if that happens.
Kelly B said:
I took her to be bred last weekend - and I had hoped she would stop letting him nurse but he is just an aggrevating little bugger and will not give up until she lets him in. I am worried about teat damage --- should I be?
Marin Waddell said:
She is letting him nurse - but I think it is only because he is such a pest. I felt bad keeping her apart from him for that month but I thought he had to be weaned by now. From the responses that I got I guess I can let him go for a bit longer. Thanks!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
No weaning advice here, but I will say that one of my first sets of kids (twins) continued to nurse until they were almost 11 months. The doe stopped allowing it when she was bred again. I'm kind of curious as to how long it would have gone on for if she hadn't been bred.
I wasn't clear on whether or not she was letting him nurse. If she won't let him nurse, he'll get the message eventually. If she is letting him nurse, then there is nothing you can do. And it's really not a problem. I don't take kids away from their mothers unless there is a reason -- like this summer a six-month-old doeling bit her mom's teat and made it bleed, so she was evicted from the doe pasture immediately. I let them nurse as long as both mom and kid are willing because they tend to grow better and are much healthier and not bothered by parasites.