The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: plumseverywhere on May 28, 2011, 08:36:15 am
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Just wanted to post this as when my girl Vanna decided to give us milk, I struggled to find info about maiden milkers on line so if anyone is in a similar situation, I'd hope that this might help them :)
about 6 weeks ago I posted saying that my unmated/never kidded 2 year old girl was producing a little milk. After a visit from a local breeder we decided to try to let it dry up naturally while keeping an eye that her udder never got full or tight or hot due to her young age.
However savanna had other ideas, her udder became huge and within a week of first visit, my breeders friends exact words were "she's decided to give you milk, twice a day milkings for you then!!"
we've gradually upped her concentrates and she is being an angel standing in the stand considering she's never had kids.
those 'guinea pig' sized teats are now bigger (took a couple of weeks) and we are able to milk her easily.
currently around 4 pints of milk a day. Enough for the children to have on cereal and milkshakes (vanna milkshakes they are known as and my 4 year old prefers vanna milk because it comes strawberry flavoured!!) but we also have enough for my soap too - and it makes very good soap, very happy :)
so, happy ending here!
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Really glad to hear that savanna is still milking and can't wait to be able to get some of her soap ;D
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bless her ... she goves you more milk maiden than our Geraldine does after twins!
*goes out to have give the goat a good talking too!*
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I still can't believe this has happened to be honest :) The initial sadness of losing our milker Avocet last autumn turned to panic about "how the heck can I run a goats milk soap business with no milking goat?!" quite quickly. Luckily Fay from the WIllowbank herd sold me lots of lovely toggenburg milk for a while which kept it in the family so to speak, being from Avocet's herd but then just as she was about to dry her goats out for kidding savannah came into milk. Fate works in strange *but wonderful* ways!!
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Well done, Savannah!! Thats a lot of milk for a girl who has never kidded. I have had two over the years who came into milk without kidding, but they only gave a couple of pints at the most. Dried up in the Autumn. and started again come Spring.
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Thanks Roxy :) I've been really surprised by the quantity too, actually thought it would be just a couple of pints (which still would have been wonderful!) but its increasing all the time and she is looking really well and healthy still (according to the lady breeder who saw her yesterday)
I have a new in-kid nanny coming in the autumn so had kind of bargained on getting my milk from that nanny but looks like I might be milking two girls come next spring/summer if vanna comes into milk again next year..
by then my 'baby' scarlett will be at school so I can make more soap I suppose!