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Author Topic: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions  (Read 4363 times)

plumseverywhere

  • Joined Apr 2013
  • Worcestershire
    • Its Baaath Time
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Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« on: November 18, 2011, 09:25:13 am »
Hellooo!   First year of having a milker into the colder seasons as our old one died in October of last year so this is a bit new to us!
As most of you probably know (!) my Savannah is a maiden and gave us all a bit of a shock when she started producing up to 8 pints a day without mating etc.  Anyway...I've noticed her milk gradually depleting, which is fine, and we are now onto once daily milking and she's giving us about 2 pints.  Her feed ration has been titrated with the decrease but I'm worrying that I've dropped it too much as she's suddenly looking a bit underweight to me.
All jabs etc are up to date and they are having ad lib hay. Yesterday she was more interested in the hay rack than her concentrates in the morning which is unusual for her.
They are now on Cattle nuts (dairy type) and a bit of goat mix - I will be giving vanna some extra soaked sugar beet and getting hold of some barley, rolled oats, peas etc to try and help with her weight.
Am I doing anything/everything OK?
thanks!!
PS Reggie is still exactly the same size and as robust and 'normal' as he always is! Its just savannah giving me a tiny bit of worry.
Pps want to get them both 100% before new goat comes  ;) 
Smallholding in Worcestershire, making goats milk soap for www.itsbaaathtime.com and mum to 4 girls,  goats, sheep, chickens, dog, cat and garden snails...

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2011, 11:30:02 am »
Plenty of hay and I give mine IAnsons 'Flakey', because this is what the sheep are on too. I also started feeding dairy nuts when Ellie, my milking goat started to get a bit thin. Plus the cobalt/selenium drench (I used Formula Co + B12 with selenium, by Cox agri, 5ml down her throat once a month). Her condition is right back where it should be now.

Mine like branches, even with no leaves on and the occasional strand of ivy - no more than one strand a day.

Ellie will be going to the billy any day now and I will dry her off in Feb to allow her to grow her kids well.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2011, 11:42:57 pm »
I was advised to add mixed flake to my girls ration. I started feeding soaked sugar beet as the days cooled off.
Isn't hay (roughage) supposed to help their 'central heating' as opposed to feeding too much concentrates?
presumably as she dries off she'll put weight back on instead of into the milk bucket.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2011, 01:59:50 am »
just another thought, how about 'pony' carrots or other root crops?

plumseverywhere

  • Joined Apr 2013
  • Worcestershire
    • Its Baaath Time
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Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2011, 08:14:55 am »
Thank you - will give them a try.

yesterday she took a sniff at her normal feed, nibbled a bit and left the majority  :-\
Smallholding in Worcestershire, making goats milk soap for www.itsbaaathtime.com and mum to 4 girls,  goats, sheep, chickens, dog, cat and garden snails...

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2011, 08:45:29 am »
That 'Flakey' I talked about is very heavily molassed, so they seem to like it. Mine will eat it above everything else (even layers pellets  ::))

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2011, 08:18:55 pm »
MIne love (horse) carrots (and the family is well fed on them too!), I have also started to give the milkers some "ALL grass", which they love (and its quite a bit cheaper than the branded "Readigrass").

My GG girls go off their food when they are in season?! (I guess other things on their mind ::))

Are you mating her? She shouldn't be too fat in early pregnancy, and you could also measure her girth and estimate her weight, somewhere here i have posted in the past a table with girth measurements vs bodyweights. Should give you an idea how far you are out.

My BT milker is skinny despite almost ad-liub concentrate etc!!!! (I wish I had her metabolism.. ;D)

Anke.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2011, 11:51:35 pm »
My girls also love the pony carrots.  I am also able to sometimes buy sacks of swede at a reasonable price and the girls love them.  Still giving them apples at the moment as I keep being given bags of them but I do restrict the number as it can affect the milk.

plumseverywhere

  • Joined Apr 2013
  • Worcestershire
    • Its Baaath Time
    • Facebook
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2011, 08:29:34 am »
I think she might be in season actually Anke, that could be it!! she isn't for mating this year as my new Togg will be kidding in March. As she was a maiden milker this year I'm waiting to see if she does the same again!
i looked at a bag of  horse carrots, sound idea - will get some. Where do you find the Allgrass? sounds like a good idea too x
Smallholding in Worcestershire, making goats milk soap for www.itsbaaathtime.com and mum to 4 girls,  goats, sheep, chickens, dog, cat and garden snails...

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Milking goat - Autumn/Winter questions
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2011, 02:53:15 pm »
Any horse/agri merchant will have Readigrass, but if you ask they may also have the "all grass" label. I think it is made by Dodson &Horrel (will check in the polytunnel when I next go by).

 

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