Author Topic: milk yield dropping too fast? (Read 7102 times)

ballingall · « **Reply #15 on:** October 12, 2012, 09:49:19 pm »

Quote from: Anke on October 12, 2012, 04:46:36 pm

If she has not kidded this last spring (or only had a single) you would be better to put her back in kid, with the amounts you saying she is giving she may not last all winter. If she has kidded this year and you are milking ony once a day, I wold continue with that, I wouldn't have thought that goung back to twice a day milking would increase her yield anymore...

Agreed... Don't think going to twice daily milking will increase it any now. Increasing to twice daily milking in march will help encourage her milk to come up as the daylight will be increasing.

Beth

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #16 on:** October 12, 2012, 10:47:02 pm »

Quote from: Mad Goatwoman of Madeley on October 12, 2012, 01:51:12 pm

Mine has dropped from 2 pints a day to 1 1/4 pints a day over the last three weeks. I do plan on getting her in kid this autumn but hope the milk won't drop any more this winter, until I have to dry her ready for kidding.

I let mine dry off about Nov / Dec, gives me a break and anyway I always feel cruel going in with cold hands

(could do with one of these of a goat looking shocked

)

I find another thing about them being in season is they try to escape, or certainly play up more than normal, (but what is normal?) First time ever Cinamon jumped an electric fence this week - yes, she was in season. I had to tether her for a couple of days.
Mine often 'flick' their tails, but in season it's a definite and more constant rapid wagging.
Someone local once bought a goat off me, phoned me up (months later) and said there was something wrong with her, they thought she was in pain, I went straight up, and yes, bleating in desperation, restless, tail wagging, for a farmer I would have thought he's known, I've seen cows act much the same way.

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2012, 12:32:29 am »

[/quote]
If she has not kidded this last spring (or only had a single) you would be better to put her back in kid, with the amounts you saying she is giving she may not last all winter. If she has kidded this year and you are milking ony once a day, I wold continue with that, I wouldn't have thought that goung back to twice a day milking would increase her yield anymore...
But my ladies have also decided it's winter, yields have dropped, especially for the girls runing through.
[/quote]

she had a kid in the Spring and to be honest we're still learning so not quite ready to go down that road this year, we've also got another nanny and kid arriving tomorrow so am relieved to hear its not worth milking twice a day as we're going to have our hands full for a while!

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2012, 08:41:50 am »

I'm keen for Savannah to dry up because she is a maiden milker and never kidded but always seems to come into milk by March! I worry that she is losing condition now and would like her to conserve her energy for winter.

Funny that you mention the naughty behaviour PHB - Savannah jumped our electric fence 2 days ago too! She was found in my newly established apple orchard eating saplings

she also tries to have her wicked way with poor Reggie, the wether who runs away!

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 14, 2012, 12:22:45 pm »

thanks for all the advice, yesterday turned out to be an eye-opener! She went into season and was acting like a lunatic (even our little cripple wether lamb got the once over

but this morning she seems fine, a lot calmer and munching away outside and got a litre of milk into the bargain.
Her 2 new companions are arriving today so that should be fun

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #20 on:** October 15, 2012, 11:12:08 pm »

My first goat went mad for a couple of days, loud bleating, trying to escape, etc but her daughter is much harder to tell. She only lasts for a maximum of 24 hours and isn't very loud. I'm watching her at the moment as I want to get her to the billy asap.

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 15, 2012, 11:59:45 pm »

thinking about putting her into kid but not til nearer December so she's not delivering at the harshest time here for weather and the vet won't get stuck in the snow if there's any problems, so a couple more daft episodes to endure before then

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #22 on:** October 16, 2012, 01:55:28 am »

I think the best time here is late Oct/early Nov, in theory for better weather in early April.
Last year the first kidded the worst night of the year, everything in the barn was covered in snow, the wind came from an unusual direction and the barn had openings we'd never had a problem with before.
I think 2 weeks earlier weather had been glorious!

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 16, 2012, 08:59:28 am »

well we had a good covering of frost through the night

up here, which is the very far north of the highlands (300 miles north of Aberdeen!) we tend to time our lambing for late March early April but some times even later, we always get the 'lambing snow' in April and have taken advice from the lady we get our goats from she recommends leaving kidding until around the same time. But saying that we have had some scorching weather in March/April so its just luck I suppose with a little bit of planning thrown in for good measure