[mariegold]

Hi all,

We finally got our goats a few weeks ago and Blodwyn (3 year old Saanen) gave birth yesterday to a very big boy (Sannen/Boer cross). He is lovely and very active, she is a very attentive mum. So far so good.
I hope this isn't a stupid question but we are new to keeping milking animals. Blodwyns udder seems huge, tight and quite warm. I'm worried she is uncomfortable so I tried to milk her out a bit this eve but she still seems to have a lot of milk. Her kid is feeding happily from her. Should I be concerned? Should I milk her more or is this a sign of mastitis? Any advise would be wonderful. Thanks so much xx

[jaykay]

It might just be that she bagged up well and the little guy isn't drinking much yet. I'd milk her out for a few days, until she seems more comfortable. As long as it looks milky and not flecked or lumpy, and milking her out helps, I don't she has mastitis.

[Dogwalker]

For the first few days the milk will still have some colostrum in which you want the kid to have.
I usually milk out enough to make her comfortable/ soften the udder and freeze it for future emergencies.
I've found things settle down after a couple of times.

[sokel]

I agree , with one kid you will probably need to milk her out . Snowdrop our Saanen x B Togg has one kid this year and she is giving us 4 pints morning and night with still loads left over for her kid . I could actually take more

[Anke]

For the first few days the milk will still have some colostrum in which you want the kid to have.
I usually milk out enough to make her comfortable/ soften the udder and freeze it for future emergencies.
I've found things settle down after a couple of times.

Same here.

[mariegold]

 THANKS ALL! Phew so relieved. I will just milk her out a bit to make her comfortable and then will give her a good milk in a few days. One more to kid now, looks like twins, fingers crossed x

[Penninehillbilly]

did you drop their feed a bit before kidding? you don't want to generate too much milk too soon.

[mariegold]

We bought the goats in-kid and the lady that sold them couldn't give us a due date so I didn't want to reduce their feed, in fact I've been increasing it! I'm giving my other goat just oats and greens and hay for a day or so in case she is abut to pop too. Is that a good idea? Or is their still too much protein in oats? I'm so confused.... looking back on my sheep keeping days with fond memories, they seem easy in comparison!

[jinglejoys]

Don't forget colostrum makes great custard!

[Anke]

I don't drop their feed just before their due date, just carry on with whatever amount they have been getting.  BUT straight after kidding they are on shreds only for a day, maybe with a bit of bran mixed in to take off the wetness, then start to re-introduce some rolled oats the day afterwards and slowly increase with oats then some mix in as well, by the time they are two weeks after kidding they get a full ration.

As soon as/if one of mine starts to not want her food and looks a bit droopey/poss wobbly - they get a drench of Propylene glycol (you can also use twin lamb sheep drench) and an injection of Calciject. May have to continue with the PropGlyc for a few days, I normally drench about 100ml in two or three portions per day. However you may not get this at all, just be prepared for milk fever. If caught early on it is easily rectified, but if not can quickly become a nightmare.

Have fun with your girls -  are truly addictive!

[ballingall]

Ditto what Anke says, don't know why you decrease food before kidding, just when the kids should be taking the most from the food she gets. We do the same, and as soon as they kid, they get no concentrates. Just vegetables, alfalfa, and sugar beet (not all at the same time). Then after at least a full day, they get a tiny amount of mix added to the veggies/ alfalfa. We've got two who kidded a week ago, and they still aren't up full rations, and are getting extra bulk foods- sugar beet, alfalfa, bran mash, branches if available.




But to the original point- I would definitely be milking her. You may even find you with only kid that you always need to take some milk off her.


Beth

[Penninehillbilly]

I know Anke and Ballingal have much more experience than me but -
A lady who had kept goats for years advised me to cut back on concentrates (not cut out), she said to help prevent milk fever, the kids have done all their growing, and you don't want massive amounts of milk (colostrum) just after kidding, a waste of dams resources when she already has a massive strain to deal with, it made sense to me, also not such a shock on the digestive system as cutting out completely, but as mariegold said in another post, all the books are different, we have all settled in systems we are happy with.
 
As to colostrum custard, tried it once, maybe I had too much but remember its very rich - and does a good job of clearing the babies system ??

[jaykay]

Ellie is due to kid tomorrow and her bag was so huge and uncomfortable yesterday, I milked her a bit and froze the colostrum.

Skinny Rowan's kids might need it, in a week's time. Never mind cutting concentrates, I wish I could get that goat to eat more than a mouthful of anything - I'm very worried about twin-kid disease/milk fever with her, she looks like a pregnant coat-hanger 

[ballingall]

I know Anke and Ballingal have much more experience than me but -
A lady who had kept goats for years advised me to cut back on concentrates (not cut out), she said to help prevent milk fever, the kids have done all their growing, and you don't want massive amounts of milk (colostrum) just after kidding, a waste of dams resources when she already has a massive strain to deal with, it made sense to me, also not such a shock on the digestive system as cutting out completely, but as mariegold said in another post, all the books are different, we have all settled in systems we are happy with.
 
As to colostrum custard, tried it once, maybe I had too much but remember its very rich - and does a good job of clearing the babies system ??

It is for the same reason that we do it, we just wait until the kids are born, that's all.    The other thing is that it is natural for the mother to eat the cleaning after kidding, and it is a lot of protein, so to give additional protein in the form of concentrates is a lot for their system. That said, we try to not let them eat all of the cleaning, as if they have multiple kids, it's really too much.

[Lesley Silvester]

I'm not sure how I'm going to cut Cloud's concentrates back when she kids. She and Pom share a shed and their buckets, and Cloud is greedy.


How long do you cut down? I could possibly make a temporary division in the shed but she wouldn't be able to get outside then and I don't think she'd be too impressed with that.