[Anke]

Hi, my 10 week old kids have started scouring yesterday morning. I am fairly certain it is a dietary scour, as they are very lively eat their hay and have been on water/hay and electrolyte. Two are already getting back to a little bit of milk, the third one (only started this morning after she managed to get into mum's pen after having been off milk as a precaution yesterday...) is also having electrolyte and will hopefully be starting back on a litle milk by tomorrow lunchtime.

problem is though, the two BT kids have been on mum, and I had only taken out about 500ml each am before letting them back into her pen. I have found it very difficult to milk her, she has VERY small teats that are also at an angle... I have tried to milk her out yesterday pm, and took off a litre. Same again this morning and this pm. I don't seem to get anymore from her, but I think she is very canny in holding some back as she is bleating for her kids. Also this pm found that one side of her udder seems a bit lumpy, not hard and she is not in pain when I milk, milk is also ok - is this the possible start of mastitis??? If I continue to take these amounts off her, will she start to dry up soon, or continue to give about 2l a day (I am sure there must be more than that though!)

Also one of the kids will not take the bottle readily, so really both of them should still go back onto her, but that would make it impossible to gradually re-introduce milk... I don't want to wean them, and the chances of 10week old kid taking the bottle is pretty slim...WHAT DO I DO?

Nobody said that this kid rearing business is soooo difficult! and the milking!

[ballingall]

At 10 wks old, they should be drinking water, so if they will not take a bottle, try them with some milk (or milk and water, to dilute it a bit) in a little bucket or a saucepan. Sometimes they will drink it rather than from a bottle if they are used to mum.

You could try finishing milking the milker, then leave her for 10 mins, then go back to her. She will have thought you have given up trying to milk her, and let some more milk down. Make sure you massage her udder well to try and persuade her to let it down. Remember goats are prone to coccidious, and if the scouring persists (or is intermittant) you might want to consider dosing them for that.

The lumps might not be mastitis, if her milk looks ok, then I would think its fine. Kids are rough on their mum, and having them suckle her might have given her the lumps. The other possibility, is that she has just bumped her udder- that can cause lumps too.

Hope they all get better

Beth

[Roxy]

Oh dear, do hope the kids improve soon.

I am having problems milking Jasmine the Sanaan.  She has a very big udder, but the smallest teats I have ever had to milk from!!!  I have tiny hands, which is a blessing, but still find it hard.  She is not easy to milk and has been a nightmare, but she does seem to be improving.  I do what Beth says, and milk some off, then leave her, and she gives more milk.  The two kids are still with her, but not taking much milk now.  They are coming up for 12 weeks.  I do think when nannies have kids on them, and we milk them, they do try and keep the milk for the kids .....ie.  think we are stealing their kids milk.


I am just sorting out somewhere to put Primrose and Poppy, and will remove them from Jasmine.  And hope to goodness she will co operate in the milking then.

[Anke]

The kids are all better, slowly increasing milk. Two take the bottle now readily, the third one will with a bit of persuasion (I have to open her mouth, once the teat is in she sucks quite well), so will not let them back onto mum... but could try the pan drinking too if she doesn't start to take the teat on her own within a few days.

I am milking the BT - it takes me a good hour... and my back is killing me... up to 3 ltrs a day now, but I believe there is more. Will try the "leave for 10mins and try again" method, would I bring her back into her pen in between?

But the upshot of all this hassle is - I have made cheese yesterday, we have joghurt galore and I still had to freeze a couple of litres today... Was going to make more cheese tonight, but OH was boiling the tatties in the pot I use for cheese (and lots of other things) and well, he burned them, and the pot is now unusable... why is it that men always have to prove that they are really no good in the kitchen in the vain hope that they will not be asked to do any cooking any more....

PS.: I have a blister on my right hand middle finger from milking...

[Roxy]

sorry, but had to giggle at your OH and his burnt potatoes.

I do not let Jasmine go, inbetween the pause in milking.  Would never catch her again, as she hates being milked.  Sorry about your blisters.  Things to improve with time, as will  your milking speed, and co operation of our goats (we hope)

I think we should sell the goats, and get our milk from the shop .....less stressful and quicker

Someone said that about me planting all my potatoes. I insisted they taste better, but like he said, its the problems, pests, etc.  He said he had gone through all that in the past, and now buys his veg from the shop, much easier!!

No, no .....I like the stress, the bugs, the problems  (not!)

[Anke]

Well OH made the burnt tatties up to me.. and built a barrier on one side of my milking stand, so big BT goat cannot move her bum out of the way anymore, and maybe I will not end up with monkey arms trying to reach her udder... much more comfortable milking tonight! (even if it took me 45 minutes!) So he has his good points, just cooking is not one of them...

Now have all three kids on the bottle, kid No 3 thought that if that's the only way milk is coming now, she better take it.... but given the chance they would be back with mum, so double checking latches every time now...