Milking a pregnant Pygmy?

[MrsCowher]

Hello! I am new to this forum and to raising Pygmy goats. I have had my mother and baby for two weeks now.

The mother goat I have is pregnant and was when we got her. Her current baby was born coincidentally on the same day I got married, which is June 11, 2012. She is still nursing on her mother from time to time. My question is, since the baby still sometimes nurses and the mother is pregnant, is it okay for me to milk the mother now? If not, when will it be okay?

Thank you!

-Karen

 

[ksalvagno]

If you have a pregnant female, then you need to dry her off so she is dry for 2 months prior to delivery. Mom needs a couple months dry so she will have good colostrum for the new kids. The baby currently on her is approximately 9 weeks old? I'm guessing you got her pregnant and are new to goats. So just so you know, this is going to be really hard on the female to turn around and have more kids 5 months after delivering a kid. You will have to wait until after the new kids are born to get milk from mom. Also keep a close eye on her to make sure she stays in good condition. You want to let the new kids nurse on her for a few weeks before you take milk from her.

 

[stitchcounting]

Luck with the goats !

 

[BlondeSquirrel04]

If you can, try to pull the baby and supplement with cow's milk, or just wean her completely if she's eating hay and grain. Momma goat could very well end up with small, malnourished kids. A lot of calories go into making milk, and a lot go into making babies. Whoever bred her right after she freshened isn't that smart.