Need Milking Schedule Advice, Please

[mylilchix]

I'm currently milking my Nigerian Dwarf doe once a day. She still has a 7 week old doeling on her. I put baby in a crate around 8:30 pm, and milk in the morning between 8-8:30 am. I'd like to start milking twice a day, but I'm afraid my evening schedule will prevent me from milking consistently. I'm usually home late afternoon, early evening, but there are a couple of days a week my kids have an evening activity. How should I handle this? What if I miss an evening milking? I'd love some advice!
Thanks, Sonja

 

[autumnprairie]

On the days you want to milk twice take the baby away from her during the day, if you don't get to milk that day let the kid in and she will take care of her for you

 

[ragdollcatlady]

If the baby goes to another home or is fully weaned, you can always just milk a third time.

I milk at 9:30-10 AM and 9:30-10 PM. I work graveyard and that is when I get home in the morning. The rest of the family, teens and a night owl Hubby, are up pretty late too so that works for us. If I want to go to a movie at a time that would keep me from milking on time, say I know that I will be gone all afternoon and won't be home until after the normal time, I just milk in the morning at 9:30-10 AM, before I leave and when I get back.....

Example..... 9:30 AM, then maybe 2 in the afternoon (or just before we leave, maybe 6 or something) and then as soon as we get home, say midnight. My rule is just that they don't go over 12 hours. Then the next day, I still milk at 9:30 in the morning. Of course you can add the third milking anywhere in the schedule, my only concern is to keep them from going too long and getting too full. They don't seem to suffer anything but confusion and we are able to still do important things and not have to worry. If last minute things come up, I just need the time to milk before we leave and then I have 12 hours of grace time.......Sometimes it is difficult to milk super early in the morning (like 1 or 2 AM) then not get to sleep in the next day, but I don't do it often and I want milk and healthy animals bad enough that it is important to me.

Not loving the goats like I do, being able to go to a late dinner or movie, or to visit with family, is super important to my DH. Being free to do those things even with the extra compromise, helps prevent resentment that the goats are affecting his life in a negative way.....I get to keep my babies and have the milk and he just has to allow a little time for me to rearrange their schedule and we can still do normal things.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

sorry double post.

 

[mylilchix]

Wow! Thank you for the great advice! Hubby can get a little cranky because of critter chores, but if there is a way to work around it that is awesome. I've had goats before, but this is the first time I've milked. I want to make sure my ND keeps her production up, but I don't want to put a strain on the family. Luckily, she's still nursing because that takes a bit of the pressure off. I'm keeping the doeling, so I can breed her in the spring. Both mom and baby are gold with blue eyes, very pretty!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I milked 2 does last year. The way I worked around that was to NOT totally wean the babies. Even if I kept them separated (which I did most of the time after regular weaning age) I would still let their babies strip them out after each milking. If we needed to go out of town, or just be gone past a regular milking time, I'd let them stay together. It worked for me!

Of course, that only works if you're keeping the kids...

 

[mylilchix]

I am keeping her kid. I put baby in a crate at night, so I can have a good milking first thing is the morning. The rest of the day mom and baby are together.

I know milk roughly 12 hours apart, but I've read of people going for longer periods between milkings. Is that OK when I've got baby on her?

Thanks for all of the help!

 

[meme]

Over 12 hours should be fine. I always stuck to almost exactly 12 hours apart during summer, but that doesn't always work out now that winter is nearly here. Now I milk at 7 am and my sister either milks at 5 pm for me, or I milk after soccer practice around 7pm. Rachel is always just fine.

ETA, my neighbor is a very busy vet who owns about 30 saannens and 10 are in milk right now. She only milks in the mornings, and a lot of them produce 2-3 gallons a day!

 

[OneFineAcre]

If you go over 12 hours occasionally it will not be a problem. When we show our animals we let them fill longer anyway, how long depends on how far into lactation.

If you do it all the time, it will negatively impact their production, but occasionally it isn't a problem.

You have to do what you have to do sometime. If you can, do like ragdollcatlady said and milk a 3rd time, earlier than normal and again later.