New to goats in ID

[samssimonsays]

Welcome from Minnesota! I separated my kids at night and milked in the morning. As long as they are 2 weeks old is when I will be waiting till this year. I feel too guilty otherwise LOL. I know many who don't wait that long.

 

[Latestarter]

You can (and should?) start doing some milking immediately. The extra colostrum you get from first milking can be frozen for later use in emergencies. This will also help the doe increase to maximum udder/milk production/capacity. Once the kids are a week or 2 old and well established, growing well, you could start separating them from mom overnight then milking her out first thing in the morning. Some say they leave a little for the kids, others say they empty the doe as they want her to produce the maximum of her ability. The more she produces, the more food/grain she'll need to maintain. You'll have to keep an eye on her body condition over time.