Weaning time?

[lalabugs]

Just curious what age everyone weans their kids?

Our bucks were all weaned at 8 weeks old, when we brought them home. I also have my sisters ND that were also weaned at 8 weeks old.

Our mini nubian was weaned at 1 week shy of 3 months.

We're getting our last doeling a boer cross soon?
She will be 3 months old in 2 weeks. The breeder doesn't feel that they're ready or will be ready by 3 months to go to their new home.

Just curious what is a proper time to wean the kids? Also with breeding season coming up, want to make sure that our kids are not weaned to early once that time comes.

 

[Latestarter]

You're going to get answers all over the spectrum on that question... Some say 8 weeks for small goats (nigies), 12 weeks for minis (cross nigie/full sized) and 16 weeks for full sized. Some wean everything at 8 weeks, some let the kids nurse as long as the mom will let them without kicking them off, so that could be 6 months or more.

 

[lalabugs]

What would you consider is a good age to wean for kids that you plan on selling and sending to a new home? We plan on keeping some and selling others.

 

[Latestarter]

It really has nothing to do with if you're keeping them, selling them, or giving them away... Unless you're in a major rush to get rid of them... It has to do with how well they are growing and maturing, and if they have started eating browse/hay/goat chow/grain/etc. They have to develop their rumen to be able to digest other food, that they'll be eating the rest of their lives. Some develop slower than others. It's really a personal decision that you need to make based on how your kids are growing, and observation of them.

Some say if you take them off milk to early you'll stunt their growth. Most say that even though they grow slower off the milk early, they still reach their full size potential, it just take much longer. That can cause delays if you plan on breeding them and they don't reach breeding size and you have to wait an extra year for them. So again, everyone has their own opinion and what works best for them, you'll have to decide with yours when the time comes. Just remember when you do wean or change their diets for whatever reason, do it slowly/gradually.

 

[lalabugs]

Thank you for the information.

Like you said getting a wide range of answers. Which is what we've been getting from the breeders we've purchased from. The one's we got the bucks from said 8 weeks and that's all that mattered. Another that said 3 months, and another said when they're ready.

With the coming kidding season, I just want to make sure that we are doing what is needed.

Thank you again for the information.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Any goat should be able to be weaned at 3 months
If not I wouldn't want to buy it

 

[babsbag]

With seasonal breeders you don't typically have to worry about breeding until the fall so I let my Alpine bucklings stay with their mom's until Aug. unless I sell them sooner. I will sell all my Alpine and LaMancha kids at 8 weeks if someone wants them. If they are dam raised and not sold they can nurse as long as they want to. If I am bottle raising and keeping them I usually wean at 12 weeks but that is just because I have lots of milk to spare. In my circle of friends that raise goats most will wean at 8 weeks. I never heard of going to 12 weeks until this year on BYH.

 

[lalabugs]

Thank you all for the information. I was told about removing bucklings at 8 weeks old. We do have ND and no full size goats. We plan on removing bucklings at 8 weeks of age.

Onefineacre I'm not entirely sure about the goat not being able to be weaned. She is a Boer cross, dam full boer. She had triplets. One died. Now just her twins. The breeder feels because they're triplets that they wont be ready at 3 months of age. They are being dam raised. Does the amount of kids add into the amount of time needing to be on the dam? The breeder did tell me that the kids are now the size of a full grown Nigerian dwarf. They will not be 3 months for another 1 1/2 weeks.

I am new to breeding, kidding, weaning. I have been going off of what the breeders have been telling me. Also searching on the internet for any information I can find.

 

[Latestarter]

@babsbag & @ragdollcatlady have quite a bit of experience with boers. They may be able to lend some insight.

 

[Latestarter]

Oh, and if you go up and look under "articles" the fourth one down is pretty decent at explaining most of the basics.