Most of my first herd of goats would be just about finished lactating in the fall. By November they would be producing a cup of milk or even less daily.
My current goats are much better milkers. Although Ziva was the only one I was still milking when autumn rolled around last year, she didn't seem eager to quit.
Normally I would continue to milk until we hit the "2-3 months before kidding" point, which would be December or January, but since I was planning to take a trip out of state to visit my new grandson, it was time to stop milking. Hubby feeds everyone when I'm gone, but he doesn't milk goats. I wanted to be sure Ziva was dried off and comfortable before I left town.
So, how do you dry off a dairy goat?
The first step to dry off your dairy goat
On my homestead, the first step in drying off a goat - allowing her body to stop producing milk - is to cut out the evening milking and only milk once a day.
I usually do this when it gets really hot in August, but that year I continued to milk Ziva twice a day through September, just because she was producing so well.
Click here to subscribe to The Acorn, Oak Hill Homestead's weekly-ish newsletter.
So I stopped milking in the evening. Since I feed my does on the milkstand while I'm milking, I also cut Ziva's daily grain ration in half by cutting out the evening milking. Decreasing the amount of grain you feed your doe slows down her milk production.
You could, of course, cut out the morning milking and only milk in the evening if that suits your schedule better. You're in charge here, do what works best for you.
The second step
A couple of weeks later, my next step is to not milk her out completely when I milk in the morning. Leaving a bit of milk in the udder tells the doe's body that her milk isn't needed in the same quantity, so she starts producing less.
Don't rush the process. Give the doe's body plenty of time to respond to each change. I prefer to allow at least a week, preferably more, to each step.
The third step
Then I milk every other morning. This is another way of decreasing the demand on her body, and she should produce even less milk.
Over time I'll leave even more milk "unmilked." As the amount I'm milking decreases, I'll continue to decrease her ration of grain which in turn should also decrease the amount she produces.
The final step to drying off a goat
Then I'll milk every three days, and finally I'll stop altogether, still keeping an eye on her udder to be sure she isn't engorged and uncomfortable. I don't want her to develop mastitis.
And then we'll be milk-less until March. By then I'll really be missing milking. I enjoy it. It's a peaceful, contemplative time of day for me - unless the goat is acting up, but I'll have forgotten all about that by March.
~~~~~
My mission is to inspire and encourage you to live a simple, joyful life,
no matter your circumstances or where you live. Join me here:
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Subscribe
22 comments
How well I remember my mistake of buying a 1st freshener many eons ago. She was an only goat and a Nubian Screamer. I had no milk stand in the beginning. Both of us new to the game and trying to milk tied in the stock trailer. I worked nights and the last thing I wanted at 6 am before going to bed was a naughty goat to milk...
That sounds like a circus, Michelle!
Your goat is SO cute! I had never thought about what or why you would dry your goat. I'm still in the learning process and love finding out everything I can on goats, can't wait to have our own.
Hi Nicole. I'm pleased to know that you've found my blog helpful. I hope you get your goats soon.
I don't have any goats, but I visit my friend that has some. I also enjoy reading about them and seeing the pictures. I hope it went well for you. Best wishes!
Hi Jendi, how nice that you can visit your friend's goats. :-)
It sounds like you've got the process down pat. Thanks for sharing such wonderful outdoor posts on The Maple Hill Hop. I always look forward to reading your posts.
Thank you, Daisy, that's kind of you to say. :-)
This was a really helpful post as we have two milkers right now! Thank you Kathi for taking the time to prepare this information. I will be pinning this :)
Thank you also for sharing on the Art of Home-Making Mondays each week!
I'm glad it was helpful to you, Jes. Thank you for the Pin!
great post Kathi!
Love those Nubian ears :)
Yes, I love those ears!
We don't have goats, but it sounds similar to drying off a cow. Thanks for sharing this at Good Morning Mondays. I am enjoying reading what you are up too. Blessings
Hi Terri, thank you for hosting the GMM hop each week!
I enjoy all your posts. If I had to get rid of anything, my goat would the the last. A milk goat could be a complete survival kit if necessary. A milk goat can provide milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, kefir, soap ,(meat if necessary), and friendship. I wonder if a goat was not bred again, how long she would produce milk? Love my goats !
I have friends who wait two years before breeding them again - if the goat kids in February, for instance, she would have been bred in October. They will breed her again in October two years later. The first five months of that she's pregnant, then in milk ... she slows down on production a bit during the winter but they say the goat will produce more again the next spring. She's then bred in October and is dried off sometime between November-late December.
I just dried off my goat last month, but I did the cold turkey method. It was a super busy month, and I didn't plan to do it that way, but it ended up working out well. I've also used a method similar to this one a couple of years ago.
Cold turkey can definitely work, although I only use it on a goat that's just barely still producing.
Thanks for the great tips!! :-)
We're featuring this on the Homestead Blog Hop this week. See you on Wednesday.
Thank you, Kelly! I'll be there as always. :-)
Hi, we just got goats a couple months ago, love them. I am just starting the drying process. Thank you for you tips
You just explained almost my EXACT experience with my first goat. I was like "wait when did I write this? I know I didn't write this."
Post a Comment