What breed are they? Where do you live? It's getting late in year
to get a doe bred unless you run buck with her.

I never seperate my kids to wean. Bucklings are removed/sold at 8 to
12 weeks of age (understand I raise NUBIANS.)
Does in milk get checked at least once a day to ensure all are
healthy and no mastitis. Any who are making too much milk for kids,
I do milk out twice a day. And, if I want extra milk I do put kids
up for several hours so I can milk momma. Also, I get into this
habit of checking because some does will wean their kids on their own
at 10 to 14 weeks of age. If you are not catching on to this fact,
the doe will then go dry!!!

Doelings all get bred at 7 to 8 months of age to kid at 12 to 13
months old. All are in same barn/field with their mommas. It's
about how much they weigh, rather than age as to when they are OK to
breed as kids. A Nubian needs to be 80 pounds at least when you
breed her.

At first of November I stop milking anyone and cut back on feed.
Does bred to kid in January will be almost dry anyway. Does bred to
kid in April will often be harder to dry up, but will be dry by
Christmas. I check (look at them, and if needed put hands on them)
all once a day, even my dry stock, as mastitis will happen in ANY
goat with mammary tissue (including bucks and whethers!!)

So far in almost 20 years of goatkeeping all my does have weaned kids
by the time they have next set and will not let older kid(s) nurse.
Although it's touching to see a yearling in labor and not quite
understanding what's going on go over to her momma and dunk her head
down to her momma's udder as if to nurse. They don't ever actually
nurse, but it's like a comfort reflex and their momma will often turn
and nuzzle them.

I have NEVER consistantly been able to wean a kid if it goes back in
with it's momma, though, and momma is still in milk. By that I mean
if I wean a group of doelings at say, 12 weeks old? And, leave them
in another pen (even if four miles away from momma!) for +8 weeks????
and then turn back in with momma who is still in milk??? At least ONE
doe in the group of mommas will still let her kids nurse. Individual
temperment has a lot to do with it. Some that I foster a kid, calf
or deer fawn upon will always have to be in milkstand before they
will allow stranger to nurse. Others will adopt in a matter of a
week.
Donna
Safehaven Nubian dairy goats and Jersey cows
Dandridge, TN
--- In raw_goatmilk@yahoogroups.com, Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@...>
wrote:
>
> Karen Keys wrote:
>
> > A hundred yrs. ago diabetes and cancer was unheard of.
>
> This is not true. It's commonly quoted by people, but if you
> watch the archeology and history shows they do have cases
> that turn up cancer or diabetes anywhere from thousands to
> hundreds of years ago. Not as often as today, maybe, but we
> do live longer, eat more like nobles, and get a lot less
> exercise than people used to. All those chemicals, food-like
> products and GMO products don't help, IMO, but people did
> get all kinds of things back then that people commonly think
> they never got.
>
> In any case...could we get back to milk now, please?
>
> I have a year old doeling that is still nursing. I want to
> breed her mom. How long do I need to put her in another
> pasture for to get this cycle broken, or will the doe
> naturally dry up in 3 months if I breed her?
>
> Thanks,
> Morgan
>