My vet said the reason Nigerian dwarfs in the US have so many kids at a time is that we over feed them. In their native country, the goats browse a whole lot more for their main diet. In the US, we keep those alfalfa feeders full and usually give them grain, all of this in addition to their browse. I did a little experiment for the last 2 years on my goats. My girls were having 4-5 kids each pregnancy! So a few months before I bred them, I cut out all their grain and limited alfalfa (they were not in milk). Fed them grass hay and they browsed. The number of kids went down. My girl that had 5 in previous years had 3 the first year of the experiment and just 2 this year. If you can reduce the rich food a few months before breeding, the doe will drop fewer eggs at a time. Then, once she's bred, you can return to your typical feeding practice.
We are definitely feeding them much better than what they are fed in Africa. And when my goats were borderline selenium deficient, they had fewer kids. I just get really nervous about suggesting that anyone reduce a goat’s nutrition. I also know that if you don’t give them grain when they’re milking, you get way less milk and a skinny goat. Sounds like you found something that works for your girls.
I have a first freshener that is now 12 weeks post kidding. She has 2 bucklings that have been keeping her completely empty. I was only giving them nursing privileges 2 times a day for the last 4 weeks. They were doing a number on her udder before that. I have now weaned them, and I am milking her 2 times a day. She is giving me 2 cups per milking. Is that good? My older girls are 5x fresheners and are part ND part Nubian and they give 2 quarts per milking. Milking a purebred ND is new to me.
Check out this article and video. ~Abby Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Why We Still Love Them After 20 Years!: thriftyhomesteader.com/nigerian-dwarf-goats/ Do I get more milk if I dam-raise or bottle-feed?: ruclips.net/video/KUglWKT87hg/видео.html
It depends on how old she is. If she is a yearling, that's awesome because she is still growing herself, and you can expect more milk in future freshenings. If she is older, that's not great. You will often see a quart a day quoted as the average amount of milk you can expect from a Nigerian, but a great milker will peak between 6-7 pounds a day (3 quarts) at 8 to 12 weeks fresh. There is a lactation curve, so after that initial peak, the production starts to go down gradually. Depending upon genetics, it may go down faster or slower. A lot plateau around 3-4 cups a day for several months. ~~ Deborah
@@ericcawith2cs11 I would look at her genetics. If you know that her mom and her sire's mom produced more, then it could be a management issue, and she might be able to do better with different management or nutrition. If she is able to maintain that level for six or nine months, that would be good. If she starts dropping and dries up completely at six months, I'd sell her to a pet home. It's about longevity as well as daily production.
Would love to see a chart of NDG milk production to help those of us who don't do milk testing and have just average does. I'm milking my 2F doe 6 months after freshening and getting 3 cups a day from her. Seems low to me but don't really know what to expect as I have only been keeping goats less than 2 years.
If you are milking once a day and she has no kids nursing, then 3 cups would be okay. If you are milking twice a day, I'd expect closer to a quart (2 cups each milking). If you are milking once a day, and she is spending the day with kids nursing, so you're separating overnight and milking in the morning, then 3 cups would be outstanding. There will never be a chart of "average" does production because people with average does don't do milk testing. And if you are interested in milk production, then it would really be advantageous to purchase does with a milky pedigree. It doesn't cost any more to feed or care for a good producer than one that's average or poor.
We have 2 Dwarf Nigerians and I do fill a quart jar full to the top with each doe, at each milking. There are times we might be short by a cup, but there are also times they give an extra cup
My vet said the reason Nigerian dwarfs in the US have so many kids at a time is that we over feed them. In their native country, the goats browse a whole lot more for their main diet. In the US, we keep those alfalfa feeders full and usually give them grain, all of this in addition to their browse. I did a little experiment for the last 2 years on my goats. My girls were having 4-5 kids each pregnancy! So a few months before I bred them, I cut out all their grain and limited alfalfa (they were not in milk). Fed them grass hay and they browsed. The number of kids went down. My girl that had 5 in previous years had 3 the first year of the experiment and just 2 this year. If you can reduce the rich food a few months before breeding, the doe will drop fewer eggs at a time. Then, once she's bred, you can return to your typical feeding practice.
We are definitely feeding them much better than what they are fed in Africa. And when my goats were borderline selenium deficient, they had fewer kids. I just get really nervous about suggesting that anyone reduce a goat’s nutrition. I also know that if you don’t give them grain when they’re milking, you get way less milk and a skinny goat. Sounds like you found something that works for your girls.
I have a first freshener that is now 12 weeks post kidding. She has 2 bucklings that have been keeping her completely empty. I was only giving them nursing privileges 2 times a day for the last 4 weeks. They were doing a number on her udder before that. I have now weaned them, and I am milking her 2 times a day. She is giving me 2 cups per milking. Is that good? My older girls are 5x fresheners and are part ND part Nubian and they give 2 quarts per milking. Milking a purebred ND is new to me.
Check out this article and video. ~Abby
Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Why We Still Love Them After 20 Years!: thriftyhomesteader.com/nigerian-dwarf-goats/
Do I get more milk if I dam-raise or bottle-feed?: ruclips.net/video/KUglWKT87hg/видео.html
It depends on how old she is. If she is a yearling, that's awesome because she is still growing herself, and you can expect more milk in future freshenings. If she is older, that's not great. You will often see a quart a day quoted as the average amount of milk you can expect from a Nigerian, but a great milker will peak between 6-7 pounds a day (3 quarts) at 8 to 12 weeks fresh. There is a lactation curve, so after that initial peak, the production starts to go down gradually. Depending upon genetics, it may go down faster or slower. A lot plateau around 3-4 cups a day for several months. ~~ Deborah
@@DeborahNiemann She is 2 years old.
@@ericcawith2cs11 I would look at her genetics. If you know that her mom and her sire's mom produced more, then it could be a management issue, and she might be able to do better with different management or nutrition. If she is able to maintain that level for six or nine months, that would be good. If she starts dropping and dries up completely at six months, I'd sell her to a pet home. It's about longevity as well as daily production.
Would love to see a chart of NDG milk production to help those of us who don't do milk testing and have just average does. I'm milking my 2F doe 6 months after freshening and getting 3 cups a day from her. Seems low to me but don't really know what to expect as I have only been keeping goats less than 2 years.
If you are milking once a day and she has no kids nursing, then 3 cups would be okay. If you are milking twice a day, I'd expect closer to a quart (2 cups each milking). If you are milking once a day, and she is spending the day with kids nursing, so you're separating overnight and milking in the morning, then 3 cups would be outstanding. There will never be a chart of "average" does production because people with average does don't do milk testing. And if you are interested in milk production, then it would really be advantageous to purchase does with a milky pedigree. It doesn't cost any more to feed or care for a good producer than one that's average or poor.
We have 2 Dwarf Nigerians and I do fill a quart jar full to the top with each doe, at each milking. There are times we might be short by a cup, but there are also times they give an extra cup