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Rick's Ramblin's |
By Rick Skillington, County Director
Marshall County |
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Each year as we get ready to
wean kids, some of the most productive does in the herd
have to be culled because of Mastitis. It appears that
the doe that has the problem is usually one of the best
does in the herd. Many times, it is usually a doe that
has raised a really good set of twins. Several times a
year, I get calls from producers that he saved a "really
good doe" and now that she has kidded, she has a set of
twins and only one half of an udder to try to feed them.
When this happens, the producer must decide whether to
let the doe try to raise them herself and have two sorry
kids or to pull one off of the doe and raise it on a
bottle. Either way, the producer is going to have to
take a decisive reduction in income on that doe. Her are
some things for producers to consider when weaning
kids. |
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Let me start out by saying
that there is no way to completely control Mastitis our
of a goat operation. This is especially true when a high
percentage of the does have some dairy blood in them. It
just makes sense that the more milk a doe gives, the
more the chances are that she will develop
Mastitis. |
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While there are many
different methods to wean kids and help reduce the
incidences of Mastitis, here are two that I know will
work well for producers. Modifications off of these
methods can be made to suit the production system of the
producer. Each of these methods has similar
components.
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The first method is to leave
the kids on the does until she weans the kids naturally.
If your operation is only kidding once a year and the
lack of additional labor is a major problem, this method
is one that will work for you. The kids will keep
nursing the does until her body will usually just slow
down in the production of milk and the kids will have to
start browsing for additional food. The doe will usually
stop producing milk and the kids are weaned. There are a
few things that producers need to be aware of when using
this method. Heavy producing does can still get Mastitis
using this method. Another thing to consider is that
usually, while the doe is nursing, she will not breed
back Occasionally, some kids will never wean without
pulling them away from the doe and leaving the kids on
the does this long, some may continue to try to nurse
other animals and cause damage to udders on does that
have not kidded. Some people feel that since the kids
stay on the odes so long, this reduces the number of
years that the doe will stay in the herd since the kids
keep the doe in a less than ideal body condition for a
longer period of time. |
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The other method of weaning
is one that will work well if producers have good catch
facilities and some additional labor available. To start
this method, the producer should start limiting the feed
that the does receive around two weeks prior to weaning
the kids. This will cause the doe to slow down milk
production. After two weeks, separate the kids from the
does. Some producers prefer to remove the kids, while
others swear that you have to move the does. I suggest
that you do what is easiest. Dry lot the does with only
rough hay in limited amounts and provide only limited
water for the does. After three days, let the kids back
with the does for two hours and then remove them. Leave
the does up on dry lot for additional five days and then
they can be turned out on pasture away from the kids. An
additional thing to consider is adding an antibiotic
shot into this program. The key to having a successful
weaning program that will not hurt the doe is to observe
the does closely after the weaning. |
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