My husband, ever the little boy, brought home two Boer does and no information as to how to properly care for them and info on vaccinations, bred status, etc. I have downloaded a bunch of information about Boer goats, and I am in the process of reading through it all, but I have somewhat urgent questions. The older doe apparently had a kid, which was just recently weaned prior to my husband buying the doe. My husband is not sure if this doe is pregnant again. She has milk, and he told me we (read that as I!) need to milk her. This morning I milked her until she bit my shoulder; I figured that she'd had enough! Her udder was still quite full, however. How much milk can I expect to get per milking? How many times a day does she need to be milked? At this point, at least until I become more educated regarding goats, I don't need or want the milk. Will she dry up if I don't milk her? If so, how long will it take her to dry up?

I know these are elementary questions, but I'd really appreciate some help until I can read through the information I downloaded. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom anyone has to offer!!!!!!!!

Jennifer

-- Jennifer D. Lane (jdlane@sierratel.com), January 22, 2001

Answers

She should dry up by herself if she has nursed the baby for a while befor it was taken off of her. Worming would be my first sugestion as to preventive things. Wormer choices are like Baskin Robins 31 flavors lots to choose from. I have Boer X (21 nannies)and dont worry about other things to much here in Galveston county Tx. Hoof triming is nessary if u live in a wet,soft area. Watch for running noses and running eyes (sign of pink eye) and treat with a good antibotic before it gets bad. They may be bred back but most wont bred until the kid is weened. Enjoy and have many hours of enjoyment watching them. God Bless

-- Charles steen (xbeeman412@aol.com), January 22, 2001.

Jennifer, I recommend that you buy the book, raising Milk goats the Modern Way, by Jerry Belanger. I realize that these are Boers, not dairy goats, but that book is a wealth of information for the beginner. She's probably not used to being milked, that's why she bit you. If you think you will be milking goats at some point, it would be a good idea to build a milking stand. They are very good for trimming hooves and restraining the goat for certain procedures, as well.If you let her dry up, check her udder every day ,to be sure it's not getting hot and tender. If it get's hot, hard, and tender, that's mastitis. My inclination would be to milk her enough to take the pressure off, every day, and let her dry off gradually. She is not a dairy goat, and it shouldn't take more than a week or two for her to dry up.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 22, 2001.

I would also worm her, we have a zillion posts on worms here. Also I recommend the book Goat Keeping 101 and they also have updated it already at caprinesupply.com also their catalog is a wealth of information. Get yourselves over to a boer forum like Goatandsheeprancher at Egroups.com The best wormers that work for us on fecal are Ivermectin 1% cattle injectable at 2cc per 100 pounds given orally, and Valbazen Cattle Drench given at 8cc per 100 pounds, lots of folks are using Cydectin Pour on, 1cc per 25 pounds by mouth also, be very careful about getting this on your skin, when you order your wormer 1800-Jeffers Livestock catalog, also order yourself a weigh tape, so you aren't guessing the weights. You can also purchase Bar Vac CD&T and start the girls on vaccinations, one 2cc shot now and another in 21 days. They also sell the shear majic hoof trimmers. I would simply not milk them, let them dry up, pressure in the udder is what makes them dry up. Lots of nice green hay, and if your pastures or hay quality is iffy than you may want to use some grain, being very careful of anything labeled "goat" espcecially in a pellet form, read the tags and steer clear of animal by products and animal protein (except whey in milk fed pellets like calf manna) the rest is a waste of your money. Good luck with your does and once again it floors me how many folks sell stock with no information going to the buyers!! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 22, 2001.

Just stop milking and your Boers should dry up with no problems.Go easy on the grain/goat feed until the goat is dry. Get catalogs from Jeffers Supply...1-800-jeffers Hoegger Supply.....1-800-221-4628 Caprine Supply.....1-913-585-1191.....www.caprinesupply.com The goat supply catalogs have some good tips scattered throughout.Caprine has a nice little article on feeding for beginning goatkeepers.You might also want to subscribe to one or more of the goat mags. They will grow on you.Just wait until you get kids!

-- JT in Florida (gone2seed@hotmail.com), January 22, 2001.

Traditionally, Boers are not milked, but allowed to raise their own kids and dry up naturally. If she has a lot of milk, don't just stop milking her, but gradually cut back on how much you milk her out and then start cutting back on frequency. If you just stop milking and her udder is real full, she will be in pain and it may cause other problems. Boers are real similar to Nubians, of which we have almost 30. Our girls are milked twice daily and average a gallon or more per day. High production is a trait that dairy goats are bred for. Boers are not dairy goats and should not be expected to produce as much. They are normally raised for meat. Vet care for vaccinations, worming, etc. gets quite involved. I recommend you find some local resources or join an email group to get and share information. Go to www.cybergoat.com for the best listing of online resources. You may even find a breeder near you.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), January 23, 2001.