FOUR YEARS AGO ON 02/29/96 MY GOAT HAD HER FIRST KIDS. WHEN I WENT OUT TO THE BARN, THEY WERE ALREADY BORN (ONE WAS DEAD). ANYHOW, WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM STILL MILKING HER FROM THE FIRST BATCH OF KIDS? AT FIRST I GOT AROUND 2 QUARTS/ DAY, BUT SINCE THIS FALL SHE HAS STARTED TO DROP OFF (PART OF IT IS MY FAULT I'M SURE. I DID MILK HER TWICE A DAY, AND THEN GOT LAZY AND ONLY DID IT ONCE A DAY). I STILL GET 1/2 QUART TO 1 QUART/ DAY WHICH IS REALLY ENOUGH FOR US. HAS ANYONE EVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE? IF SO, HOW LONG DID THIS CONTINUE? I'M THINKING OF HAVING HER BRED THIS FALL SO I CAN GET A DAUGHTER OUT OF HER BEFORE SHE GETS TOO OLD, BUT WAS WONDERING IF I DIDN'T HOW LONG THIS WOULD CONTINUE!

-- MICHAEL W. SMITH (KIRKLBB@PENN.COM), January 23, 2000 Answers This is not all that unusual. She sounds like she comes from a heavy milking line. I would try drying her off before you bred her. Have you tried to breed her any in the 4 yrs? if so then thats another problem. if not dry her off by reducing the amount of grain you give her and by milking every other milking and gradually tapering off. Hope this helps. If you'd like I can give you the names and addys of some great goat talk lists. You can find them yourself by going to http://www.onelist.com Hope this helps. Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), January 23, 2000.

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My neighbor to has a goat that hasn't kidded in 3 years and is still milking . I think shes about 7 or 8 years old .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), January 24, 2000.

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Hey, why not? I still had milk in MY "udder" after 4 years - why not a goat! For all lactating mammals, the rule is - supply meets demand. Mom will keep producing if baby keeps nursing, or if getting milked. They do stop after a while, mainly because milking doesn't stimulate the mammary glands exactly like a baby sucking would. I bet a goat would produce for years and years if you kept a kid on her AND milked her!

-- Becky Michelsen (beckymom@kjsl.com), January 26, 2000.

-- Chamoisee (chamoisee@yahoo.com), June 24, 2001