Goat is Not Producing Milk After Kidding: A Guide to Deal the Problem

Goat is not producing milk after kidding, here is the complete guide to deal with this problem.

Does your goat not produce milk after kidding? It is very common for first-time kidding of non-dairy breeds of goats like Angora.

But, if it occurs with a dairy breed of goat or if it is not her first time kidding, the things maybe a little bit critical.

Don’t worry, this article will guide you- causes of the problem and what to do in this situation. Let’s, explore!

So, before starting I would like to ask you some important questions-

• Did you bring out the teat plug? If not, bring them out.
• Didn’t you separate the kids? If not, it has a possibility that the kids are sucking out all the milk.

If the answer is yes, then it is actually a problem. You need to take a deep look at the matter.

Why is Goat not Producing Milk After Kidding?

Do you know about the milk-producing mechanism of goats? It is a complex function of nutrition and hormones and mammary glands.

Mammary glands help to produce, store and release milk.

Hence, providing proper care to your goats are crucial.

Besides, if any imbalance of nutrition, hormones, and dysfunction of mammary glands causes the problem.

Here are some major reasons-

1. Giving Birth Early

The length of the gestation period of goats is 146 to 155 days.

If the doe freshens early, it can take time to produce milk. You will see that milk production is increasing after two or three weeks.

2. Nutritional and Hormonal Imbalance

It is actually the major reason for not producing goat milk or producing too little milk after kidding.

Your doe needs too much energy to produce milk.

If it is not in good health or if it does not get all the required nutrition, this problem can occur.

If the doe is too thin or too fat the problem can occur. Look at her food intake.

NB: we have a guide on what goat can eats and can’t eat?

3. The Doe is Under or Overage

Though a doe cannot be pregnant without maturity, age is a great factor. You may hear of child marriage and the problem of giving birth at an early age of human. It is also the same for goats.

Now,

If the age when a doe met is less than 9 month is not appropriate. In the case of Angora, it must be a minimum of 12 months old. A very old-aged doe over 12 years may not produce milk.

4. The Udder Was Not Developed

If the udder is too small or tits are not developed it can cause this problem. It may be physical dysfunction.

5. Parasites and Diseases

Parasites like worms, lice, mites, and so on can cause serious problems in the gestation period and kidding of a goat.

Anaemia, malnutrition, and so on occur because of parasites’ attack. It problem are also causing less milk production.

The main diseases that can cause no milk of goat after freshening are-

• Tumour in the udder
• Caprine arthritis encephalitis
• Mastitis
• Milk fever

Now, I am going to discuss the big question-

How Do I Get Goats to Produce Milk?

You should keep trying to nurse the doe to produce milk. If it is not a critical dysfunction sooner or later the goat will start to produce milk.

As like increase milk production in goats this may take some time.

1. Ensure the Supply of Nutritious Foods

The need for energy, protein, minerals, vitamins, and water increases at milk-producing time. So, supply enough water and foods that can fulfill all nutrition demands.

Moreover. you can feed high-quality green grass, alfalfa herb, grain mixture, and commercial food supplies for milk.

You may decrease the supply at the drying period or at several weeks before kidding to avoid milk fever. Momentarily, you must increase the supply of calcium.

2. Try Some Physiotherapies

Even If you find a drop of milk from your goat some therapy can work and increase the milk supply. Stimulation of the udder area has a connection with the secretion of the hormone.

So try-

• Gently bump the udder of the goat
• Massage the tits and udder areas
• Squeeze the teats, same as milking

3. Contact with a Vet

If it has passed 6 to 7 hours after kidding and you are not seeing a single drop of milk, communicate with a vet.

• Hormonal dysfunction can be cured with oxytocin, PRL, and so on injections. Only a vet can help you.
• If the problem is because of illness and diseases like Tumor, Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE), Mastitis, and Milk fever, the vet will provide a medication supply.

However, it is to be said that, it may require some time to recover. You should keep your patience. Hence, you can read What to feed an orphan baby goat? It will help you to take care of kidding that is not getting milk from Doe.

How to Feed Kids if the Mother has no Milk After Kidding?

The first few hours are the most critical time for kids. You must ensure enough food and care to keep them alive.
Feed colostrum replacer to the kids.

If your goat does not produce any milk, even the colostrum after kidding you need to care for the kids. Manage colostrum replacer as soon as possible and feed them.

What Happens if a Baby Goat Doesn’t Get Colostrum?

This colostrum is necessary to provide critical immune support.

Failing to supply colostrum will hinder the development of antibodies. As a result, the health condition can be poor and disease will attack easily.

It is best to feed colostrum within 4 hours of birth.

The body is the most suitable condition to absorb colostrum at this time. Supplying colostrum after 24 hours may not work at all.

Choose a Milk Replacer that is Only for Baby Goats

To keep the kids alive you must bottle feed them. For this, you need to collect quality milk replacer. You must have some obvious questions here. I am answering.

How many ounces and times should a baby goat drink?

The need for milk increases with the increase in the bodyweight of kids.

• In the first week, you need to feed them every 4 hours. 4 to 6 ounces per feeding is enough for this age.
• In the second and third week, you need to feed them nearly 7 to 12 ounces per feeding and 4 times a day.
• From the third week to the weaning period you need to feed 12 to 16 ounces per feeding and 3 times a day.

Final Tips

The bottom line is, hormone, health, and body condition has effects on milk production.

If a goat has any imbalance in these fields this problem can occur.

Besides, it is common that non-dairy goats produce little amounts of milk.

With the addition of low body condition, they may not produce milk as soon as kidding.

Find out the reason for the problem and take the necessary actions.

Bottle feeding the kids and taking consultation of a vet for curing the mother is the ultimate option here.

Now then, hope you find the solution. Happy Goat Farming.