Milking Management

Like all mammals, a dairy goat typically needs to give birth in order to start lactating (although goats are well known for having phantom pregnancies or simply starting to producing milk without first becoming pregnant).  Once a goat has started lactating, it can keep milking for several years before drying itself off.  Not all dairy goats will continue to milk season after season without being re-mated, but it is not uncommon for a goat to continue to milk for 5 or more years in an extended lactation.  On many NZ dairy goat farms, the practice of milking goats throughout the season on an extended lactation, is common, The advantages of this are more days in milk per goat, better utilisation of staff resources and farm infrastructure, and a reduced stress and physical demands over the kidding period.

 

Goats who have been mated, and therefore not milking through the winter on an extended lactation, will be dried off approximately 6 weeks before the planned start of kidding, giving a typical Days in Milk spread of between 300 and 320 days per year.

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Does will have their peak production years at the age of about 4 years, and top producing does are capable of producing in excess of 6 litres each per day.  In an average mixed-age herd, daily average production of 3 - 3.5 litres each is considered typical.  This figure will change depending on the time of the year and available feed, as well as genetics, animal health and general on-farm management.  Kidded does will reach peak lactation approximately 6 weeks post kidding and tend to hold this right through until mating, after which they will start to slowly drop off.

 

Daily average production is usually measured in litres per goat as this is easy to calculate on a daily basis from tanker docket volumes divided by the number of does being milked into the vat.  Annual production is referred to in terms of milk solids as relates directly to production targets and business income.

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As indicated above, the norm for production varies greatly from farm to farm and even animal to animal, but 'rule of thumb' averages for annual milk solid averages are:

First Kidders:  60-70 kg/ms

Mixed Age Mature Does: 90-110 kg/ms

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Milk Composition

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The average composition of our milk over the past 2 seasons has been as follows:

Fat:  3.23%

Protein:  3.1%

Lactose:  4.35%

Annual Total Milk Solids Average:  11.5%

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Seasonal and feed variations impact the daily and monthly averages of these figures.  In early lactation, the fat content will be higher as this matches the nutritional requirements of the kids.  Protein levels in the milk can be influenced by the amount and type of protein in the diet.