Almost all owners keep goats in order to obtain tasty, nutritious milk. Self-milking of goats is a common cause of decreased milk yield. Therefore, farmers are concerned with the question of how to quickly wean a goat from sucking its own milk. Of course, it is advisable to first find out the reasons for this phenomenon. Various methods are used to resolve the problem.
Possible reasons
When breeding goats, you need to take into account that these are very “food dependent” animals. And if individuals find a source of tasty or plentiful food, it will be difficult to discourage them from eating.Often, goats, having once tasted milk, begin to suck it constantly.
Common reasons why a goat sucks its udder:
- during pregnancy, the amount of calcium in the female’s body decreases, so the goat strives to restore calcium levels with milk;
- The female's udder quickly fills and is not completely released during milking. Naturally, after a while a full udder begins to cause inconvenience, which she tries to get rid of on her own;
- In some individuals, the process of sucking milk causes pleasant emotions (endorphins are released). Therefore, at every suitable opportunity, animals will strive to get pleasure.
Goat's milk is a nutritious product, so it is not surprising that some females begin to suckle the milk. Moreover, sometimes the owners begin to give the female the first milk after lambing (within 15-20 days).
How to wean a goat from sucking its milk
Many owners agree that it can be very difficult to wean an animal from the habit of milking itself. Sometimes it is impossible to understand the cause of the problem, and you have to resort to drastic measures. The owners use improvised means to “isolate” the udder:
- bras are specially sewn. But more often than not, animals manage to pull together such ammunition;
- clothes are put on the animal - a T-shirt or a knitted dress, which are tied at the level of the udder with special ties. The female will no longer be able to get rid of the outfit on her own;
- A kind of collar is put on the neck, which is made from a soft insulating pipe. The porous tube is wrapped twice around the neck and the ends are fastened.
It is not the best option to lubricate the udder with any means, since some compounds can spoil the taste of the milk.It is possible that the animal, on the contrary, will like the lubricant.
How to prevent a problem from occurring
A common solution is to reconsider the milking regimen. To prevent the udder from becoming too full of milk, the number of milkings is increased (4-5 times a day).
It is undesirable to feed young goats milk for a long period of time. Experienced livestock breeders recommend not giving milk to two-month-old animals, especially since at this age goats are already accustomed to grazing and eating food. Alternatively, if there are few animals, some owners feed their newborns with milk themselves.
Goat breeding is a promising chance to establish a dairy business or an opportunity to feed your family with natural products, given that these small animals are unpretentious in maintenance and diet. In order to constantly receive milk, it is necessary not only to provide the pets with appropriate care and diet, but also to prevent the phenomenon when goats suck their milk.
