28 



FARMERS BULLETIN 920. 



done by placing the cans in a tank containing cold water. One of 

 the best systems of cooling the milk rapidly, however, is to run it over 

 a cooler inside of which is cold, running water. Milk should be kept 

 cool until wanted for use. Complete information on the production 

 of clean milk is contained in Farmers' Bulletin 602. 



RAISING THE KIDS. 



The raising of the kids is especially an important consideration 

 when it is desired either to sell or use the milk for family purposes. 

 Those, however, who do not care to raise the kids can easily dispose 

 of them when a few days old. Kids that are allowed to suck their 

 dams will not only make a good growth but require very little atten- 

 tion as compared with those raised by hand 



The amount of milk to be fed and the length of time that it should 

 be fed depends upon several conditions. Kids dropped in the spring 

 will not require as much milk and need not be fed for as long a time 



FIG. 15. Half-blood and three-quarter-blood Saanen kids. 



as those dropped in the fall or early winter. The quantity of milk 

 required for a kid can be determined readily from the fact that a doe 

 producing from 3 to 4 pounds of milk a day can easily raise two kids 

 very satisfactorily. This means that each kid would receive 1 J to 2 

 pounds of milk a day, or, in other words, 1 J to 2 pints. The bureau 

 has tried an experiment in allowing several does with records of a little 

 over 4 pounds of milk a day to suckle three kids. The kids made a 

 fairly good growth, which shows that when some hay and grain is 

 added it does not require as much milk as might be supposed. 



Kids that are to be raised by hand should be allowed to remain 

 with the doe for two days. This gives them an opportunity to obtain 

 the colostrum milk which is so valuable for them. 



Kids can be raised satisfactorily on skimmed cows' milk, and 

 some goat breeders adopt this system. They should be changed 

 from whole to skim milk very gradually, the quantity of skim milk 



