166 MODERN MILK GOATS 



the portions of the body around the tail with warm water 

 and a mild antiseptic, and drying it carefully. In any 

 case, it is not only pleasanter, but it is imperative that 

 the coat of long haired does be carefully trimmed before 

 they kid, so that there is no long hair on the shanks or 

 stomach or around the udder to accumulate dirt and so 

 contaminate the milk. 



The doe who has just kidded should be kept in her 

 pen, quiet and warm, for three or four days. She should 

 have no grain or green feed, but plenty of good hay, a 

 warm bran mash night and morning, and two or three 

 times a day a drink of very warm water. 



Care of the Fresh Doe, — To obtain the best results 

 from the fresh doe the same precautions as to exercise 

 must be observed that were suggested for the pregnant 

 doe. She must not be exposed to overfatigue from long 

 travel, nor must she be permitted to run. 



" But," one may say, " in a state of nature a goat 

 travels miles each day without fatigue, and leaping and 

 running are natural to her as well." True. But it will 

 be remembered that Mother Nature's goat dried up three 

 months after her kids were born ! The food a doe eats is 

 the only source of her energy and of her milk produc- 

 tion as well. She cannot use it as fuel for extended 

 locomotion and at the same time use it to manufacture 

 milk. As for leaping and running, only once to watch 



