THE HEART OF THE HERD— THE DOES 177 



Tender Udders. — The only exception to this good 

 behavior that is hkely to occur will be in the case of a 

 young doe whose milk flow increases more rapidly than 

 the capacity of her udder. In twelve hours the udder 

 will fill so full and hard that it hurts her to be touched. 

 Such a doe should be milked early in the morning, at 

 midday, and late in the evening, until her udder capacity 

 develops. Many goat keepers believe that the milk flow 

 in any case is increased by three milkings in twenty-four 

 hours instead of two. Certainly no harm results from 

 such a schedule, and in some cases it is necessary. 



A Good Yield. — Do not be discouraged if your doe 

 comes in with a tiny udder and only a pint or so of milk 

 the first time. From such small beginnings very heavy 

 milkers have been known to develop. A satisfactory 

 yield for a doe in her first kidding would be four pounds 

 a day the first week, gradually increasing to six pounds 

 by the second or third month. Anything above six 

 pounds may be considered exceptionally good. 



Long Lactation. — Another point should be borne in 

 mind if one is to develop the utmost capacity of a young 

 doe. Prolong the first period of lactation as far as pos- 

 sible. Do not breed the doe again in less than seven 

 months after kidding, and milk her regularly and care- 

 fully even if she should be giving so little that the milk 

 itself does not repay the trouble. This will tend to 

 establish a long habit of lactation, while on the other 



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