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Weaning CMD Pups

This is just input from one breeder. I welcome comments about your ideas and experience. There is no formula for weaning. Everything depends on everything.

Pups need to be on mom for 5 weeks plus, and can start weaning gradually during week 5. Often all you have to do is listen to the mom. Different moms have different weaning styles.

Moms should never, at any part of lactating, be forced to always be with pups. She needs to be able to feed them and leave throughout her entire maternity. This is easy for you to facilitate. She can jump a short partition and they can’t.

The weight and condition of the mom, and the litter size, makes a difference in how long you can go.

I like to introduce food during week 4. This way, pups will begin to nurse less. During week 5 I begin to separate out the mom and to let her see her pups 4 times a day for a short time.

By week 6 they are down to two visits a day. I always feed them dog food before mom visits so they don’t take as much milk. The idea is to slow her milk production down so she stops losing condition.

By week 7, pups are off their mom, and she has not had to be engorged and uncomfortable during any part of it. If I do see her engorged, or if she asks me urgently, she gets a visit. After week 8-9, when her milk production has slowed way down or stopped, you can put mom back with pups and just watch that she doesn’t start up heavy milk production again, but mine usually don’t. Then babies can be with mom, and socialize, and learn about goats.

Again, there is no formula for this, but if you have a sizable litter, the pups are going to deflate mom like a balloon if allowed to nurse full time the whole time, and with some moms, it might take a long time to restore condition.

Most moms do blow their coats after a litter, whether they lose condition or not. Sometimes they blow the coat while nursing and sometimes quite a while after weaning.

I pay attention to the mom, listen to her the whole time, and check her condition. If she is asking insistently for something that doesn’t fit my plan, I go with her plan. But most moms get the drill, and are happy to have your managerial help. :-)