Milk for everyone (but me)

I'm still bottle feeding the two bucklings (soon to be wethers) that I picked up for a song a few weeks back. They are eight weeks old today. For some people, eight weeks is the magic number for weaning kids. Personally, I think it's a bit early and unless the kid is exceptionally well-fed and fleshed out, I won't wean or let any of the for-sale kids go to a new home that early.

So even though I've already got forty bucks into milk replacer for the bottle babies, I'm going to continue feeding them milk for another two weeks, maybe three. But I don't think I'm going to drop another twenty bucks on a bag of milk replacer because I'll just use what milk I can get out of MamaGoat to feed them. And when that's not enough, well then it's time to wean 'em.

I've only been milking MamaGoat on occasion. She's only got the single buckling on her and she has plenty of extra milk in that beautiful bag of hers. It's not like I'm not using that extra milk to my personal advantage though. Although I haven't milked her more than twice for human use, I've been letting Lira's tiny doeling, Moo-latte, drink from both MamaGoat and Annette. Without their permission, of course.

Moo-latte about to sneak a snack from Annette.

They won't let Moo-latte drink from them....unless they're in the stanchion with their feed-crazed maws chowing down on grain in the bucket. When they've got their heads in that grain bucket, I could get a wild, rabid cougar to nurse from them and they wouldn't care less.

So Moo-lattte is getting some extra milk and Rhiannon can indulge in the occasional glass.

Gott'a have a glass of milk to wash down
that big ol' PB&J sandwich.

I, on the other hand, have had to do without. Which is just about killing me. But I'll survive. And as soon as everyone is weaned, sold or otherwise not drinking milk, I'll be indulging in it and eventually complaining that I have to make cheese to get rid of the surplus.