# Breeding : Pre breeding pre kidding management, Vicki



## Sondra

For myself, here is what I do. Sept 15th the bucks will get their feet trimmed, wormed, CD&T and their Bo-se shot. Getting ready for breeding October 1st.

The Saturday before Oct 1st (when bucks move into the doe pens or will be hand bred), the does will have their feet trimmed, will be wormed and CD&T. Virgin doelings (and purchased does this year) will also get their Lysigin shot about 4 weeks (5cc) before kidding, getting their second 5cc 3 weeks later. All does to be bred get their Bo-se shot. 

December 1st I stop all milk sales (15 days of milk will fill my freezer for us) and Dec 15th I start drying up the does. No more trips to the milkstand, so no more grain, and no more calf manna over their alfalfa pellets. I ease any extra milk that is making the girls udder strutted by hand with them clipped to the fence or in the barn, I do not want to have them let down milk by coming in the milkroom for their normal routine. I still teat dip and make them stand there for a few minutes. The whole point is that you never want a doe so full she leaks, if a doe isn't' leaking she isn't catching mastitis. Once they no longer are producing milk, I do put them up on the milkstand, empty them out completely and infuse their udder if I have had any problems with them this lactation. I use Pirsue or Tommorrow for my dry cow, in which I have syringed out about 2cc of it and injected 2cc of gentamycin into this tube. 

At 100 days bred I do a fecal, worm only if they need it and we rarely have to worm during pregnancy. I have started worming this dry period with Ivermectin Plus, 1cc per 30 pounds with liverflukes and lungworm a concern in my area now.

My girls go through 50 pounds of minerals from 100 days bred until kidding, so I always keep the feeders full. At this time I also start putting grain SLOWLY over the alfalfa pellets once a day (the virgin does, now bred get alfalfa pellets and the milkstand grain everyday until kidding because they are SO young and growing themselves) but only about 1/4 cup than 1/2 cup than 1 cup (not cans or scoops) if I start the older girls on too much grain too soon we will come into milking way to fat. My goal is to have them eating 1 pound of grain once a day, divided into two feedings over the alfalfa pellets the day they kid, but doing this slowly over those last 50 days. I use my milkstand grain for this, and this year I will put the BOSS in it, last year I didn't and wasn't pleased with their haircoats when we shaved them down for the first show. They obviously need the extra fat from the BOSS. 

3 weeks before kidding, and once again I do this as a group so some are getting done at 3 weeks, others 4...I give Bo-se shots and CD&T to everyone, all the older does get Lysigin because their colostrum is used one everyone.

My first and second fresheners and purchased does, their colostrum has little value to the over all health of my herd...so I don't waste vaccinations on them when given prekidding, which is only given for the health of the colostrum used. All the 1st and 2nd fresheners colostrum is sold.

Does are wormed the day they kid................ 

Vicki McGaugh


----------

