​POPULAR and PERFECT for animals that are third trimester, getting ready to birth or are birthing! A Master of Herbology with lifelong livestock, equine, pet and poultry experience behind every bag!
Third trimester we love ReBuilld(tm) Herb mix- perfect for those fast growing preborn little bodies in litters or single babies in larger livestock https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p92/Herb_Mix_ReBuilld%E2%84%A2_Tissue_%26_Bone_Support_8_oz.html
Perfect the last 15% of gestation (take the number of days that species of animal normally is pregnant and multiply that by .15 to get the number of days to feed before due) I love this on my very own mares, pacas and goats!!!!! PreBirth(tm) Support is here: https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p453/Herb_Mix_PreBirth_Late_Pregnancy_Support_8_oz.html
Ewe-Ter-N(tm) is what I give the day of birthing, starting that morning and giving every 4 - 6 hours until they birth. It won't force a birthing but will be there ready to support your doe, ewe, cow, bitch, sow, mare, female paca when they get to work. It also supports their uterine musculature so they seem to be more likely to have correct presentations. I will give more if the placenta is being delayed. LOVE THIS STUFF! https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p433/Herb_Mix_Ewe-ter-N%E2%84%A2__birth_support_8_oz.html
And for those that did have a rough birth or a slow start, are otherwise healthy but you want to support lactation quantity and quality take a look at our popular MilkMaid(tm). I even used it one year on a doe that had aborted, one month later to help her body decide to milk. https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p885/Herb_Mix_MilkMaid_%28tm%29__8_oz.html
Blessed birthings and best babies yet everyone!!!!

DA from Ohio wrote: " I swear it is evening out if I didt know it looks close to my other dry does." and before that wrote: "She seems like she is doing well and feeling good
 Her udder is  at the point where my other dry does are except even dry the right teat is a little lower but dry and sucked up"

DA is using MammarEaze(tm) and GlandAide(tm) salves alternated (one in the morning and one in the evening) as well as keeping her on BetterDaze(tm) herb mix.   She came to me wanting help with a doe that kidded this year with a previous owner with dead triplets and a grossly deformed udder.   Her goals are to get some daughters out of her and hopefully be able to show her again which will require a normal mammary again.      The PERFECT time to work on damaged mammaries is during the dry period as their bodies concentrate on mammary cell renewal during this period and slough and replace a higher amount of mammary tissue.

Other products being used or have been used for this situation are Herbiotic(tm) herb mix and Bal-Nce(tm) herb mix.    She also has them on DWA(tm), Kop-Sel(tm) and GISoother(tm).    All of these sustainable natural products are available at www.firmeadowllc.com under the products tab.

​Wishing everyone happy and healthy creatures!!!
 

*Is your dam milking less than you expected for her genetics or previous records?    Did she have a rough birthing start?   Did she come to you with a heavy parasite load or not with the care you would want every animal to have had?   Hope is on the way!

The consideration to pay attention to is parasite issues.   An animal feeding parasites and being damaged by them simply can not milk their genetic potential to give their babies a shot at getting a great start on reaching their genetic potential.   Parasites that hang out in the blood stream and other locations put a serious drain on your dam, reducing her ability to produce milk and often having a negative ability on milk quality and taste. 

Being sure their intestines (large and small) can absorb nutrition to the best of their ability is also important.  Parasites that lurk directly in the GI Tract (ones known to hemorrhage intestinal tissue and cause bloody diarrhea) as well as conditions that caused intestinal scar tissue in animals that had rough beginnings or times in their lives benefit from supporting these organs so that they are able to fully utilize the nutrition they ingest.

Also consider the dip in immunity a few weeks before through a few weeks after parturition.  This is about a one month time period for small livestock, a bit less for pets, and about 6 - 8 weeks for large stock.   This also makes them more susceptible to parasites as well as other conditions.  We love using MMune™ for this support. 

Access to fresh clean (and not chilling ice cold!) water is extremely important for milk production since milk is approximately 90 - 95% water.  Also be sure there are no electrical currents coming from power cords/lines/ fencing under wet ground or bedding or in proximity to the water tank that prevents your animals from consuming the water they would like to have.   

Very nutritious mineral dense foods such as alfalfa and kelp as well as access to seasalt are important to the diet of all animals:  poultry, livestock and pets for optimum production.    We also love using the very popular BetterDaze ™ for supporting all creatures great and small.

Being sure that there are not any other underlying wellness issues or subclinical infections from birthing is another consideration for milk production. For traditional wellness support I use HerBiotic ™ in our herds.

Having addressed all of those items-and knowing that your animal is other healthy brings us to using the product we abosolutely love for lactation support: MilkMaid™ to give those hardworking lactating dams what their body needs so that it can produce their best quantity AND best quality of milk possible for that superior next generation that you bred for. https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p885/Herb_Mix_MilkMaid_%28tm%29__8_oz.html

Other products at www.firmeadowllc.com to consider under products & herb mixes are:

DWA™ https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p818/DWA_%28tm%29__-_16_oz__supports_body_in_foreign_matter_removal.html
GISoother™ https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p811/GI_Soother%E2%84%A2_Digestive_System_Support_16_oz.html
MMune™ https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p874/Herb_Mix_MMune_%28tm%29__immune_system_support__8_oz.html
Better Daze™  https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p418/Herb_Mix_BetterDaze%E2%84%A2__8_oz.html
HerBiotic ™ https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p812/Herb_Mix_HerBiotic%E2%84%A2_Wellness_Support_4_oz.html

Wishing you blessings multiplied, happy milkers and happy babies to you and your farm!

*The Food and Drug Administration has not approved any of these statements and they are not intended to cure, prevent, treat or diagnose any disease.

I had an interesting and thoughtful question today...

"Right now after I get done milking I just wash with soap and water before returning the goats to their pen. Is this sufficient / proper in order to reduce risk for mastitis?"

My answer was;

​"Maybe, but not likely.    

When we are washing our hands with soap and water they usually haven't been exposed to manure and urine and dirt 24/7 nor do our hands have an opening with access to the inner body.   Also udder tissue and especially orifices can't endure the scrubbing that would be necessary to remove bacteria only with soap and water.   Also some soaps will leave a residue at the teat end,  to which bacteria or foreign particulate could adhere to.   just things to consider.

I always recommend using some type of diluted essential oil spray."

A thought on antibacterial soaps...   Nearly all of those contain known or suspected carcinogens.  That is not something I want on my hands or skin or on the skin of my goats that are producing my table milk!   Also consider that they tend to strip natural oils from the skin, allowing skin to be compromised or chafed- even at just a microscopic level chafing leaves hidey holes that bacterial and debris/dirt are quite comfortable taking up residence.  

I personally use our Thieves type of essential oil that I dilute with water and a touch of natural soap in a quart spray bottle.  I spray pre and post milking to sanitize the teats and orifices.  A cool spray also encourages the orifices to close sooner than they would without it.  The sooner orifices close the less opportunities bacteria have to enter the orifice.   Even though the teats are disinfected there will still be bacterial issues floating around in the air, which does come in contact with teats.

;​Happy MILKING :) !!!