Weaning is where many kids lose the growth they gained during nursing. If you pull kids off the doe too fast, they stall, scour, or catch pneumonia. This guide shows you how to wean Lao Vietnam goat kids gradually so they keep gaining weight and never crash. You will learn the right age and weight to start, how to build rumen function before separation, and how to avoid the two mistakes that cause most weaning losses.
Why weaning goes wrong
A newborn kid is functionally a monogastric animal. It digests milk in the abomasum, not the rumen. The rumen only develops when the kid starts eating solid, fibrous feed and the fermentation builds the microbial population and papillae that let it extract energy from forage. If you wean before that rumen is working, the kid simply cannot digest enough grass or leaves to meet its needs. It loses weight even with feed in front of it.
The second driver is stress. Weaning stacks three stressors at once: loss of milk, loss of the dam, and often a change of pen. That combination suppresses immunity and is why respiratory disease and coccidiosis so often appear seven to fourteen days after weaning.
Age versus weight
Age alone is a weak trigger. Weight and intake matter more. A common practical target for local and crossbred meat goats is weaning around three months, but only if the kid is eating solid feed well and has roughly doubled or tripled its birth weight. A small, poorly grown kid at three months should stay on the doe longer. Judge the individual, not the calendar.
Building the rumen before you separate
The goal is that milk is already a minor part of the diet before you remove it. Start offering good leafy forage and a small amount of a palatable concentrate from about two weeks of age. Kids nibble by imitation, so let them access the same feed their dams eat. By the time you wean, a kid should be eating a meaningful amount of dry feed every day. Then removing milk changes little.
Gradual methods that work
Two approaches reduce the shock:
- Progressive separation: separate dam and kid for longer periods each day over one to two weeks, so milk intake tapers instead of stopping overnight.
- Fenceline weaning: keep kids where they can still see, hear, and smell the does through a fence for the first days. They call less, pace less, and eat sooner.
Whichever you choose, keep the kid’s feed, water, and pen the same on weaning day. Change only one thing at a time.
A real scenario
A smallholder weans a group of eight kids cold turkey at exactly ninety days, moving them to a new pen the same morning. Within a week two kids are coughing and three have loose manure. The problem is not the age. It is three simultaneous shocks plus a coccidiosis flare from the stress and the new ground. The fix for the next batch: introduce creep feed from two weeks, wean over ten days by increasing daily separation, keep kids in their familiar pen, and keep them within sight of the does for the first week. The following group weans with no coughing and steady weight gain.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Weaning by date, not readiness. Fix: confirm the kid is eating solid feed daily and has hit a sound weight before you start.
- Stopping milk overnight. Fix: taper over one to two weeks using progressive separation.
- Changing pen, feed, and diet at once. Fix: hold everything else constant on weaning day.
- Ignoring coccidiosis. Fix: keep pens dry and clean, avoid overcrowding, and watch closely for the two weeks after weaning when the parasite most often strikes.
- No clean water at kid height. Fix: provide a shallow, clean water source they can reach, since dry feed intake depends on water.
Weaning checklist
- Creep feed and leafy forage offered from about two weeks old
- Kid eating solid feed reliably every day before weaning
- Sound weight for its breed and age, not just the right age
- Taper milk over 7 to 14 days rather than stopping suddenly
- Keep pen, feed, and water source unchanged on weaning day
- Maintain sight and sound contact with does for the first days
- Clean, dry bedding and no overcrowding
- Daily checks for coughing and scours for two weeks
Conclusion and next step
Successful weaning is really about preparation. If the rumen is working and you remove milk slowly while holding everything else steady, kids barely notice. Your next step: this week, start offering creep feed and clean forage to any kids over two weeks old, so they are ready long before separation day.
Frequently asked questions
At what age should I wean goat kids?
Around three months is a common target for local meat goats, but only if the kid is eating solid feed well and has grown to a sound weight. Readiness matters more than the exact date.
My weaned kids stopped growing. What happened?
Usually the rumen was not ready or the change was too abrupt. Confirm they are actually eating enough dry feed, check for worms and coccidiosis, and next time taper milk gradually.
Should I wean all kids at the same time?
Wean by individual readiness, not as one fixed group. Faster-growing kids can go first while slower kids stay on the doe a little longer.
Why do kids get sick right after weaning?
Weaning stress lowers immunity, so respiratory disease and coccidiosis often appear one to two weeks later. Reducing stress and keeping pens dry and clean is the best prevention.