The most natural way to dry off a milking goat is to stop milking her.
Yes if you kept milking her since she had her last kid but it is recommended that you stop milking her at least two months before she is due to kid next.
If a baby goat dies, the mother goat's milk production may decrease or stop since there is no longer a need for milk to feed the offspring. The excess milk may gradually reduce as the mother's body adjusts to the change in demand.
I am still learning about goats, but I do know that a female goat must be bred and have her baby before she will start producing milk. Not unlike any other mammal . . . I understand that pygmy goats have small teats and can be difficult to hand-milk, but there are milking machines that can be adapted to fit the smaller animal.
There is no way to get a goat to stop bleating completely. If a goat is bleating abnormally there may be something wrong with it. Be sure to keep an eye out and check with a vet if the bleating is abnormal.
Yes if she has been served by a buck but it is recommended that you stop milking her a month or two before kidding so that the mammary glands can recover and the cells have time to change to be able to produce colostrum sometimes depending on the nutrition you are feeding her if she is not getting enough for the foetus it is reccommended to dry her off a lot earlier.
when their done nursing. it's obvious.
10 weeks
they stop eating and their eyes look funny
If you stop milking a cow, the udder will get really big, but will not explode. The milk will slowly diminish and the udder will get back to normal size after a while, and she will not be giving milk any more. Of course, to get her to start milking again, she will need to give birth to another calf. However, you can get her back milking again if you start milking before she completely dries up, but she will likely be producing less than initially.
Goats will start to grow their horns at about 2-3 months of age or even sooner.
Give it a hugs and a cookie. Thats what always works for me.