Susanne, we are not commercial and we have always let the mom's raise their own kids. When they are old enough we separate them at night, milk the mommas in the morning, then let the kids out. We only milk once a day at first and start out separating the kids 2 then 3 days a week then increase. Later, when the kids are old enough to sell, they are weaned and sold and then we milk twice a day. Granted, this is subsistence milking, but it has worked for time immemorial for us.