Hard Udder

[lijj]

Is the udder supposed to be hard...? Because I have a nubian who has this huge-o-mungo udder, and there's like milk pouring out of it. But when her kids try to nurse, she lifts her leg up and softly kicks their head... and now she's not really even letting them nurse... what does that mean? It's not mastitis, is it? And the kids only seem to milk on one side, where the teat is softer I think.

Also, do all mothers make noise to their kids? Because I have one goat that is always calling her kids and one that hasn't even made a single noise to them since they were born.

[susanne]

i would milk her and see what is going on. if the udder is too ful she feels uncomfortable and will not let the kids nurse.
an udder should not feel hard or hot nor should it be red.
does will talk to their kids, that is normal.

[lijj]

But is it normal for them to not talk to their kids??

I guess I'll try milking her tonight, when my dad is home b/c that way he can hold her on the stand so she doesn't fall off. Should I put something on her udder when I milk her, like teat dip or something? I don't think I have any of that though...

She's not even letting them milk now and one was trying to, but she kicked it and its head got caught under her foot and she stepped on its head! It went beserk and I felt very sorry for it and I was MAD!!! ugh...

[gryndlgoat]

Your poor goat NEEDS to get milked- not just to relieve her discomfort but also to let those babies nurse! You can do it yourself- don't wait until tonight. Put a dog collar on the goat and tie her to a fencepost or something, and tie one back leg back (slip a rope around her "knee" and tie the end of the rope so that she can't kick) and milk out at least a cup from each side. It doesn't matter if you save the milk or not- at this point I would just milk right onto the ground. She will probably kick and fuss because her udder HURTS! It's too full of milk!

Your doe's udder is too swollen to let her nurse her babies without it hurting. Get some of that milk out of her and she and the babies will be fine. Otherwise, you are looking at the doe getting mastitis from that swollen udder and your babies getting sick from lack of food all day today.

[lijj]

Is it ok that I don't have anything like teat dip or something?

thanks!

[susanne]

do you have clorox? you can make a bleach solution and spray the teats after milking. i don't know the concentration right now because i use novasam teat dip but will try to look it up.

[lijj]

Yes, I do, but it's scented.

I milked her some, I'm not sure how much because she kept dumping over the bucket. I think her teats and udder are a little bit softer.

[gccrook]

You do not need teat dip to just milk her out. If you think her teats are really dirty, then just clean them slightly with a wet cloth. If you plan on keeping the milk, then you need more sanitation. If she is a nubian, and has a large udder, you are probably going to have to milk her some every day. She is a milk goat bred to produce more milk than her kids need, and she should be milked out some at least every other day. If her udder is really hard, she could have mastitis, or she could be congested, or even be plugged slightly. Have ahad all of the above at one time or another.