humidity and precocious udders

[oceanmist]

How does humidity affect goats? As you know I have been working on a move from Oregon to Oklahoma and one thing I keep hearing from people is that it is VERY, VERY humid over there... so how will that impact my goats?

I was also wondering about precocious udders and how the affect the long term milk production of goats? My sister has this beautiful tri-colored Alpine doeling that was born in April and she's got milk in one side of her udder already! Should she be bred when she's old enough? Will this cause her body to draw more nutrients and therefore make her higher maintenance?

Thanks a bunch... Misty

[Alice In TX/MO]

Oklahoma is not more humid than Oregon.

[armeda]

I would think Oregon is more humid than OK. I used to live north of Seattle.
I believe in the summer, OK gets very dry. You will miss the trees. I would REALLY miss the trees, the green and the wet for that matter. I don't think humidity nor elevation would affect them that much.
I never heard of precocious udders.

Armeda

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

A doe with milk in half her udder either has a problem in her udder or has staph mastitis. True percocious udder is hormonal and genetic...there is no genetic or hormonal reason for one side of the udder to produce milk, both sides would come in. I also think some percocious udder is nutritional, especially when high estrogen soy or clover hay is fed.

Further south into Lousianna and of course Texas, thats where humidity starts playing a number on your livestock. You can use misters to keep stock cool in the summer because it is already misty The humidity keeps the parasites in the grass all the time from the dew each morning, it makes it muggy and the girls don't like the heat, don't milk as well, especially the month of August, we can have half the milk we normally get that whole month, but thankfully the girls perk back up. Kids born in the summer grow poorly from the parasite load in the pastures but also because they simply limit the amount of milk they drink, mom makes less milk also. Heat stress in the stock is high, and also in us. Vicki

[oceanmist]

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

A doe with milk in half her udder either has a problem in her udder or has staph mastitis. True percocious udder is hormonal and genetic...there is no genetic or hormonal reason for one side of the udder to produce milk, both sides would come in. I also think some percocious udder is nutritional, especially when high estrogen soy or clover hay is fed.
Further south into Lousianna and of course Texas, thats where humidity starts playing a number on your livestock. You can use misters to keep stock cool in the summer because it is already misty The humidity keeps the parasites in the grass all the time from the dew each morning, it makes it muggy and the girls don't like the heat, don't milk as well,
>>> Heat stress in the stock is high, and also in us. Vicki

I am looking at two areas of OK... Tahlequah, Muskogee/ or Durant... of the two I would think that the Tahlequah area would be most humid since there is so much water around it, the lakes and rivers and such.
Honestly I have never checked the humidity in my area of Oregon! LOL
Just took it for granted that other parts of the country were more humid because it doesn't feel like it here.

I kinda figured we'd have to keep on top of the parasites anyway because they will be different than any they've been exposed to before and they will be eating at a lower level since there isn't as much underbrush over there...

I am wondering how to you treat for heat stress? What do you look for? Is it like what you would see in people?

So, Vicki... would a really young doe like this one that has just a little bit of milk on one side of her "udder" be a likely canidate for Staph? And what would we do to treat her? She's had yellowish snot coming out of her nose for the past week and a bit of a cough as well... don't know if she's got a temp though.. but obviously something is going on inside of her...
Do they run temps with Staph? Will LA/200 or Penicillin cure Staph? Would the best way to determine if it's Staph be to take a sample of her milk to the vet?

Thanks Misty

[Alice In TX/MO]

Scroll down for weather data:

Coos Bay Oregon info:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Coos-Bay-Oregon.html

Tahlequah info: http://www.city-data.com/city/Tahlequah-Oklahoma.html

Muskogee info: http://www.city-data.com/city/Muskogee-Oklahoma.html

Durant info: http://www.city-data.com/city/Durant-Oklahoma.html

[Freeholder]

Oregon's humidity comes in the winter, because summers are extremely dry. This goes even for the coast, although if you are really close to the coast, the fog starts to roll in about 11 am most days, so there's more humidity from that.

Back east, there's a lot more rain in the summer (normally) and so the humidity is higher.

Kathleen

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

So, Vicki... would a really young doe like this one that has just a little bit of milk on one side of her "udder" be a likely canidate for Staph?
....................

Yes, we have alot of percocious udder, our girls milk, seen as early as 3 months, I do not milk them. I do not play with them, I don't feel of them more than just to check that they are even monthly at hoof trimming. Pulling milk causes the seal to be lost until she is through her next lactation so bacteria becomes a problem even later when she is bred and has a full udder of colostrum and leaks a little. Staph in virgin does comes from nursing dams with staph mastitis.

And what would we do to treat her? She's had yellowish snot coming out of her nose for the past week and a bit of a cough as well... don't know if she's got a temp though.. but obviously something is going on inside of her...

Mastitis can cause lowered immunity, but do treat the pnemonia if you get fever seperatly from the mastitis. The very first thing to do always is to take a temp.


Do they run temps with Staph?

No usually, most staph causes poor keeping quality of the milk, a lopsided udder and a thicker than normal wall of the udder, they don't milk down to nothing like normal.

Will LA/200 or Penicillin cure Staph? Would the best way to determine if it's Staph be to take a sample of her milk to the vet?

Penicillin given at the same time with Gentamycin systemically and using an infusion mixed with gentamycin will get staph. And yes before you do anything always send in a milk sample. We have the info for using LSU free still, for testing subclincial staph on our site under goatkeeping101. Vicki