Another one of those questions …

[KrisW]

….that I just can’t find an answer to in books.
You have all been so very much help I can't even thank you enough.

I have 2 Alpine/Togg crosses, 1 year old, they are sisters, haven’t been bred yet. My first goats.
We have a schedule morning and night. Up on the milk stand, brushed, feet cleaned and filed, general check, have a bucket of sunflower seeds and alfalfa, off the stand and about their merry way.

These past few weeks I have noticed they are getting a “muscle” between their front legs.
It’s about 3 fingers wide and a hand long, this is a new thing, normal I suppose, is it?
They also seem to be getting a smaller version of the same thing in the front of their udders, again, a normal thing?

Are these signs of a good milking goat or something else?

Thanks for any input.

Kris

[Freeholder]

Can you post pictures, both overall pics of the goats, and of what you are describing? I'm suspecting that they are fat (how much grain is in the bucket when you give it to them?), but need some pictures to be sure. Overfat is NOT a good thing in dairy does, by the way, not if you plan to breed and milk them at some point. Fat does often fail to conceive (too much fat around their internal organs), as I know to my sorrow -- I have one such out in my goat pen (hopefully bred now for Sept. kids, but too early to be sure yet).

Kathleen

[KrisW]

OK, I'll go take some pic's now.
Don't have a pic account to show them, but do have a web site, I'll just link to that.

Kris

[KrisW]

They are getting 1/2 cup a day of grain, split into two feedings, so that 1/4 cup each twice a day.
I know I should cut it out completely, but I didn't think that much would make a differance, I must be wrong,

Anyway, here they are ..

http://www.garlic.com/~kris.wilson/pictures_wframes.htm

Kris

[Alice In TX/MO]

I don't see anything wrong.

[crazygoatgal]

Look good to me, and the grain does not seem to be too much for those size goats. My ND's get more than that! I think you're doing a great job!