Huge milkbags, no baby

[Joey Wahoo]

One of our Boer does (a first-time mom) has developed huge milk bags well before kidding. She's in range to deliver now, but dropped the milk bags a couple of weeks ago. Now she's so big she's almost dragging the ground. We've never had this happen so dramatically before.

Anything to be concerned about??

thanks in advance!

[mpete]

I wouldn't worry....

[Alice In TX/MO]

You can ease some of the milk out of the udder. Do you have a breeding date?

[steff bugielski]

I have seen does with udders so large that the kids could not nurse or the doe stepped on herself and injured her udder. If her udder is that large I might not breed her again.

[Freeholder]

I'd have to agree with Stef -- the udder won't get any smaller next year or the year after, it will probably get worse. Once she's through raising this year's kid(s), if she can even nurse them with her udder hanging so low, I'd cull her. And might not keep any doe kids out of her, either, unless their father is from a line with good udders. Then you could wait and see how they do, as they might take after his side.

Kathleen

[shiandpete.1]

I would try and ease her discomfort by milking some out. I would also order an udder support fo her pendulous udder, this will help with the discomfort by giving her udder much needed support and by raising her teats to a level that the kids can nurse. You can order these from Hoeggers or Caprine Supply. After she raises her kids and they are weaned I would cull her as a pendulous udder in any type of goat is a bad trait.