# Would You Buy a Doe with Precocious Udder?



## lilaalil (Sep 5, 2014)

I have the opportunity to buy a 1-year-old naturally polled Saanen, who originally came one of our local dairies, so probably very good milking lines (this dairy has used AI in the past to improve their herd). I love the idea of naturally polled goats.

She does have precocious udder, and the owner has been milking her every 2nd day and getting about 2 quarts per milking. He says she got mastitis in the beginning, before he understood what was happening, but he treated it properly (infused with antibiotics) and started milking her regularly. 

He also says her udder is lopsided, with one side producing much more than the other. Will I be able to correct this once I breed her and start milking her more?

As with most things about goats, this is new territory for me, so just wondering what other's experience/ insights are with precocious udders. Pretty much the only thing I know about them is that they are more common in goats from heavy milking lines.


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## LGFarm01 (Jul 22, 2014)

If you are looking for good dairy lines, yes, I would buy a doe with a precocious udder. The lopsided may, but probably not completely, correct itself with continued milking/freshenings. My understanding is that does with precocious udders frequently tend to be unbalanced. The mastitis concerns me a bit more. Make sure that he isn't just masking an issue by milking her regularly and there are forms of mastitis that can't be cured, send some of that milk out to the lab for anaylsis before purchase. For the first time, this year, I have a doeling with a precocious udder, started around 5 months of age, she does produce milk, about a cup, so we are expecting her to be one heck of a milker.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Yes...a PU is Good thing for milkers. There are a few red flags here as mentioned above...its not a good idea to milk an un even PU. Better to get her bred asap and allow both sides freshen full. I would also be concerned about the mastitis. Testing the milk to see what she is dealing with wouldn't hurt. Is she CAE tested...??


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I would tread carefully. Can you test her for mastitis before purchasing her?


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## lilaalil (Sep 5, 2014)

I doubt she was tested for CAE. The guy seems to have gotten her mostly as a pet. Although, I am pretty sure the dairy farms here don't here let the babies nurse from their moms, so that may offer some protection. 

I could definitely test for mastitis before buying. I may pass on this though. I really don't need the stress if she does have issues. I just like the idea of having a polled doe that I know for sure is unrelated to the other polled goats I know (she is Saanen and the ones I know are mostly from one Nigerian). She is also an hour's drive away. Not fun with a 2-year-old in the car. Nor do I technically "need" another goat. Hmmm


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

A precocious udder is not an issue 99% of the time. Eventually it will soften and absorb. Usually going into fall when a milking does hormones change and production drops, the same thing happens to very precocious doelings / yearlings. So based on that, and the knowledge that she should have a tremendous amount of milk if feed and taken care of right, I would say absolutely buy her.

BUT, then there is the mastitis to take into account. I am sure the dairy owner knows exactly how to deal with it. So the question of if it was taken care of right is kinda moot. The worry is, how badly the udder was damage and how likely she is to come down with it again. Animals that have had it are much more likely to get it again... and again... With her coming from high production lines, that could be a real worry. But even if she never doesnt have an issue with it again, the udder will most likely be uneven for the does entire life. Could make milking kinda a pain as you will finish the damage side sooner then the good side.

Personally, if the bloodlines are something I want to keep in my herd, I will deal with a problem udder without hesitation. If nothing else, I use the animal as a brood doe and never let her feed kids and most likely just dry her off and finish her off with a dry cow treatment for good measure. On a side note, kids should be pulled off a mastitis prone udder anyways. That bacterial infection can pass to the kids gut and cause issues there. This is because a mastitis can be staph or e coli based.


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## lilaalil (Sep 5, 2014)

Thank you, everyone! All very good info. I may just keep my eye open and see if the dairy she came from offers any more polled bottle-babies in the future. I would always prefer to just start fresh and be very careful from the beginning. 

I think the owner started milking her because she had already developed mastitis.

If it weren't such a drive I drive out and do a mastitis test on her. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, thanks for all the help.


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