# First freshener udder



## trmeyer (Mar 2, 2011)

Good evening. Haven't been posting in a while but have been lurking lately again. Busy times! I have a question about one of my FF's udder. She is part Saanen and part Alpine possibly. She is mostly white but has some cream under colors. She kidded yesterday. I thought she was going to be the first one to kid because her udder just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. But she was the second one to go. So she had one buck (9#, yikes) yesterday about 11 a.m. I milked her a bit this morning to get her started on the milking thing. She is doing fine on the stand but I really think it is just because she is so hungry she isn't paying attention to what is going on. (I have been leaving free choice alfalfa pellets along with free choice hay out for all the new mommies for about a week before I put them back with everyone). And she gets Noble Goat Dairy on the stand. 

So tonight I milk and I massage quite a bit because she feels really congested or meaty or something. And while I'm massaging I notice that her foreudder has a shelf. I can literally put almost my whole hand in this shelf between her udder and her belly. Will this straighten out a little as she gets her udder filled out and all. If you look from the side you can see part of her udder from behind her leg, but you can't see anything in front of her leg. I need to get my batteries charged for my camera so I can get some good pics. I don't show goats, but am worried this will affect her udder in the future and she won't be able to be bred and milked for as long. It is just really strange. My Alpine that I bought last year had a teeny tiny little shelf or pocket there but nothing like this. Ok, enough rambling. Hopefully tomorrow I can get some pics. Thanks for any comments on this.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a doe who has a pocket/shelf and this will be her 3rd freshening, it does not improve and it doesn't affect her milk ability however, when breeding her, try and use a buck who's dam has a blended smooth fore udder and if you choose to keep her bucklings intact, be aware that this trait will be passed onto his daughters if the does he is bred to have pockets in their lineage.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Liz is right. It will not get better. My first Alpine doe had a shelf. Just have to find good udder bucks and correct it.


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## trmeyer (Mar 2, 2011)

Thanks! It kind of makes me sad because in my limited knowledge and experience the rest of her udder doesn't look half bad. 

Our plans for the future right now are to keep any does we get out of all my girls this year, get a Boer buck for breeding this fall to raise up some kids next year for our freezer. We usually hunt and eat deer but the hunting has been pretty slim the past few years. So no meat in the freezer. We have plenty of land to let them forage. But we have to get the fencing in order thus year for it. 

But I will not keep any intact bucks out of her. And I may not keep any future does until I can find a suitable Buck. 

Thanks again. 

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