# Unbred Lamancha with milk?



## Jana (Feb 5, 2011)

I have a year (or so) Lamancha goat that has never been around a male that has milk in her udder. Her udder is not huge at all. It does hang down so you can see it from behind. It is even on both sides. When you squeeze her teats, milk does come out. What do I do with this? She has a lung condition where she pants when it's hot. Vet thinks it might be scar tissue from pneumonia when she was very young. I wasn't going to breed her until this fall to give her a winter pregnancy. Do I start milking her? 

Appreciate any info! 
JG


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

she is a precocious milker. Some say to milk some say not to milk and she will dry up. Ive never had to deal with a precocious milker so I cant say whats the best option. 

HOw long has she been in milk for?


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## Coyote Night Acres (Dec 27, 2010)

I wouldn't milk her. I would just wait till you had planned to breed let her freshen and then you could milk her.


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## Jana (Feb 5, 2011)

She started filling about 1 1/2 weeks or so ago. Her udder isn't huge, like a milking goat, but it's definately bigger than my other 2 (which do not hang at all). Now what would be the bad thing with milking her? Would the milk be the same? 

Thanks - JG


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Or you could milk her if you want the milk. I had one do this last year, although she was had had kids twice. I milked her and I also bred her this year and when it was time I had no trouble drying her up before she kidded. If you don't want the milk you shouldn't milk her. I milked mine because I was hoping milking her would make her produce more milk and lose some weight because she is too easy a keeper (she is fat). She did produce more milk, and she lost a couple pounds, not enough.

Jan


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## Jana (Feb 5, 2011)

Wow, now I am excited. This will be my first time with this. So I would start milking her 2 X a day, clean the teats before and after.... As I said in my first post, I was not going to breed her this time (I have a buck here now trying to get the gals interested), because of her lung issue. So her milk will test funny due to the buck being here, right? I have a 2 mo. old calf that would love it though. Anything important I'm missing here? 

Yeah! JG


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

no the milk wont taste funny because of the buck. Just make sure you chill it quickly after milking. 

I put an icepack in the milk pail so it starts to cool immediately. others just put the jar of milk in an ice bucket and put that in the fridge.


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## Coyote Night Acres (Dec 27, 2010)

Yeah, not that you can't milk her if you want milk now. Just make sure to dry her off at least 2 months prior to her kidding if you breed her this fall. 

I just don't milk them because my procosiouse (sp) milkers are usually lopsided and of course young so I want them putting everything into growing instead of early milking. Sounds like your girl is a bit older though. I've had them do this at 5 months so I don't milk them.


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## Jana (Feb 5, 2011)

Any advice on the best places to get milking equipment (pail, sanitizers, teat balm, etc..)? I would love to get some of these things used, but I haven't found any for sale yet. Any thoughts/ideas on this?


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## Jana (Feb 5, 2011)

I tried to milk "Smores" last night and this morning. Her teats are really small. I only got like a tablespoon or so of milk (much of it on me or the wall). I'm sure I have alot to learn. I feel like I have to "strip" the teat to get milk out because only my index finger, middle finger and thumb will go around the teat. She would mover her legs around every now and then and I don't want to hurt her. I swear, I need a tutorial!!! I've posted pics. Should I be doing this based on what you see? 

Thanks - JG


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

that looks like the udder on one of my yearling Saanens (unbred), I haven't tried to milk her out though. I had the same thing happen with Harmony when she was two, and it never caused any problems not milking her, and she kidded uneventfully the following year with tons of milk and an amazing udder.

LW


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## black-smith (Jan 20, 2011)

I had a yearling with a precocious udder a few years back...
I didn't milk her, Bred her in the fall and everything was well.
Just an eager milker that's all!
I would let her dry up..


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## Jana (Feb 5, 2011)

It's looking like her body has decided to dry up. Probably missed that window. I'd love to breed her now, but I don't want her to go through a summer pregnancy with her lung issue. Hopefully my 2 other does will be good milkers! Thanks so much you guys. 

JG


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## aria122 (Apr 2, 2011)

Hello all!

How common is it to have a precausious milker??

I posted a couple weeks back about my pygme doe that seems pregant but is not kidding!
Is it possible she is a precausious milker? Her udder is really full. I explained earlier that it was full when I got her, then emptied and was almost empty. It's been filling again progressively and now, is really really full. I got her begining of febuary the previous owner thought she was almost full term but had not breeding date. If she was only one month pregnant then she would kid at the end of may. 


Goats and milking are new to me but I've been spending a lot of time learning about them.

My pygme goats udder is a little larger than my first freshner Nigerian doe that is in milk. This pygme is a proven doe (kidded twins last year says un-reliable previous owner)


Your thoughts?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

If she doesn't kid then you have a doe that likes to make milk. The milk from pygmies is just as good as milk from nigies...even though pygmies aren't bred to be "dairy" goats. If she still has that full udder by the latest date possible that she could kid, milk her out and see how she refills, if she produces more, you can milk her 2x a day for as long as she's willing to give.


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