# udder care



## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

Is there any routine care I should be giving my doe's udder during milking? I'm using the Magidans milker, which gets a good bit of milk out, but then if I hand milk I find I can get quite a bit more so I've been doing both. 

My doe doesn't always finish her grain though, before she starts fussing to get off the stand, and sometimes when I change from one teat to the next with hand milking in particular, she gets a bit grumpy and dances around. I'm just not sure if this is normal, or if the milker (or I!) am being too rough.

I don't see any cracks and the skin doesn't feel dry, but I don't know what to look for. I wondered if I should be doing anything preventatively to prevent drying or other udder problems?

Also, is there a good tutorial on hand milking? I feel that I've got the hang of it pretty well, but sometimes I think I might be squeezing too hard but I'm not sure.


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## foxhollow (May 5, 2013)

Hello! 
I am fairly new to milking myself but experience the same problem with my girl getting finicky before the food is gone. I have discovered that my girls LOVE oranges so I have been slicing one up and giving a few slices every so often during milking. Even though I have to pause, it slows her down and then she goes back to the food. I have also used strawberries as well. I only give about half an orange each milking. (I only milk once a day) 

I doubt that you are squeezing to hard. I thought the same thing when I first started. What reminds me of this is how rough the kids are on the udders and how they withstand that. There are all sorts of creams you can buy. My local TSC carries udder balm and bag balm. You could rub her down with one of these after milking. I also have used coconut oil and peppermint oil as well. The peppermint oil was originally for a congested udder I had to deal with and I mixed up so much of it that I have kept using it. Straight coconut oil would work too. This is after I dip her teats. It is usually a battle because she is fed up with me but I do all that I can not to get frustrated and keep up.

Good luck to you!


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I use a baby wipe to clean the udder before and after milking, or a washcloth and antibacterial soap if it's filthy. Some people use teat dips as well. 

Bag balm will prevent chapped teats. Make sure when milking to close the top of the teat all the way off, to prevent the milk from going back up. Then squeeze just enough to get a steady stream into the bucket. Make sure you have short nails, long ones pinch! 

Have you tested her for mastitis?


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## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

No I haven't tested for mastitis, but having breastfeed two babies myself years ago, I'm pretty sure she's not showing any signs. Eating well, active and alert, babies nursing fine, no blood or stringiness in her milk, etc. In short, she's her usual self, just gets a big restless on the stand. I'm probably taking too long to milk, but hopefully I'll get quicker as I gain experience. 

I thought the milker would be faster, but it seems so variable. One day I'll get 2 cups, the next I'll get 3.5. Some days the tube of the milker fills right up immediately, other times (like today) the milk seems to come out more slowly so it takes much longer. 

I suppose I just need to practice patience until I really get the hang of it. I shouldn't complain, as the milk is delicious!


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## shaunerna (Jul 2, 2013)

It sounds like the early onset of mastitis...


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Put a couple fist size clean rocks in the feed dish
on top of the grain. She will have to eat around them
and that will slow her down! (Or fling them out, like one bratty doe that I have!).


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## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

New development...yesterday I noticed when hand milking that her udder was feeling kind of bumpy and one side in particular was worse than the other, which is the side I usually milk last. That's when she starts to fidget so I thought it was just that she was getting impatient, but now I think she might have been developing a staph infection? 

I tried to get some photos tonight when I milked, but she was grumpy with me so I had to just stick my camera under her and hope I got a good one lol!

I've been reading up on this and I think it matches the description for staph...pimply outbreak, tender to touch and a few feel like they're crusting over. Does this sound like the correct diagnosis?

Last night I put bag balm on her when I thought her udder was just dry and rough, but I think that's not a good thing if it is staph, as it needs to be kept dry so the air can get to it, yes? 

I have iodine, zinc cream, chlorhexidine and a few other goodies in my pharmacy. Can someone more experienced please give me their opinion on whether this is staph, and if so what would be the best thing to treat with, for how long, etc?


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