# FF udder, kid nursing one side only



## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

My FF delivered a doling yesterday and it only eats from one side. My girl is now lop-sided, Im wondering if I should just keep encouraging the baby to the full side, and how long to wait before milking that side out if needed? I'll freeze it I guess. But just not sure how long to let it go, I don't want her to get mastitis


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Milk her out totally ASAP. 
Singles will often favor one side unless you teach them to go back and forth... empty the side she is nursing too, get her latched onto the side she isn't and she'll learn.
I have a FF who had a single doeling 11 weeks ago, she learned quickly to use both teats , as it was so bitter cold here up to just a few weeks ago, I didn't start milking once a day until she was 6 weeks fresh and was giving up a pint, now that the doeling has been sold, I'm milking 2x a day and get just under a quart each day  IF you want to increase her supply instead of her making just what her kid is taking you can milk her out as often as you can, it doesn't need to be just 2x a day... it can be every 4-5 hours if you are able to do so, what little you may get will tell her she needs to make more... and I wish I had followed my own advice here with my own FF.


----------



## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

*Thanks*



liz said:


> Milk her out totally ASAP.
> Singles will often favor one side unless you teach them to go back and forth... empty the side she is nursing too, get her latched onto the side she isn't and she'll learn.
> I have a FF who had a single doeling 11 weeks ago, she learned quickly to use both teats , as it was so bitter cold here up to just a few weeks ago, I didn't start milking once a day until she was 6 weeks fresh and was giving up a pint, now that the doeling has been sold, I'm milking 2x a day and get just under a quart each day  IF you want to increase her supply instead of her making just what her kid is taking you can milk her out as often as you can, it doesn't need to be just 2x a day... it can be every 4-5 hours if you are able to do so, what little you may get will tell her she needs to make more... and I wish I had followed my own advice here with my own FF.


Thanks for the advice!! I'll milk her out completely on that side, and I'll get her in the milking stand several times a day, (so long as the kid is growing) although it's not worth drinking just yet since she's still in colostrum. Im a stay at home mom, so anytime my 4month old is napping me and my 2yr old are playing out back, so milking her several times would be easy. I really do want to increase her milk as much as possible, she won't ever produce a gallon or anything since she's half dwarf, but I didn't think I could even milk her regularly until around 2 weeks! Plus maybe by the time we will want to start drinking the milk ourselves she'll have learned how to behave in the stand. Thanks again!


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

The times that you do get her up on the stand, give her alfalfa pellets.... Mine get their grain 2x a day but to get them on the stand more often, alfalfa pellets work to keep them busy without over graining 

And... I do have Nigerians but compared to some who do feed grain, mine tend to get more as I measure by 1 cup full and feed according to their condition, not by how much milk they put out  I have 2 does in milk, one freshened with a single... the other with quads so yes, the mama with 4 gets more feed


----------



## upsidedown (Feb 17, 2013)

My doe, Donna, did that for me last year with her single. I had to milk twice a day and then suddenly the little guy started drinking it all. I think it was around 3 or 4 weeks old, then I had to start separating them at night so I could have some milk, the little milk robber. :ROFL: That worked well for me. 

Milk her out as needed until the little one starts drinking off both sides. Good Luck


----------



## Dfreddie (Apr 28, 2014)

Do you have to soak alfalfa pellets? How much can she have? I'm new to goats. I have a Nubian La Mancha and she kidded the beginning of April. I'm milking her in the mornings separating kids at night. She's gradually gone up every day and today is at 5-1/2 cups. I give her about a quart of goat feed twice a day once in the stand. She also get some shredded mini wheats in the stand (her treat for being in there) and then I give her 1 vitamin c and 4 tums. She loves those too. Just wondering if something more could be added. She does get free choice hay but I don't have alfalfa. The pellets would really help increase her supply too wouldn't it?


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Dfreddie said:


> Do you have to soak alfalfa pellets? How much can she have? I'm new to goats. I have a Nubian La Mancha and she kidded the beginning of April. I'm milking her in the mornings separating kids at night. She's gradually gone up every day and today is at 5-1/2 cups. I give her about a quart of goat feed twice a day once in the stand. She also get some shredded mini wheats in the stand (her treat for being in there) and then I give her 1 vitamin c and 4 tums. She loves those too. Just wondering if something more could be added. She does get free choice hay but I don't have alfalfa. The pellets would really help increase her supply too wouldn't it?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


I haven't been milking long myself, in fact my baby is just over 2 weeks old now and I just separated at night for a 12 hours milking on a FF. It was terrible. Lol, but just because mamma and baby were screaming to each other so Rosie wouldn't behave at all in the stand, I lost about half the milk to her kicking and jumping. Haha. No need to soak alfalfa pellets, they aren't hard like cubes. In fact I give some to my rabbits also, and my chickens enjoy a bit mixed in with their laying feed.


----------



## bboyd1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Sorry, I should also say, I feed all grain depending on weight and production. Alfalfa can be given as much as needed to keep her busy in the stand. Some goats will gorge themselves on pellets, but as long as it's only while milking you'll be fine.


----------

