# nigerian dwarf dark udder ?



## wayfarer (Jun 19, 2015)

Hi everybody !
I've been a member for a few months now, but this is my first post.
I am new to goats, and seem to be learning everything the hard way!!

I have a Nigerian Dwarf doe in milk. She kidded March 23 - a week early - we were out of town, due to return the evening of the 23rd, when the friends watching the animals started calling and texting frantically that morning. The weather had turned nasty, and she kidded that night / early morning. 3 didn't make it, and we got one beautiful tri color doe. Tough lesson learned.
I started milking at 3 weeks. Locking the baby up at about 10:30pm, milking at 6:30. By that time her left udder seemed to have dried up. I milk it every day anyway, and it seems to increase volume just a bit every day. I am getting about a cup (8oz) each day on this schedule.
She's an absolute BRAT on the stand ! I have to hobble both back legs to the stand or she kicks. Lots of work for spilled milk, and yes, i believe I do tear up a bit when it lands on the floor ;-) Even hobbled, she doesn't stay still. She rocks forward and back and cranes her head around to give me the stare down. She is clearly not enjoying herself. 
I think I milk funny. Her teats are so small I can't do the three finger thing where you grasp the base of the teat with thumb and first finger, and then express with middle finger. I hold using thumb and first finger, but while cupping the udder un my palm - upside down I guess - and then express by rocking my thumb. awkward and not comfortable for me, having to stand and hunch over her back, but it's getting the job done. perhaps someone has advice for a better way ?
This morning I decided to experiment - I left her on the stand and went inside for a few minutes. I expected her to be fighting the stand and being noisy, but when I came back out she was just peacefully munching away !

so this brings me to my question -- I noticed this morning ( we milk in the garage, and the light isn't the best) that her right side udder is very dark compared to her left. does she have mastitis ? is this why she's so unhappy with me ? Because I'm hurting her ?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Do you have a vet in the area? Can you post a picture? If her udder is developing a darkness that is not usual, you could be dealing with gangrene mastitis. Not to scare you, but unless it is treated aggressively and right away, gangrene mastitis is deadly, so I would get her to a vet.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Can you post a picture?


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## wayfarer (Jun 19, 2015)

as a side note, both sides feel the same temperature to the touch.


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## wayfarer (Jun 19, 2015)

pic 2 is kind of in a shadow anyways, but you get the idea. 
no clue why they turned sideways


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## Redbarngoatfarm (Jul 8, 2015)

just looks like a regular pigment to me. If she has no temp, redness, or rock hardness and is her regular self I think you are ok.
Is she always that lopsided? I think your persistence is paying off, you may want to milk her twice a day to increase her production...


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

She looks fine from the picture. Just needs to be milked out more on that side. 
If her milk is OK, has no hot or cold udder, nor hard lumps. She is OK.

When they have small teats like that, we milk any way we can, it can be hard to do sometimes.


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## wayfarer (Jun 19, 2015)

thank you all.

I'd much rather she's just a stinker on the stand than me hurting her. That dark udder absolutely freaked me out !


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

I have a second freshener who started out with a pink udder. Now, the whole thing has turned a black color - she has no issues, her skin just changed colors! I've read here that other people have had that happen with their goats, too.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

No different than when you get a tan. I have a doe who had a totally light pink udder as a first freshener. Over time, with sun exposure, it's black skin now


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