# Tell me about udder attachment



## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

Looking at photos of my doe during her FF, her bag was much higher and tighter. 2nd fr, her ligs have dropped quite a bit. It's really quite different looking. Granted, she has milked a lot more during her 2nd fr. and her bag is just HUGE when it's time to milk (every 12 hours).

Are there heavy milking does that can maintain their udder attachments over several freshenings?

Tell me about udder attachments and what the expected changes over time would be, both the reality and the ideal.


----------



## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

It depends upon genetics really. Ideally, udder attachments should really not change drastically over the course of a doe's life, they may not be the same as they were when she was younger, but they shouldn't deteriorate. There are a lot of does who are heavy milkers but hold their attachments throughout their lives. I have a LaMancha doe who is on her 5th freshening right now, and although her udder doesn't look like it did when she was a FF she still has really good attachments considering how much she milks, she gave me 14lbs a day last year.

Here is a very good example of how genetics play a role in udder attachments, this doe is 7 years old, 7 freshenings and has milked almost 2 gallons a day since her 2nd(maybe it was 3rd, I forget) freshening: http://haycreeks.com/Susan.html


----------



## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

WOW. Now is that an exemplary udder in terms of the attachment or is it special to see one like that?

If doe that produces a lot of milk has lax attachments, what is to be done? Do you try to breed up or do you not keep her in your breeding program?

I have read in many places that the udder should be well attached - but I don't know why, specifically. Is it bad for the doe's health? Is it a cosmetic issue? I do understand it's more prone to injury. 

That probably sounds like an obtuse question, but I am wondering if there's more to it than it looks gnarly and flops around more than it should. :?


----------



## grandmajo (Oct 14, 2008)

I'm sure that Sarah will answer back, but I think that you hit on the biggie, more prone to injury and possibly disease. You want a goat that is going to be able to have a good long milking life, so, the better attachments that the udder has, the longer the milking life of the goat before she has to be retired. 

I had a lady send me a picture of a doe that she was proud of a couple months ago. Although the doe was milking about 12 pounds a day (according to her), the poor thing's teats were just about dragging on the ground, a perfect opportunity for nasties to get in there. It was pretty sad, and she was still breeding her.


----------



## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

That still leaves me wondering - if a doe that produces a lot of milk has lax attachments, what is to be done? Do you try to breed up or do you not keep her in your breeding program?

My doe's ligaments are not all that I'd want. Her teats end up right about hock level. She still clears a 6 qt. bucket by a few inches...

Would I want to keep her or her progeny in my breeding program?

Do loose ligaments tend to continue declining over time?


----------



## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Atachments play a large role in a does health, if her attachments are poor and her udder starts to lose its height, she is going to hit with her legs as she walks, she will step on it other does will step on it. Its going to cause more mastitis problems. A udder the is more securly attached is going to be better in the long run....you are going to get more years of milk out of it.
beth


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

This is why you should have pics of the dams and grand dams udders of any bucks you are considering. If you doe has a "generally good" udder and you just need a little improvement, I'd say breed her to a great udder buck and keep her doelings and then when they freshen you'll know if you can improve on her enough to keep her in the herd. Obviously, you wouldn't sell her buck kids as bucks...eventually you will improve on your doelings enough that the original doe could be sold as a pet...unless she's already become your pet...LOL.


----------



## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Ditto on what Di said :wink: Except I would try and find a proven buck to breed her to, as in a buck that has daughters in milk so that you can evaluate their udders to see what that buck may improve on your doe.


----------



## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Even with a proven bucks freshened daughters you will want to look at their dams. You caould get pictures of three awseom udders, but what did their dams look like? can you see the imrpovements? Or were they not as good as their dams?
beth


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

udders are also a luck of the drawl. 

My doe Sweet Pea's full sister (younger by 1 year) was at the show a couple weekends ago an sadly her teats pointed STRAIGHT OUT to teh sides, rather comical looking. My Sweet Pea's udder isnt that awesome but her teats point out a bit but at least they are positioned more correctly and she just needs a stronger medial to correct placement. Her sister's teats were placed to the side of her udder. So you just never know what you will get. (me personally I would like to see one more udder from that buck with a differnet doe to see if it is the doe who is the problem. if not then the buck should be wethered or his offspring never registered. But thats just me)


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Having a doe who's udder sags with each freshening is a trauma waiting to happen, if bred to a "high quality udder" buck improves with the daughters....and those daughters have the dams capacity then I would say to keep her un the breeding program until you have a daughter freshen, then evaluate the udders to see if the lax attachments are bettered by the buck. I have a doe that is a 2nd freshener....I prayed that her sire improved her udder over her dams...literally a cantalope in a sock as far as attachments went...nice separation but no "lift", her FF she had no udder! This time it is 4 times the size it was BUT though alot better improved on her dam.....it is meaty and teeny teats.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if age wasn't a factor in udders?


----------



## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

This is all good information, and it explains why my understanding of it is muddled - it sounds like there is as much art and luck to breeding for udder conformation as there is science.


----------

