# Udder Q.



## Goat Luvr (May 3, 2012)

Does anyone have experience where a FF didn't get a terribly big udder but then with future freshenings it gets better? Or if it just always stays small? Harmony has a small udder and I am actually supplementing the babies because they weren't growing very well and am wondering if it will get better. Here is a picture of Harmony's udder. It was just taken today.


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Absolutely, It's totally normal for a first freshening doe to have a small udder. It also depends on the number of kids and genetics. I almost always see more capacity with a second freshening though.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yeah, some are real small like that. More capacity generally comes with future freshenings. It nice when your FFs have really good capacity, but there are those with little udders that will get a larger, fuller udder on their next freshening.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

She actually has a very nice sized udder! 
I have a pygmy/nd cross doe who actually only has 2 teats on her belly with less than a handful of udder tissue AND she freshened 4 times, twice she raised healthy twins on her own. Milk production is supply and demand and if you haven't separated her kids from her for at least 8 hours just yet, you may be surprised at just how much capacity she has.


If you go to my website, on my ND doe page I have Penelope's 1st and 2nd freshening udder pics.... SIGNIFICANT difference in the 2.


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## Goat Luvr (May 3, 2012)

I'm glad to hear her udder might get bigger. I was thinking that I might not even breed her again but we'll see how things go this next time. Maybe next time the kids won't need to be supplemented!

Liz: Wow! I wouldn't have thought that there would be that much difference between a 1st and 2nd freshening udder but Penelope proved me wrong.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

IMO... I don't judge a does udder on the FF, I tend to wait til the 2nd and in Penny's case though she did have quads the 2nd time, it showed me what her bloodlines have proven, capacity and height.
I would certainly breed your doe again, she'll prove to you one way or another that she will improve.

As far as supplementing kids... milk production is supply and demand, if you are filling their bellies enough that they aren't nursing mom as often and if you aren't milking her to increase production, her body will adjust to the way her udder is producing. If these kids are at least 2-3 weeks old, I'd back off on the bottles and let them nurse mom, you'll see them under her frequently and after a couple days, watch them for sign of not getting enough...9/10 they will be. I weigh kids here weekly and find that they double their birth weights within the first few days then gain on average 2lbs a week. When I did start supplementing the 2 smallest of Penny's quads, they were at a week old and I would milk enough from Penny and mix with the milk from Binkey.....taking that little bit from Penny ensured that her udder would stay at the "feeding quads" production level


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Sometimes it even takes 3 freshenings. As long as she is improving, I would keep trying and see what happens.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yep, they do get better each time, 
She does have a nice udder now.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I like her udder -- it should get bigger but what I can see is very nice.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

That is actually a fine looking udder. Nice teat placement! I bet it gets better, and even now it might be better than you think if you haven't separated the doe from her kids yet. Those kids can keep an udder nicely emptied!


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

I also have a FF who I'm expecting to improve - currently looks much like yours, though with slightly smaller teats. Though even with her smaller udder, I get almost 2c/day from her STILL (she kidded in April I believe - I got her in July). I have a buck at the moment and am waiting for her to come into heat. I can't wait to see what she'll do next year as I'm really impressed with her production as a FF. I'm hoping to keep a doeling from her, as I LOVE her small size. She's SUPER tiny and gives as much or more than my much larger veteran doe. A little harder to milk, but overall a great lil doe.


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## Anyuta (Jan 14, 2013)

Hi everybody!!
Another udder question: 
we have a young doe which kidded recently for the first time. She doesn't give much milk, but her teats fill up nicely. What happened after first couple of weeks of milking is one of the teats got smaller (about an inch shorter) and that same half of udder does not fill up fully as the other anymore. She is a shy one thatswhy refuses to eat all of her portion of grain. Otherwise she eats well with other goats We bought her last year. Since kidding she was always milked twice a day.
Is this something genetic? 
Thanks guys! Any idea is appreciated!!


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