# Built and udder and lost it? Bred?



## Daffodil_Dairy (Jan 27, 2015)

My doe Helene had us all excited because she was starting to build a large udder. She wasn't very big, though, she was still her slim, Nubian self. That was about a month ago. Now it seems like she udder is shrinking, but she's getting deeper, lower.

Before, we weren't sure if she was bred because she looked so slim, but had the start of a nice udder, but now she's dropped most of the udder and has a deeper belly. This will be her first time and she's always had a largish udder for an open dry doe.

Has anyone had similar experiences?

I'm going to go out to the barn to take some photos of her udder for comparison.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

It is possible that either another goat in the pen is sneakily nursing from her, or that she is self-nursing. I would try stalling her alone overnight and see if it gets larger.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Pictures will be good.


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## Daffodil_Dairy (Jan 27, 2015)

Okay, here are some photos. I can't upload them directly, only as attachments. 

The 8th of February. In the paddock, first an udder shot, then a side view.
















The 15th of February. On the milking stand, an udder and a side view.
















And today, March 1st. In the aisle and on the milking stand.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Are you sure no one is nursing on her?


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## Daffodil_Dairy (Jan 27, 2015)

Pretty sure. I haven't seen anyone try when I'm over there.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Have you done a blood test to verify pregnancy?


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## Daffodil_Dairy (Jan 27, 2015)

No, we haven't.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

you can put athletic tape on the teats to see if nursing was the issue. you want to tape it up and around the teat covering the orifice then around the teat to hold the first strip in place.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

You would likely never see them do it unless you spend like all day out there. Or if she is self-nursing she probably only does it once in a while when she lays down. But if there is a chance she may be kidding soon you should definitely separate her and tape the teats because you don't want the colostrum for the newborns to be missing when she kids.

What dates was she exposed to the buck?

If you want to send in a pregnancy test, the lab is called BioTracking.

Alternatively, she may just be a "precocious" milker that comes from very heavy milking lines.


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## Daffodil_Dairy (Jan 27, 2015)

I thinks she is a precocious doe, she's always had a bit of one going on, which made me very excited when she started building an even larger udder sine we think she could be bred.

She was pen bred with a young buck (5 1/2 mo) starting in September. I'm in college, so I don't get to see my goats everyday, but last time she came into heat was probably around October or November, whereas my other does still cycled.


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