She's jumping the gun

[Deleted]

I have a bred doe due to kid in three weeks. I noticed that her udder looked pretty full last night and i gave one teat a little squeeze and sure enough she's full of milk. Tonight it's looking even bigger. Never had a doe start filling this much this soon and I'm wondering will I have to milk her out before her due date and keep back the colostrum, and if so, at what point is it "too full" for her to wait?

[manygoatsnmore]

Don't milk her. It's normal for some does to bag up early, while some don't look like they have enough to feed a kid the day they kid.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the replies... she isn't yet acting like she's bothered by it. I sure would rather wait, as I don't want to have to be the deliverer of colostrum via a bottle and struggle to get the kids to take it. In case I do have to do that, though...exactly how much colostrum does each kid need to get?

[Wendy]

My dairy kids usually get about a 10 oz bottle of colostrum before I switch to regular milk. They just need to have a pretty nice amount & yeah, it usually takes a few hours to get them to drink it all.

[Deleted]

Thanks, Redfish... These would be full sized goats, so that works.

[Deleted]

Jan 17, 2016 19:05:53 GMT Wendy said:

My dairy kids usually get about a 10 oz bottle of colostrum before I switch to regular milk. They just need to have a pretty nice amount & yeah, it usually takes a few hours to get them to drink it all.

Yeah, would much prefer mama give it to them, so hoping that's how it goes. I just know they'll give me fits trying to get it into them with a bottle. Never have had to full out bottle raise any but I supplemented one once who had a half negligent mother. He was not impressed with the rubber nipple.

[mary]

It's much easier to get them to take the nipple, though, if they have never nursed. An already nursing baby has to seriously be not getting enough to be impressed with a bottle.

Mine usually only take a few ounces of colostrum on a first try, but their appetite quickly increases. I give them as much as they will take at a time, and try again in a few hours.

If you do have to heat colostrum, you probably know that you need to be careful doing it not to get custard. I heat in the microwave (which may or may not be a no-no) but I do it on half power, for less time than I think it will take, and add a little time as needed.

[Deleted]

Jan 17, 2016 21:30:47 GMT mary said:

It's much easier to get them to take the nipple, though, if they have never nursed. An already nursing baby has to seriously be not getting enough to be impressed with a bottle.

Mine usually only take a few ounces of colostrum on a first try, but their appetite quickly increases. I give them as much as they will take at a time, and try again in a few hours.

If you do have to heat colostrum, you probably know that you need to be careful doing it not to get custard. I heat in the microwave (which may or may not be a no-no) but I do it on half power, for less time than I think it will take, and add a little time as needed.

Thanks, Mary...we don't have a microwave. I heated the milk I gave the supplemented kid in a container of hot-out-of-the-tap water, am I right in assuming that would be fine for colostrum as well?

[shellymay]

Also a thought about not milking her, there are many of said animals that will produce enough milk to support their babies, sometimes
MORE milk means MORE babies, trips for the bigger breeds and the smaller goats having quads   I wouldn't milk her out but would
keep an eye on her, watch for signs of pain and always good to take their temps if you feel like something is wrong, another is feel
her udders for heat to much heat is a sign of something wrong in the udders.

[mary]

You know I've never milked one early, but mine have never bagged really full until they were about ready to kid. I remember reading from a former HT goat expert that she would go ahead and start milking when they were bagged up tight like that and felt that it saved on potential problems.

As to heating the colostrum, just like milk you want it in the 90-100 degree range, but you don't want to overheat it or heat it too fast. It's really really easy to accidentally turn it into custard. Maybe don't heat it all at once.

[Deleted]

Cool...thanks, folks. Her udder doesn't feel as tight as it looks so hopefully there won't be any need. No excess heat or anything and she seems calm and collected even though she is waddling and huffing and puffing. Last year her kidding went very wrong with enormous quads, so I'm watching her like a hawk this year. She had NO milk, even after the delivery last time. Ironically or not, feeding her less than last time has resulted in early bagging up and better overall condition.

[Bear Foot Farm]

Milking her will increase the risk of Mastitis

[mary]

Jan 17, 2016 23:25:56 GMT Bear Foot Farm said:

Milking her will increase the risk of Mastitis

Depending on who you talk to.

[Bear Foot Farm]

Jan 18, 2016 15:25:45 GMT mary said:

Jan 17, 2016 23:25:56 GMT Bear Foot Farm said:

Milking her will increase the risk of Mastitis

Depending on who you talk to.

Removing the "waxy plug" that seals the teats before they are milked the first time leaves them open to bacteria that could enter  

I prefer to leave them as long as possible

[mary]

Agreed. And I think if you are going to milk, you need to keep doing it.

[Deleted]

That and all other complications is why I'll wait if I can. So far, still good. She's getting along with her pretty full but still not too tight udder. If she just holds out another two and a half weeks, we're good.

[Deleted]

Milking also causes uterine contractions...

[Deleted]

Jan 21, 2016 10:17:11 GMT @wintrrwolf said:

Milking also causes uterine contractions...

Is there a risk of premature labor if it's done early?

[Wendy]

yes

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2016 1:00:09 GMT Wendy said:

yes

Ok, thanks for the info...