Newest Threads

SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda · 02-25-2011, 06:45 AM

My 2yo 2nd freshener kidded with triplets yesterday. Trying to get the congestion out of that udder. I massage, massage and massage. Still only able to get out a fraction of what looks like ought to be in there. Her udder is beautiful. Don't want to mess it up. Does anyone recommend a topical product which might help break up the congestion so it will soften up and let that milk flow? Peppermint maybe?

***NubianSoaps.com*** · 02-25-2011, 07:28 AM

Just keep on milking her. Congestion is nearly always nutritional most of ours went away when I stopped graining my does so much before kidding. Slowly starting them back on grain after drying up, just a handful really, and moving very slowly back to grain. I have no idea the mechanics of it but with less grain we simply have less congestion.

Now edema, where you put your finger onto the udder and your finger print stays on the very firm udder, or worse pitting edema where the udder looks like it has cellulite

that is sometimes CAE and my vet also thinks it's hormonal.

A friend gave me some salve in little tiny tubes one time that had dex in it, likely a DMSO base in petroleum. It was remarkable in getting inflammation out of an udder quickly, obviously wear gloves. Because I had no idea what the percentage of dexamethazone in the salve was compared to the mg/kg in my bottle of dex, I took the little tube to a compounding pharmasist and have a tube of it made for me.

Anything that you want to use topically that you are comfortable massaging into the skin, is fine, just know that without a solvent carrier it isn't penetrating into the udder and helping much. In severe cases or cases where a doe has a show to get to in a week, you can give anti-inflamatories via injection.

Don't start down the oxytocin road, that is about milk let down, and a doe with a congested udder has tissue that is inflammed it is not milk that needs to just be let down and everything will be fine.

**Anita Martin** · 02-25-2011, 12:41 PM

I have a doe that has freshened twice with a congested udder. Not hard. CAE negative. Just can't seem to get the milk to empty out completely for a couple weeks. This year we are feeding grain with a lower percent of protein, (16% vs. 20%). I'm curious if this will help with the udder congestion in this doe.

Faithful Crown Nubians · 02-25-2011, 01:31 PM

The congested udders we had to deal with were due to Nutrition. Not bad grain,just too much at the end of pregnancy...I goofed up on the amounts when figuring how much I needed for each pen...Silly mistake that I won't make again. I double and triple check it now!

It took a bit for the congestion to subside but I did alot of massaging while I milked. Since I fixed that problem I haven't had any issue with congestion in their udders.

supermom · 02-25-2011, 01:49 PM

We are having congested udders this year. How do I know how much is too much grain? I thought by the time they kid, we should be just about up to the amount they will get when they freshen.

SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda · 02-25-2011, 08:52 PM

Thanks Vicki.

I know what the deal is now and will watch that in the future. Ellsie has a very lovely udder too, by the way.

OK, udder balm and here I come Ellsie girl.

SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda · 02-25-2011, 09:30 PM

I have been giving them oats and a small handfull of BOSS with a smattering of corn, slowly building up to what she usually ate on the milk stand by kidding day. Plus 17% alfalfa pellets free choice. And a good goat mineral. Selenium paste once a month. But it is quite a bit of grain I'm giving her. She's not gonna like it, but I'll cut her down a little until she has a soft udder. (It was soft and a cute li'l ff udder last year.) And I'll give the girl my most special massage. They all get that on the milk stand...my working girls deserve a nice massage, right?

I expect I need to cut back Hot Chick some then also, because I have just begun to offer grain in preparation for kidding. And I think the first freshening girl is gonna do twins for me. Her udder is just beginning to swell a little. Oh Vicki, it is high up there in her escutcheon!!!! I can't wait to see it full. I bet it's gonna be even more wonderful than Ellsie's I think it was just my old habit for readying the girls for kidding, because Tanya and Arwen required that grain.........and they put every ounce I fed them into the milk pail too. Ellsie and Hot Chick are not Tanya and Arwen......yet. They are prettier.

And well, I've been shoveling the food to Hot Chick because her body is growing rapidly with this pregnancy.

goatkid · 02-25-2011, 09:46 PM

I think some lines are harder to milk out when they first freshen. I put Caprice on the milk stand today and she took a while to milk out comparing to the other does. She's a two year old FF with a high, tight udder. I had to keep massaging it to get her milked out. She's been on the same diet as the rest of the milkers.

hsmomof4 · 02-26-2011, 07:09 PM

A breeder that I know had a lot of problems with congestion one year...the next year she cut waaaay back on grain until after they freshened (they got plenty of hay and alfalfa) and no issues with udder congestion that year.

burnettrracer · 02-27-2011, 05:03 AM

I had a friend recommend massaging peppermint oil on to the udder. It seemed to have helped my doe. From what i understand is it helps increase circulation and boy does your doe smell good.