Enlarged Doeling Udders

[Amadrop]

One our Nubian doelings has udders that are very large. She has never been bred and is only 7 months old, weighing around 75-80 pounds. We started noticing her udders getting larger after we weaned her off of her milk supplement in May 2023. They have continued to get larger. They are also hard, but her teats are soft. She does not cry when we touch her udders and she eats with no problems. We feed her 1 cup of Dumor goat pellets and 1/2 cup of blackoil sunflower seeds a day. Daily, she aslo gets alfalfa hay, 1/4 tsp of probiotics, 1 1/2 tsp of loose goat minerals, and 1 1/2 tsp of Kelp. She drinks lots of well water and free ranges on grass about 30 minutes a day. Our other Nubian doeling of the same age is on the same food regimen, minus the kelp because she doesn't like it, and her udders are normal. We live in Charleston, SC. Attached are photos. If you have any suggestions, please let us know! Thank you.

 

[cassie]

Does she have milk? If so, she is what is called a precocious milker. It isn't really common, but it isn't exactly rare either. I once saw a Saanen doe that gave a gallon of milk every day for years and she had never been exposed to a buck in her life. I would go ahead and start milking her. Now, if it isn't milk in there you have another issue entirely.

 

[Amadrop]

Thank you for your reply. No, there is no milk in there.

 

[cassie]

What does the udder feel like?

 

[cassie]

I just reread your post. The fact that it is hard and not soft is not good news.

 

[Amadrop]

What does the udder feel like?

It feels hard in some places. Someone asked if feels like a balloon when you touch it. I would say it does in some spots, but not others.

 

[cassie]

It feels hard in some places. Someone asked if feels like a balloon when you touch it. I would say it does in some spots, but not others.

In my experience these are cysts. I would not expect the doe to produce normally because milk producing tissue is taken up by this abnormal tissue, but you won't know until you breed her. Her milk would be safe to drink.