Need Help! Nanny goat with huge Udder

[Samgoat]

our Nanny goat had twin kids early hours this morning. Her Udder has been huge for about 3 weeks. The kids are having troubles locating her trays because they are so low. We have milked her a bit and bottle feed the milk to the kids. Need help as to what to do!

 

[ShannonR]

Give the kids a chance to get the hang of it. Sometimes it takes the babies awhile to get the hang of nursing. They can and will nurse on their knees if they have to. That udder certainly isn't ideal, but it will do its job.

 

[New2Chicks97]

Just direct the babies to her teats when they are ready to nurse. Put their mouths near it or on it with you hand and they will pick it up quickly. We had Pygmy goats and the kids all ate on their knees because their moms were so short. The only tricky one we had was the goat with 2 teats on one side and one on the other as that seemed to throw the babies for a loop.

 

[cassie]

No matter what you do, that doe needs to be milked out twice a day. If she isn't, her production will drop. As the kids get the hang of nursing, they will take all or most of her milk.

 

[ShannonR]

Any updates?

 

[snow5164]

I have dexter cattle, I’d milk her too give her some relief ... and put the kids on her so they know what they’re for

 

[Samgoat]

Any updates?

We milk her again until her udder is softer but she gets a bit cranky if we do it for too long. As of yesterday evening the kids still hadn’t fed from her. I had one attaching but wouldn’t stay attached.

 

[ShannonR]

Sorry to hear it. Unfortunately, the hand milking and then feeding her babies is headed down a slippery slope, in terms of getting the kids to eat on their own. The doe is bonding to you, not the kids, and before you know it the kids won't want to nurse off mom either.

I know this will sound awful and that other folks may disagree. But let the kids get hungry, and let mom's udder get full so she encourages those kids to nurse! You are sort of interfering with nature by milking and then bottle feeding.

 

[ShannonR]

Couple other random thoughts: are the doe and babies separated away from other goats or animals? It is a good idea to isolate them, it prevents distractions and facilitates bonding. I had a pair of kids earlier this year who weren't nursing because they were penned with other goats. As soon as I separated, Mama started feeding them. Another thing, the kids may very well be nursing while you aren't looking... That has happened to me too!

 

[BreanneRN]

The redness in the udder picture is concerning and I would worry about mastitis developing due to the 3 weeks she was engorged. Does the udder seem painful or have hard feeling areas in it? Does she move away when the kids try to nurse or they still can't find the nipple, even though she stands still?