# Malformed Udder - problem?



## Kimflores (Aug 4, 2020)

Hi all, new to the site.
I recently bought a 3 yo white Dorper and her April twins (wether and ewe).
I have raised Suffolks in the past, many moons ago, didn't care for the shearing.
I originally got them for grazing. The ewe has one side of her udder that didn't form.
If I were to breed her again, would her udder stay the same or maybe fill out? Would her daughter have a tenancy for the same issue?
You all are more experienced so thought I would ask about this.
I believe these lambs were her first.


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## purplequeenvt (Aug 5, 2020)

If one side of her udder didn’t fill with milk, she probably got mastitis on that side previously. 

If that’s the case, she will likely never produce milk on that side again. She can still be bred and raise lambs, but you might have to supplement her future babies if she’s not able to feed them both on half an udder.


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## Sheepshape (Aug 13, 2020)

Just like purplequeen says.

One side can swell and be surprisingly efficient, but she may struggle to produce enough milk for twins. I'd still breed her if she were mine.


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## Ridgetop (Aug 14, 2020)

I had a Suffolk ewe that lambed with mastitis on one side.  She successfully raised her twins on just one side.  I had no complaints since she was an older ewe that had been given to us for my children to raise market lambs.  We had dairy goats at the time and I treated her for the mastitis but it did not help the damaged half.  She never produced milk on that side again.

This ewe will only ever have one side of a producing udder, but her daughter should freshen normally.  Since she raised her twins this year, she can do so again.  She probably had mastitis when you bought her.  I don't know where you bought her, but she may have developed it during the previous freshening and that may be why she was sold.  Buyer beware unless the breeders are really reputable.

I don't know where you live, but if you can get Tomorrow mastitis tubes, you can try giving her an infusion in the udder to prevent further infection in the good side.  You will need 2 tubes, and help to shoot the contents up the teats since she will not like it.  It might help, it might not, but you can try if you want.


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## Cotton*wood (Oct 28, 2021)

We just culled a ewe that only could be milked on one side.  There was a hard lump the size and shape of a chicken egg right underneath her teat.  Yes, she did successfully raise her lamb (that's her and her lamb in my profile picture), but it was really scary when her milk came in and that side which was blocked swelled up so huge and hot and red.  I feel like we were lucky this year that she didn't get an infection.  Because no milk ever came out of that side, it dried up on that side, and the lamb only got milk from the other, but that didn't seem like a risk we wanted to repeat.


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