# Male goat lactation--ya learn something new every day



## Pearce Pastures (Feb 10, 2015)

Just sharing something that I found fascinating from today's reading.

It seems that bucks sometimes lactate!  No, not because they are hermaphrodites but rather completely normally karyotyped males can develop udders and milk.  They are fertile, healthy, and tend to come from strong milking lines.


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## Goat Whisperer (Feb 10, 2015)

I have seen that before! So creepy LOL

Some of the goats here have milk bucks in their pedigree.... It comes with the heavy milking lines. Lucky Star Farm had a milk buck..... I think I read somewhere that they put him on a  DHIR milk test... I'm not sure if it was him or another buck. 
http://luckystarfarm.com/bucks.html

It seems to be pretty conman in LM but I have seen it in the Dwarfs too  

I can say this though...... No way would I want to milk a buck. That is just weird


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 10, 2015)

Crazy right.  And EEWWWWW no way would I be drinking that milk.  I have a strong biology, genetics, and anatomy background and I had read about precocious milkers in virgin animals, and about even human males that could have milk, or how sometimes newborn babies (male and female) sometimes have milk in their breast tissues....but this still made me scratch my head and shudder a bit.


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## frustratedearthmother (Feb 10, 2015)

My neighbor had a Pygmy buck that also lactated... weirdest thing EVER!


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 10, 2015)

Yeah, I don't think I want a buck that does that.


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## Sweetened (Feb 10, 2015)

Well, at least youd have an idea of the udder attachment he would pass on. I wonder... what are their lactation cycles and wouldnt you HAVE to milk them for danger of mastitis?


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## Southern by choice (Feb 10, 2015)

Sweetened said:


> Well, at least youd have an idea of the udder attachment he would pass on. I wonder... what are their lactation cycles and wouldnt you HAVE to milk them for danger of mastitis?



One of our vets had a male goat in recently... being treated for mastitis... same issue... 

So gross IMO and NO way would I want that!


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## Goat Whisperer (Feb 10, 2015)

Sweetened said:


> Well, at least youd have an idea of the udder attachment he would pass on. I wonder... what are their lactation cycles and wouldnt you HAVE to milk them for danger of mastitis?


Yes it can be an issue. 

However we  had a meat doe develop a precocious udder and I didn't milk her and she didn't have an issue.


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 10, 2015)

Weird that a goat would be in danger of mastitis from not being milked.  Seems to me (basing this on my human experience of course) that the lack of milking would simply lead to drying out.  Maybe temporary discomfort but not infection makes sense to me.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 10, 2015)




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## goatboy1973 (Feb 13, 2015)

Wasn't it the movie "Meet The Parents" where Focker said, "You can milk anything that has nipples"? LOL!!! I am a human nurse and there is a condition where men can lactate as well. EWWW!


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## goatboy1973 (Feb 13, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> Weird that a goat would be in danger of mastitis from not being milked.  Seems to me (basing this on my human experience of course) that the lack of milking would simply lead to drying out.  Maybe temporary discomfort but not infection makes sense to me.


Well, the definition of mastitis is simply inflammation of the mammary glands. Sometimes bacteria can enter from a cracked teat or actually through the orifice or sphincter at the end of the teat (can't remember the proper name off the top of my head) and then you have a bacterial mastitis. I have seen teats basically rot from the inside out because of big ole udders bursting with milk/ infection. In a perfect world, the normal mechanism of the lactation process ends with the mammal "drying off" to prevent a full inflammation and infectious state in the udder. This process is both a nervous system response with stretch receptors I think, as well as a hormonal response. Probably more than anyone wanted to know and weren't afraid to ask. LOL!!!


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 13, 2015)

No it makes sense I guess.  In a perfect system (which doesn't exist usually), the fullness of an udder/breast tells the body to stop producing. If the system doesn't stop, there could probably be blocked ducts and what not.  I recall being told by a doctor that when drying off to NOT milk out since that could cause mastitis and rather just suffer it out a few days.  Worked fine but HURT!  Now there is your TMI for the day.


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## goatboy1973 (Feb 13, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> No it makes sense I guess.  In a perfect system (which doesn't exist usually), the fullness of an udder/breast tells the body to stop producing. If the system doesn't stop, there could probably be blocked ducts and what not.  I recall being told by a doctor that when drying off to NOT milk out since that could cause mastitis and rather just suffer it out a few days.  Worked fine but HURT!  Now there is your TMI for the day.



Absolutely "udderly" hilarious! I haven't laughed this hard since I saw "Dumb and Dumber To". I worked on an ambulance for 8 yrs. and then after nursing school was a nurse at our local county jail so I remember having our mental health inmates (male) hitting their emergency button in their cell for all kinds of "life threatening" illnesses including STD's, male lactation, and male child birth. We had a few female inmates who may have been part Holstein cow or Nubian goat because we had to do antibiotics and hot damp compresses because they had a bad case of mastitis. It must have been as miserable as it looked. There ain't much I haven't seen and a whole bunch I wish I could forget. LOL!


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 13, 2015)

Yes, I feel for nurses.  After having three Cesarean, I adamantly feel that nurses do NOT get paid enough.


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## bonbean01 (Feb 13, 2015)

I dunno...never heard of this before and never want to either....LOLOL


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## Southern by choice (Feb 13, 2015)




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## Mountainfolk (Aug 8, 2020)

Pearce Pastures said:


> Just sharing something that I found fascinating from today's reading.
> 
> It seems that bucks sometimes lactate!  No, not because they are hermaphrodites but rather completely normally karyotyped males can develop udders and milk.  They are fertile, healthy, and tend to come from strong milking lines.



We've been dealing with our 4 year old lactating Buck Joshua for about two years now. We are pretty sure he too thinks it's weird. In the beginning before both of my Rotator Cuffs  ended up "looking like a bomb went off inside my shoulders" we milked him. WOW! what a rodeo! yet the risk of mastitis was great and we powered thru. We didn't have him on sweet mix like our milking Does, and his milk was pure white, rich & creamy, and just a little bit salty. 
 Poor Joshua - his udders have pushed his testicles out 90 degrees and has needed to be treated for abrasions to them. At times he chases himself snorting and getting excited.  If it wasn't so sad to see him go thru that it could almost be funny. We have tried different things from three different vets, but  he will not dry up. 
        We need help. Thank you for your time and information. Jim & Jodi


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## chickens really (Aug 9, 2020)

The only thing I think would help is castration? I am finding this all very interesting. 😳👍


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## Mountainfolk (Aug 9, 2020)

chickens really said:


> The only thing I think would help is castration? I am finding this all very interesting. 😳👍


 
The issue is that his udders continue  to expand with milk, which force his testicles out almost 90%, injuring them. Our Dairy Goats are our lives, and it is extremely  frustrating  not being able to find any solutions for Joshua.


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## chickens really (Aug 10, 2020)

Mountainfolk said:


> The issue is that his udders continue  to expand with milk, which force his testicles out almost 90%, injuring them. Our Dairy Goats are our lives, and it is extremely  frustrating  not being able to find any solutions for Joshua.


Too bad there isn't a hormone shot that could keep him balanced? I find that interesting and I understand the frustration. Maybe a different bloodline and castrate that Buck? I hope you can find a solution soon. 👍


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## Irmo (Feb 23, 2021)

Mountainfolk said:


> We've been dealing with our 4 year old lactating Buck Joshua for about two years now. We are pretty sure he too thinks it's weird. In the beginning before both of my Rotator Cuffs  ended up "looking like a bomb went off inside my shoulders" we milked him. WOW! what a rodeo! yet the risk of mastitis was great and we powered thru. We didn't have him on sweet mix like our milking Does, and his milk was pure white, rich & creamy, and just a little bit salty.
> Poor Joshua - his udders have pushed his testicles out 90 degrees and has needed to be treated for abrasions to them. At times he chases himself snorting and getting excited.  If it wasn't so sad to see him go thru that it could almost be funny. We have tried different things from three different vets, but  he will not dry up.
> We need help. Thank you for your time and information. Jim & Jodi


By now, that issue has probably been long resolved.  Still, as there are species of bats where both parents lactate and pigeons where both produce pigeon milk it seems if kids would nurse from the buck that could leave more milk production from the does for sale (unless there are no kids and all milk is money)...  I remember hearing one goat dairyman saying his buck allowed the kids to do that.


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## Goat Shaman (Mar 6, 2021)

I bet buck milk would be icky.  If a buck with udders was wethered, would that make his milk any better?


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## Longhornbreeder101 (Mar 6, 2021)

Goat Shaman said:


> I bet buck milk would be icky.  If a buck with udders was wethered, would that make his milk any better?


I have a weather right now and we’re treating him with lice  UGH! And his teats are eritated but we’ve treated him and his teats aren’t as red as they were here’s a couple pics sorry for posting it on here


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