lopsided udder - what to do?

[Kristi]

Hopefully you can see it in this pic. I think all three babies are nursing on only one side. The other side is totally engorged, and the skin looks reddish. Doesn't feel warmer than I'd expect, but I'm new. I did manage to milk her on that side a little - got several squirts. My very first time milking, so I wasn't very good. Then she was finished inhaling her milkstand snacks, and started kicking and jumping around to prevent me. I'm sure it's really uncomfortable.

Do I just keep trying to milk that side? The babies are 1 week old today, I was planning on separating them at night at 2 wks.

She doesn't want that side touched, by me or the babies, but not sure which came first. Chicken or the egg. The milk I did get looked pretty normal (no blood or chunky stuff)

Any ideas?

And yes, my barn is turquoise. Life's too short to be predictable

 

[OneFineAcre]

yes.
the large side doesn't look tight though.

 

[bonbean01]

No expert here...but milking it out some seems like a good idea...wish I had good advice, but I don't...I worry about mastitis when weaning lambs every year...so far...so good.
By the way...I LOVE the colour of your barn!!!!

 

[goats&moregoats]

I'm no expert either, but if she will let you milk her well eating snacks, then yes do it. Other than that, I would research, research and research.

 

[goatboy1973]

You should milk the engorged side. I would milk it out a few times and discard the milk and then milk it daily and either consume/ use the milk, or put it in a bottle and bottle feed the kids with it. I have known of people to try and get the kids to nurse on the engorged teat while the doe is on the stand. If it starts to get to the point where the teat won't hardly milk but is still huge and is hot to the touch, she will need to be taken to the vet or given an injection of antibiotic. Good luck!

 

[Kristi]

Update - after I milked that side that first little bit, I did notice the babies trying it - and she let them some. It's less lopsided now. I milked about a pint from that side today, and she was more tolerant. Hoping we're on the mend with this.

She's been oozing red sticky fluid from her girl parts for 2 days, but that's normal for a week after giving birth, right?

I also noticed her poops are getting mushier. I just moved her & babies back into her regular outdoor yard (once I knew Crazy Aunt Talulah wouldn't hurt the babies). She didn't have her minerals in the barn. Off to research goat poop now

Meanwhile, do y'all think the babies look too skinny?

 

[goatboy1973]

Update - after I milked that side that first little bit, I did notice the babies trying it - and she let them some. It's less lopsided now. I milked about a pint from that side today, and she was more tolerant. Hoping we're on the mend with this.

She's been oozing red sticky fluid from her girl parts for 2 days, but that's normal for a week after giving birth, right?

I also noticed her poops are getting mushier. I just moved her & babies back into her regular outdoor yard (once I knew Crazy Aunt Talulah wouldn't hurt the babies). She didn't have her minerals in the barn. Off to research goat poop now

Meanwhile, do y'all think the babies look too skinny?

I think you are doing an excellent job! Even better if she lets the babies nurse that side as this keeps you from having to milk her daily. Momma may need a good deworming due to the stress of nursing kids and the drain on her body due to the lactation process her immune system is at the lowest point in her life and with this in mind, internal parasites can really thrive. She needs a high protein diet and a liquid molasses based vitamin supplement specific to goats (Nutri-drench). Babies look fine to me.

 

[farmhousegrace]

I'm no expert but I can speak from a similar experience that milking the side more engorged will help prevent what we refer to as a "blown bag".(I'm sure there is a more technical term) The utter can get 'distorted' and no longer be functional. My father had two separate nannies have this issue. The first nanny, June, had only one kid and he favored one side. There were no signs of infection and we saw no need to interfere. She now has a odd shaped bag and is no longer able to fed any number of kids. She had to be retired to being a pet only. The second nanny developed the same condition. We milked that side for a couple of days until her kids were able to nurse on that side. Sometimes the utter can get too engorged and it is difficult for the kids to get a good latch. After that the utter was even and she has had no further problems. I've been a milk machine myself and a full utter is not a good feeling. Congratulations on the triplets!