The kids are only nursing on one side!

[dhansen]

My kids are 5 days old now and still just wait patiently for the other to finish nursing on their "favorite" side. The other side is so full. I have been milking some out of the large side just to relieve the pressure for her and in hopes the kids will nurse from that side. Any ideas on how to get the kids to nurse on that side????

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I am pretty new to goats, last year was my first freshening, but was around cattle growing up. Just a few thoughts. Is the side, they are not using a blown teat perhaps, too hard for them to nurse on? Is the orifice on that teat really small? When you milk it out, do you get a nice stream of milk or is it hard to get a small amount out? Can you post a pictures of the mom's udder?

 

[StoneWallFarmer]

I stuck some scotch tape over the favored teat for a few hours each day, until he was regularly nursing off both sides. I don't know if that's the "right" way to go about it, but it worked for us!

 

[currycomb1]

i would milk her out on the side they don't use, just to make it smaller, and then tape up the other well used one for a bit and see if that helps

 

[mdavenport0121]

I have the same issue, but I think mine may have mastitis in the side that is not being nursed. That teat was a little swollen when I bought her, but hey, she was cheap and a former show girl. She's got a nice healthy girl that is two weeks old that can replace her, so I think I at least broke even in the purchase.

 

[dhansen]

I will try milking her some and putting tape on the well-used teat and see what happens.

 

[eweinHiscare]

I will try milking her some and putting tape on the well-used teat and see what happens.

How did that experiment go with taping the favorite teat?
I have nearly the same situation going on right now and would like to know if it worked to even things out?

I just started my thread tonight about the same thing,

 

[dhansen]

THe problem is that the mom and the kids worked VERY hard to get the tape off and were successful 5 or 6 times. I put it on really well, but they were determined. I have been milking the one side to get it soft and it seems like after 3 weeks, the kids are nursing off it. I got 60 oz on that one side in about 2 minutes and that was one milking. I didn't strip that side at all! That's a whole lot of milk!

 

[madcow]

THe problem is that the mom and the kids worked VERY hard to get the tape off and were successful 5 or 6 times. I put it on really well, but they were determined. I have been milking the one side to get it soft and it seems like after 3 weeks, the kids are nursing off it. I got 60 oz on that one side in about 2 minutes and that was one milking. I didn't strip that side at all! That's a whole lot of milk!

Someone needs to invent a 1-cupped goat bra for this situation! I might have to work on that.......

 

[dhansen]