Udders- Good/Bad/Ugly/Improved UPDATED! 3/12/18

[Fullhousefarm]

Well, the Lamancha with smaller teats than I prefer has very dairy skin. So not sure we see that in our herd. Honestly, I think all the Senior LMs we have have pretty similar skin. She does have the finest, shiniest, slow growing hair (a plus for show clipping) for sure. Never looks shaggy even unclipped. I have some milked out photos. They all milk out great once any edema after kidding goes down. Rubys dry udder looks like one from a FF- I'll try to take a photo tomorrow.

I will say I dry them off really slow. I think it is mostly because I feel their pain as nursing my own kids is fresh in my mind. LOL. I go once a day, every other day, Every two days, etc, Don't know what to say about the minerals. I will say that we feed a goat blend from a local mill. Then I try to keep peanut of alfalfa for the milkers, but it's not free choice. I just can't afford that here. Some just love to milk. Others dry off fast once I skip a day. I'm having to milk Orchid once a day even though shes feeding TRIPLETS right now. She puts everything into her milk, though. After having quads it usually takes her 4-6 weeks before shes in show condition.

These are great pics and examples @Fullhousefarm

Do you have any pics of how they milk out?
Love the capacity.
I like a higher udder, so far we have that but we definitely lack capacity.
We have made some recent changes so we are hoping it is going to help. Our does come from high production Lamanchas yet ours are not producing anything like their dams (dams are #14-#16). We have an issue with our goats NOT eating any mineral... I think this causes the feed and hay to do more with keeping them healthy but is preventing them from utilizing the feed to make milk. Basically the lack of minerals IMO is a key factor- not with the nigerians, they are fine it is the Standards. UGH- Any thoughts?

We have tried so many minerals- they will NOT touch them
We just started a new kind and they are actually eating them... so we will see.
Adding the cobalt block as well.

On the one you wish had bigger teats... how is her skin? very dairy? So so? Not?
We notice the goats that have the best dairy skin have teats that plump better...

 

[lalabugs]

Here are some pics of Marshmallow this morning after an 11 hour fill. Thoughts?

I need to shave her again. Marshmallow is a FF. These were just quick pics I snapped before milking her.

 

[Southern by choice]

That is what we see with Millie- I will post pics soon. It really does link back to weak attachments. Linked to that is the rear legs.
She will wear out!
BUT lol, we have put good bucks over her and all but one breeding has produced much nicer animals.

I love her hardiness, parasite resistance, no fuss no muss diet. She is an incredible forager that prefers forage when the hay feeder has the best orchard or alfalfa... you find her in the field eating whatever. She is one that will never leave the farm so better for us to put good bucks over her and retain kids and continue to breed up.

I'll try to put up the progression of decline if I can find all the pics.
I will also try and put up offspring pics.

I seriously cannot find the pics from last year. But I did find a few other prior kidding /udder pics. But this is why we use a good buck... I love Millie's productivity and her sweet milk- that part we want to keep but work on that whole rear.

This is her daughter Tiffany. Tiffany was bred to our buck Chance. Tiffany is Recorded Grade 50% we will keep her doeling from this year as Tiffany was bred to Black Tie Affair, and he will bring so much to the table. At least we hope. It is funny with all the Lamanchas, Tiffany's doe and buck are easy to spot- they are beefy and wide and clearly not "refined". LOVE them. The buck of course will be wethered. He is a beast.
This is a nice example of buck influence.
Tiffany- Wider escutcheon,distance between vulva and top of escutcheon is very close! Lateral attachments are much better and run "further down"
FF udder evening milking - no fill. I couldn't get a good side shot with the light . But you can see the placement of the udder is much better. They legs are also placed well, no cow hocked legs like her dam. This is a super wide doe.

The pedigree- basically showing buck's side-


Sweet Pea was not bred this year so we will wait- she is a Millie doeling as well, but different sire... so it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table.
Right now she looks like she has good width, nice escutcheon, good legs, she is very level.

Now- here is Millie-
Udder is too far forward- the udder over time is dividing the halves more obvious (look at both pics) teats are bulbous and outward flare.
In the second pic you can see how the lack of really good attachments mean the udder will start to sag with the weight of the milk.
Her lateral attachments are high up . She has her tail down - the distance between vulva and escutcheon are not bad but with out being full and the lag it seems greater than what it is.
You can also see how she is cow-hocked.



I will try to put up pics of Ruby when I can... it shows how good breeding makes a difference longterm. Ruby is over 8 years old and that udder is socked on!

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the "good bad and ugly" update.

 

[Southern by choice]

Snapped these this am (actually now it would be yesterday morning)

Zephyr 3rd freshening 15 days fresh, no edema, best hand milking teats ever!!!!!!!!

Raina- FF 13 days fresh no edema, looks flat but I included a angle shot below she has her right leg forward which is throwing her udder balance off a bit

Raina & Zephyr

 

[Southern by choice]

This doe is 8+ years old! Ruby (Nubian)...

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I got some 8 hr fill pics of Diamond. She’s a 2F with trips each time. She’s 2.5 mos fresh and still dam raising Jasmine, the doeling, of the trips (bucklings weaned at 8 wks.) She kept trying to get into that squatting milk stance and I was on my own...we get about 2-2.5 cups after an 8 hr fill. She’s still holding back for Jasmine (little thing is fat like a full tick!)

 

[Sweet horizon Nigerians]

This is an udder of my first freshener who is raising twin bucklings at 16 days fresh.
Definitely need improvement on teat size and fore udder attachments other than that I am pretty certain she has the best udder in my herd.
Maybe some better MSL, higher rear attachment?

Do you see the little pocket?

 

[Southern by choice]

I think this is a very nice udder! And she is a FF! WOW.

 

[Sweet horizon Nigerians]

I think this is a very nice udder! And she is a FF! WOW.

Thank you! I thought it was nice but wanted some more experienced people's opinions.
I just really wish she had bigger teats would make it so much easier to milk
If that was to me lol @Southern by choice

 

[Southern by choice]

Sweet Prynne kidded. 13 months old two tiny kids- we thought based on udder size and her size she would have a single. To our surprise two teeny tiny lamanchas... buck/doe twins... together they make a whole lamancha kid. LOL The doeling is tiny but very correct! The buckling is all legs right now but looks good.

So here is her little udder. I love the super soft texture. shape and attachments are all good.

One in the light from a few days ago

She was just milked out here but she looks pretty good for twins at 13 months. The red is not copper deficiency- she has sable in her... it really shows up when her coat is long and the sun hits it.
She doesn't have the greatest capacity but she is young and I still like her attachments, the fore udder is really nice. That udder is in there tight. So far I am happy.


@Wehner Homestead Cece will have some red sable in her too.