# Udder attachment



## TriWinkle (Oct 2, 2011)

What's a good way to judge it? Especially in Nigerians? If you got pics, that's even better, because well...I'm an utter failure at picking a good udder.


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## LoneStrChic23 (Jul 30, 2010)

Everyone has a list of what they do or do not like in an udder..... I hand milk, so I'm very picky..... Good attachments, large orifices that don't leak, teats with good delineation and teats that are plumb are a must here.....Those are areas that I don't compromise on..... I will keep a doe with short teats that have good delineation over a doe with long teats with poor delineation....

Anywho, I could type out a description on each, but it's better to SEE..... So try here, starting on page 9 or 10:
http://www.thejudgingconnection.com/pdfs/Dairy_Goat_Judging.pdf

That is a good starter with good pictures...... I couldn't find it on my phone, but you can hunt up the ADGA Linear Appraisal handbook and download it too for more detail


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## saanengirl (Apr 7, 2009)

A large area of udder attachment is actually a very good way to describe it. As the doe walks, does her udder swing, or is it stable? If it is stable, she has enough attachment to hold it in place. If it swings, there is not enough attachment. Look at the smoothness of the attachments. If the foreudder meets the body wall smoothly, it is well-attached. There will be some cleft to the fore if there is a strong medial, but it should not have a pocket. The medial suspensory ligament holds the udder in place. It needs to be of a moderate length in order to do its' job properly. You want to see 1-2" of medial cleft. The rear udder should be attached high and tight. When the udder fills, it should fill to the top. If there is udder tissue above where the udder can fill, that is indication of a rear udder that is not well-attached. There should be attachments all the way around the udder. A fold of skin shows where the udder attaches to the inside of the thighs. 

* Fore udder with poor attachment: *

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The udder above is a great example of a really bad fore udder with a pocket. There is very little if any attachment to the fore udder, or to the udder as a whole--note the position of the teats. 








This fore udder, ugly as it appears is marginally better attached than the one above. There is no extension to this fore udder, but there is at least less of a pocket and more attachment to the udder as a whole. It is still a very poorly attached fore udder.
*
Fore udder with good attachment:*








The length and smoothness of this attachment speaks for itself. There is no pocket here, and this fore udder is nearly ideal in length and attachment. 

*
Rear udder with poor attachment:*








This awful rear udder was in an advertisement for a goat that "milks good." I have to say it is one of the worst I've seen. Note how the udder hangs down like a pendulum (hence "pendulous udder" and is wider at the bottom than at the top. Note also that there is very little medial support. There is very little cleft to the udder, and the teats are far out to the side. 









This udder is better than the one above it, but still falls under the category of "pendulous." Note the space between the leg and the udder attachment. See how narrow the attachment is a the top of the udder. The medial suspensory ligament is much better on this doe, and that is the only thing holding this udder in place.











Here is a classic example of a weak medial. Note the bulge in the floor of the udder. This udder fills to the top, but there is still not a large area of rear udder attachment.

*Rear udder with some attachment, but less than ideal*








This udder represents your average Nigerian Dwarf in the show ring today. It fills to an adequately high level and has a tiny bit of medial cleft. It has more attachment than any of those in the previous category and the teats point straight down. I would still like to see a wider area of attachment at the top of the udder.









While this is a nice udder on the whole, there are some things I can see in the side view that tell me the rear udder needs improvement. Note the bulge in the rear udder and how low it appears to attach. This is a tell-tale sign that the attachment isn't quite secure enough. 









Here is a very deceptive udder. It looks like a great rear udder, right? When you take a close look, you will notice that the teats come behind the legs. This means that the udder doesn't have the third, third, third placement on the body that we'd like to see. There is something wrong with the attachment that is hard to tell from this photo, but I bet if you put your hands on this udder you would find that it is not as well attached as it appears. 
*
Rear udder with good attachment:*









This is probably the best rear udder I have ever seen on a Nigerian Dwarf. Note the width of attachment at the top. You can see evidence of attachment halfway down the thigh. See how the udder is capacious without bulging? Note the strong medial that has a moderate cleft and the teats that point straight down.


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## ani's ark (May 12, 2012)

Great pics with helpful notes. Thanks for this, it will be helpful to many of us newbies in knowing what to look for.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Thank You! GREAT tutorial, saanengirl!!


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## TriWinkle (Oct 2, 2011)

Thank you for the info saanengirl!! That was awesome!! Are you a judge??


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

That is great info! Now I'll know what you gals are referring to!


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## Tracy in Idaho (Dec 8, 2002)

Saanengirl, that is an excellent set of photos!


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## saanengirl (Apr 7, 2009)

TriWinkle said:


> Thank you for the info saanengirl!! That was awesome!! Are you a judge??


I've been to judges training a couple of times and scored very high on the written test and on placings but so far haven't been able to get past the reasons classes...


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