# Precocious udder



## GoldenWood Farm (May 31, 2003)

One of my yearlings has a precocious udder. It has been a while since I had a doe with one so I am double checking something. This runs in the family as her dam had one also as a yearling.

My question is that her udder is very even and actually quite beautiful. BUT it is hard and does not feel like what my does udder feel like when they are in milk. Do precocious udders feel different normally than a doe who kids out? She doesn't act sick in the least or look sick. Great appetite and bright eyed. I had no clue she even had it until yesterday when I took the girls for a walk and I about had a heart attack thinking she was pregnant! She isn't, I bounced her and didn't feel anything and she sure doesn't LOOK preggers to me. She wasn't exposed to a buck that I know of either.

So I am wondering might she have a case of mastitis in her udder? It doesn't appear to be causing her pain. But like I said it just feels awful hard to me which in my girls means something isn't normal. But my last precocious udder was almost 4yrs ago so I can't say what the norm is or isn't. I haven't touched it or tried to milk her because I don't want to mess with it and cause her to get an infection. Anyone care to weigh in? I am off at 1pm today from work (home on lunch break) and I am planning on getting her on the milk stand to check her out better and get a temp check and what not just to double check she is all good. Beautiful little udder though. I am excited to see what she looks like when she comes into milk fully. The udder is very even from what I could see/feel when I was checking her out but just hard. Like she has two apples up there LOL. I don't remember the teats themselves being hard though. Like I said when I am off work and thinking clearer I can give more info (been up since 2:45am for work. Yuck!).

Justine


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## shiandpete.1 (Aug 13, 2008)

Justine,

I don't remember our precocious uddered doe having a hard udder. Although it just might be dense mammary tissue. I would take her temp, make sure she has no strange leakage from her teets and chalk it up as a percocious udder if she checks out as healthy.


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

She has very little milk, it's mostly fluid, in her udder, it's mostly mammary tissue, so of course it is going to be much firmer than an udder in milk. If she is even than leave her alone, if it was mastitic it would be lopsided. Percocious udders are hormonal and hereditary, we have a lot of them being fairly linebred. They show a will to milk, we even have bucks who milk. Vicki


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## shiandpete.1 (Aug 13, 2008)

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians said:


> She has very little milk, it's mostly fluid, in her udder, it's mostly mammary tissue, so of course it is going to be much firmer than an udder in milk. If she is even than leave her alone, if it was mastitic it would be lopsided. Percocious udders are hormonal and hereditary, we have a lot of them being fairly linebred. They show a will to milk, we even have bucks who milk. Vicki


Ummm Vicki, What does buck milk taste like?....lol :hysterical:


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## GoldenWood Farm (May 31, 2003)

Thank you Vicki. This girl's momma had a precocious udder and is quite a heavy milker. I have heard about precocious udders and like I said her mom had one also. I know bucks can get that also I just was kind of freaked out at first thinking my girl was bred when I didn't want her bred! 

Then since I haven't dealt with many precocious udders I was surprised to find it MUCH firmer than than the older girls udders. So I wanted to make sure I was being okay by just letting her be. Now I am super excited to see her freshen! I wanted some time off this year so I left the yearlings dry so as not to deal with as many milkers. But now I kind of wish I had bred them (I will be glad I didn't once kidding season is in full swing) but I do wish I could see their udders!

Justine


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