Bali Kidded twin does - doing great

[Sunny75]

our 2 year old Lamancha Bali kidded twin doelings around 3pm. she kidded no problem, we have a "milk chocolate" brown with tan points and a "dark chocolate" brown with white tipped tail and large patch of white down one side. yes they are adorable. (in keeping with Bali's family (mom-Jamaica, sister- Tahiti) we will be looking at Island names and are open to suggestions) I know you all want pics, but I can't seem to get them to load from here. I will have to add them tomorrow.

Problem is that milk seems to flow ok, then it stops and the teat appears plugged. so far we are massaging the udder and the teat and able to get the blockage out and then it flows ok again, until the next blockage works it's way down. We have seen both kids nurse and they have gotten at least some colostrum.

We planned to leave the kids on her - how often should we check to make sure the teats are open / should we pull the kids or try to supplement with bottle?

my neighbor has something called "Udder Comfort" which she says is an essential oil cream they use on their cows to reduce Edema and break up the protein. Would this be ok to use on her in general and especially with nursing kids?

is there anything else we should do?

 

[Latestarter]

Congrats on your new arrivals. Sorry mom is having udder issues. Seems I recall some others on here who have used herbals to help with this... I'm sorry, but not my forte'... I believe @babsbag and @Sweetened (who I haven't seen on in a while) might be able to help. Maybe @ragdollcatlady or @frustratedearthmother ?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm definitely NOT an expert on all things udder... but here goes:

Warm compresses...massage...frequent milking... peppermint udder cream are all good things. I've used vitamin C chewables crushed up in the feed for a doe and it really seemed to help.

Found this link and it has good info: http://tennesseemeatgoats.com/MeatGoatMania/March2013/

"Congested udder can occur when the doe's body produces so much milk so rapidly that the udder becomes overly full and therefore congested. It is an uncomfortable condition for the doe but is usually readily treatable and fixable. Sometimes congested udder can be traced back to heavy feeding of grain; other times it occurs when there are three or more fetuses and the doe's body is trying to produce sufficient milk for multiple babies. Does having a single kid can develop a congested udder when the newborn kid suckles only one teat, so producers need to check udders of dams with a single kid in anticipation of this problem. Often it is initially indistinguishable from Mastitis, but upon examination you will find that the udder is normal temperature and not hot and inflamed like Mastitis. So I treat with hot compresses, Cai Pan peppermint oil, Milk of Magnesia, and chewable Vitamin C, but I do not use teat infusion medications, injectable antibiotics, or anti-inflammatories like Banamine. Infection isn't the cause of a congested udder. It has been my experience that an udder that is hard but without hot or cold spots is probably congested rather than mastitic, but this is not written in stone. Congested udder is difficult to milk out, but the milk is good when you can get it flowing. Nursing kids can help break loose the congestion. Congested udder has a huge dehydration component to it, so keep the doe hydrated."

 

[Sunny75]

Thank you for the reply. We just came back up from doing warm compresses and massage. We have one side flowing pretty freely. The other side we are still getting clumps out of. They aren't stringy at all, more like hard pieces of congealed milk or dried up cheese. they break apart pretty evenly when you push on them. there is no heat in her udder at all and it actually isn't really hard, just these little pieces that keep clogging the teat. We will work on her again in the morning, and my hubby works from the farm, so he can do it several times during the course of the day tomorrow if needed.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

If she were my goat I'd be milking her every few hours or at least 4 times daily until the congestion is gone. You can still leave the kids with her, but you will probably have to supplement them with a bottle.

Are the kids able to get the milk out?

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Posting at the same time as y'all

 

[Sunny75]

and for the picture junkies out there.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Lamancha babies are the BEST

 

[Sunny75]

they really are, aren't they, lol.. love my manchas . 2 more does to go so hopefully we can get Bali straightened out quickly.

 

[Sunny75]

checked this morning before work everyone was doing well. I was able to get milk from both sides. hubby will still go ahead and milk her out when he does chores this morning. also watched and heard babies nursing, so I know they are eating from at least the one side. Bali is a bit quiet, which is odd for her, but she did just give birth. She is an excellent mom.