HELP! My goat won't give any milk.

GemStone Meadows · Post by **GemStone Meadows** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 6:06 pm

I can't seem to figure out why my Nubian won't milk. She escaped her pen for 2 days. We caught her and was able to milk her. Her udder was engorged, but I got milk easily yesterday (the day she was caught and able to be milked). Today I can't get a drop. Can someone tell me what's going on?

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 6:39 pm

Does the udder seem overly warm, red or sore? It's possible that she has mastitis and this can lead to not being able to milk her out. If you can get a little bit and its lumpy that's also a sign of mastitis.
Do you have a Calfornia mastitis test (CMT) that you can try and sample some milk?
If it is mastitis, you'll need to use an intramamary antibiotic you can get from your vet or I'm not sure of local farm stores carry it these days. If unsure get your vet to come out.
Hope she's all right, and she's better soon!

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:35 am

How is it going today? When you do get milk at all, and it slows and quits, massage the bag, deep into the tissues. Go fairly hard with your finger tips, doesn't have to be fast, just deep massage of the bag. Think of how the kids bunt that bag around, they are doing the same thing.

As in the other post, look for little or big chunkies in the milk when you strain. You might or should also feel these pass through the teat while you are milking, sort of makes the stream start and stop quickly or splutter.

If she is just not letting down, which this does not sound much like, she needs to be relaxed and comfortable, so take your time, pet some. The same place and routine to milk every time. And one trick from an old timer, with a young doe, he would pour a bottle of beer into a pail and let her drink it before trying to milk, leave her ten min or so, then try. I have not done this, but he said they will almost always let down then.

Good luck with it, let us know how its going.

GemStone Meadows · Post by **GemStone Meadows** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:37 am

Today I tries milking her again. I can see that she's visibly larger. But still, nothing's coming out. She's not red or inflamed anywhere.

The Goatlady · Post by **The Goatlady** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 9:27 pm

Take her temperature..normal/high or low
Udder cold or hot....
Is the goat eating and chewing her cud...eating normally.....looks healthy? Drinking her water?
Is udder pink or blue..lumpy or hard...watery
Is she

ing? Normal goat manure pellets?
Doing her normal behavior as a goat?

The Goatlady · Post by **The Goatlady** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 9:30 pm

Have a pic?

The Goatlady · Post by **The Goatlady** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:45 pm

Have a youngster male..chasing her around if she was in heat...sampling her milk and emptying her?
Was she in heat when she escaped her pen?
Other youngsters suckling? ..
Was she a regular milker or had a youngster just weaned from her...is she in a pen with a mature breeder buck?
Is this her first time milking....is she drinking her own milk?

GemStone Meadows · Post by **GemStone Meadows** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:14 pm

Thank youbeveryone for your replies! I'm Able to milk her again, her teats were plugged.