# Babies nursing from only one side - is this a problem?



## Lazy J Dairy (Nov 3, 2009)

The two babies that were born last Monday, seem to be doing well, they have bouncing around the yard the last few days. But I have a question, they are only nursing from one side of mom. I have only seen them on the other side a few times and then they will not stay long.

As I was talking to my neighbor yesterday she said that she lost 2 babies so far this year due to that problem. That the smallest ones starved to death as they were not getting enough milk and they refused to nurse from the other side as well.

Well now she has me nervous about little Moon as he is smaller than his sister, so I am looking for some input on this, wether it is a concern or not and if so what I could possibly do about it.


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 15, 2008)

Have you seen if the side they are not nursing from still has the plug? I had a similar situation with a singleton last year so for a few days I milked out the side that she was not nursing she finally figured out there were 2 places to get food from. You might also after making sure that the other side is milking hold one of the babies to that side.


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## Lazy J Dairy (Nov 3, 2009)

I have been milking the side that they will not nurse from, so it does not get to swollen or sore from being full.

I ordered some teat tape this morning. Do you think this would work, if I taped off the teat that they want for a couple of days so that they have to use the other one.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Please don't be nervous that healthy kids will starve to death with an udder full of milk in their face.
Something else was wrong with those kids. A kid with normal vigor will nurse as long as the doe is cooperating.

Yes teat tape will work but you can use any breathe-able medical tape from walmart for this. 
Keep a close eye on the udder until they can nurse both sides which will be quite some time if she is a heavy producer.
They will learn to use the other side but like Kasi said- spend some time coaching them.
When you see them go to nurse grab one and get the smell of the saliva on that teat. 
Our kids mark the teat and once they choose it is 'theirs' and they always go to the same side. So at birthing when they first nurse we try to make sure both teats have baby goat spit on them. You may be looking at one side having a more rapid stream flow than the other and they learn that the dam will only stand for so long and will naturally go to the side that flows fastest. A few days of help and they will get the idea but you will still need to milk leftovers. 

The problem is not for the kids but for the balance of the udder. You will end up with imbalance if you don't work with them on this.

Lee


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## Lazy J Dairy (Nov 3, 2009)

Thanks Lee, I was not aware that they would choose a favorite side like that. I beleive this afternoon when I get home, I will put the smallest on that side and see what happens. They do keep their favorite side milked way down, it is always empty looking compared to the other.

I have my milking stand ordered and will not get it for 2-3 weeks but I can tie her to the fence and work on this.
She is a FF and I have not milked her out yet so I am not sure what she is producing, also, she has really small teats, I can only get my thumb and one finger around them to milk.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

yes tape up the side they nurse on


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Another issue sometimes is sanitation. Like with the neighbor with dead kids. If the teats are dirty the kids may refuse to nurse. Sometimes the side they pick is the side that is 'on top' when she lays down and so the cleanest. The side against the ground smells dirty to them so they avoid it. If you do not have deep bedding for your doe to rest on it can discourage very young kids and perhaps that happened to your neighbor. You should empty the doe each day twice a day regardless of them nursing or she will reduce production to reflect lack of demand. Then she will have milk only in the side they stimulate. Milk removal is the only cue to the doe to make more.
Lee


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

With one of my does nursing a single buck kid, I simply kept her milked out twice a day for several days. This way from the beginning he had to nurse off both sides to get enough milk....now not only does he completely keep his dam's udder empty but he is now nursing from Lipton who is completely empty in the mornings also  Vicki


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## pokyone42 (Oct 26, 2007)

I blew it a few years ago.. An Alpine first freshener twinned, and both kids nursed just one side, I did not check the doe's udder for a few days, as I assumed, (stupidly) that they were nursing BOTH sides.) A few days later, I noticed, and that POOR doe, had blown a teat!...Ever since then, I have milked that side, as her kids refuse to nurse it, as it is huge... Had it not been MY fault, I would have sold her. Guilt tho... and so, we milk her, and I learned a very valuable lesson that day! I ALWAYS milk after kidding now! AT least within 36 hours! Fortunately, she milks almost a gallon in the mornings, even tho it is a pain... but... her milk is feeding our quads who lost their mom, and so, between her triplets AND her milk, she is earning her keep! ALso, we have a doe kid whose mom does not like to nurse her, so, I bring her into the milk-room, and she nurses that blown teat of the Alpine... That helps, as she is so hard to milk! Let a KID do it!  Works for us!


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