# when do udders usually develop?



## Dana (Dec 7, 2009)

When have you noticed most your pregnant does traditionally develop their udder? 

I have a LM that is a silent heat doe. I penned her with my buck in September. She has a big belly and I felt kids kicking tonight. Her udder is developing a little. 

do most your girls develop 2 to 3 weeks before kidding?


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Dana thats why those girls have a code of honor!
If she was in with the buck in September she would be due in Feb.
I have had some that develop the night before and most with a gradual increase in udder size until a day before and then WOW where'd all that come from. I think it really depends on the doe in question.
Don't be surprised either when she does weird things like loosens her ligiments and then they tighten, or she may have a discharge/may not, they are all different.
Tam


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## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

I have had yearling twin sisters on their first freshening do totally different things--one made her udder 2 months prior and the other waited until the week of kidding. I pay no attention to when they develop udders!


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

With most of my first fresheners, I can feel a bit of swelling in the udder area about 4-8 weeks before they kid, but you can't really see a bag until a week before they kid. With the older does, I notice the difference when their milk starts to come in - somewhere between one and two weeks before they kid. With all my goats, I notice a marked filling of the udder 12-36 hours before kidding along with other things like loosening of the ligs and dropped belly. I did have one doe who showed no sign of being pregnant until the morning of the day she kidded. She only ever had one kid and not much milk so she was sold.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

And to really throw ya Had one doe that never developed an udder or had any colostrum until 2nd day after freshening.  Have fun!!


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## natty threads (Dec 15, 2010)

Caprine Beings said:


> Dana thats why those girls have a code of honor!
> If she was in with the buck in September she would be due in Feb.
> I have had some that develop the night before and most with a gradual increase in udder size until a day before and then WOW where'd all that come from. I think it really depends on the doe in question.
> Don't be surprised either when she does weird things like loosens her ligiments and then they tighten, or she may have a discharge/may not, they are all different.
> Tam


Isn't that the truth!

I'm waiting on one whose tailhead has been a smoosh for weeks, her udder has been growing for well over a month, I would swear she was mucousy a couple of weeks ago, her udder really swelled a few days ago, and now she's smooshy all the way to her hips.

She didn't lay down last night.
I'm swapping watches with the kids checking on her every half hour.

It is unseasonably cold here (minus TWENTY F it hit yesterday/night before last) so I don't blame her for not letting the babies out and I'm afraid to check any less often.

ZOMBIE ME.

Of course she's a first timer.

Tinkerbell, my dd's Boer doe, sneaks her babies out too.
I was keeping an eye on her out the kitchen window- Turesday?- because SHE hadn't lain down the night before-

She STILL sneaked two doelings out- I heard the "Mah", looked out the window, and RAN out yelling for towels.

And here I thought I was being clever breeding to kid BEFORE the (usually) January cold snap.

So I have to go check on BoChiva again.

See you.
Bless up.


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