# Buck with hard swollen teats



## SecoCreek (Jan 27, 2010)

I have a buck with hard, swollen teats. I just noticed them yesterday and one is a lot larger than the other. He has a normal temp and is eating/behaving normally. I tried to express some milk from the teats but can't get anything to come out. What should I do next? I have excenel and banamine on hand.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I would guess that these are just hormones from the doe. If he's not acting sick, and seriously, I wouldn't try to express anything, then I'd just leave it be. 

Not sure if you've ever had children, but their boobies can be enlarged, too and we certainly don't try to "express" anything out of them.


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## SecoCreek (Jan 27, 2010)

Yes, I have three boys under the age of three.  I have been reading some old posts on this forum about mastitis in bucks and freaked out a little. I am mainly concerned about it being so hard, not just that it's swollen. I was going to run a CMT test but no luck. I would love nothing more than to leave him alone, just want to make sure he's healthy.


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## Bernice (Apr 2, 2009)

I had a buck years ago that was what one would call a, "Milking buck." Vicki did too. I freaked out when I first discovered his teats swollen like you described. My advice is to not milk him, that would invite more problems and he would not be a happy camper. My buck never developed mastitis but did eventually grow half an udder with a nice placed teat.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Bernice said:


> I had a buck years ago that was what one would call a, "Milking buck." Vicki did too. I freaked out when I first discovered his teats swollen like you described. My advice is to not milk him, that would invite more problems and he would not be a happy camper. My buck never developed mastitis but did eventually grow half an udder with a nice placed teat.


Did you use him for breeding, Bernice? Did he produce does that milked really well? Just curious.


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## Bernice (Apr 2, 2009)

I did use him for breeding Cindy and your thinking is right about producing daughters that milked well and his sons too produced daughters that milked really well. He came from a line that had consistency in the milk bucket as well as show confirmation. We used him almost exclusively when we had our commercial dairy and I recall several made their milking stars as FF's. The problem is for me he spoiled me: When I first got started in Alpines I wanted a buck that came from excellent bloodlines in the milk pail and in the show ring so I bought him. He set the standard for me and it's hard to find bucks like him that worked well with different bloodlines and produced results.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

My first buck, an Alpine, had a very nice udder with well placed teats and milk. Freaked me right out, I had only had goats for about 6 months when I got him. The breeder explained that she has been breeding for production and udder strength for so long that some of her bucks from his blood line did indeed produce milk. She suggested leaving it alone, which was fine with me. The thought of putting a buck on the milk stand twice a day was not my idea of fun. 

He never had problems, though the udder would get hard when it was full.

His daughters were incredible milkers, with beautiful udders. A lot were precocious milkers. Like Bernice, he totally spoiled me for any future sires. The breeder sold out due to health reasons so those bloodlines are gone (that was also 30 years ago!).


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

They dont have udders gals, it's simply a blown teat with the teat on the end of it  I have two bucks that milked. I would really watch those hard teats though, Eric nearly died from mastitis. Vicki


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

I have had several milking bucks too. None that we had to milk out, but boy some of them had big ol ta-tas! I had one in the show ring, and the judge was like - well, he is easy to check!


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## SecoCreek (Jan 27, 2010)

But...were they hard? That is my concern.

Thanks


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## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes, they were when they were full. If you are worried - get him milked out and put a tube of mastitis med up each side.


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## NPgoats (Mar 18, 2010)

This is so weird! My Alpine buck just started this about a month ago and I didn't notice it right away. It's nice to know that it's not a horribly bad thing. I thought I had a buck that had a huge genetic flaw. I was ready to scrap him. But what everyone is saying is that it is a good thing and he will make good milker daughters. OK thanks for the heads up. I'm sure he's smiling and relieved that he's not on death row any more! lol
Linda


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