In order to regularly receive high-quality milk, the goat’s udder must be well looked after and prevented from inflammatory and infectious diseases. When purchasing animals, you should pay attention to the structure of the milking organ: it must have an anatomically correct shape with symmetrical nipples, without ulcers or cracks. If signs of disease appear on the udder, you need to contact a veterinarian, who will determine the diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.
Description
The udder is the organ in which milk is stored in a goat. It is important that the milking organ:
- was without defects;
- had symmetrically located nipples;
- was of the correct shape;
- had no signs of illness or injury.
A goat's udder produces milk just like a cow's. The organs of these animals differ slightly: in a goat it consists of two halves separated by an internal membrane, having an autonomous circulatory and nervous system, and a single nipple extending from each. Each half is functionally independent of the other.
Udder device
The udder consists of 3 types of tissue:
- glandular, in which milk is produced;
- connective, surrounding gland that gives shape to the organ;
- ducts that remove the secretion formed.
Milk synthesis occurs in the alveoli, which make up the glandular tissue. Internal alveolar cells take nutrients from the blood and convert them into liquid for feeding the kids.
A healthy goat's milk is white and contains no blood. Properly functioning alveoli, having accumulated secretions, remove them through the ducts after a signal from the brain. In cross-section, glandular tissues look like a bluish-red loose mass. The structure of the nipple is simpler: it consists of several layers of skin superimposed on each other. The secretory ducts, descending along the nipple, narrow. At the end there is a sphincter that holds secretions and relaxes when the goat is milked or when the kid feeds.
It is believed that goats with large veins in the udder produce more milk. In fact, such a feature often indicates the development of varicose veins in an animal.
Breast shape
Normally, the nipples are oval, emerge symmetrically from the halves, and are located closer to the front. In a healthy condition and the correct structure of milking, the process of obtaining milk takes no more than 5-10 minutes. Goats that produce a lot of milk:
- udder is spherical;
- nipples are not too large;
- the direction of the nipples is vertical and slightly angled;
- nipples are moderately elongated.
You should not buy a goat with a saggy udder and irregularly shaped teats. She won't produce much milk.
Proper care
If the abundance of milk is determined by the shape of the udder, then the quality is determined by the health of the organ and regular care for it. The diseased organ produces milk with a sour taste and a low percentage of lactose and fat. It quickly becomes unfit for consumption and is not suitable for the production of dairy products. Caring for a goat's udder includes 3 mandatory activities:
- Wash before every milking. Use warm water. After the procedure, the udder is thoroughly dried with a clean towel. To prevent cracks from forming, you can treat the skin with baby cream.
- Massage is a procedure performed after washing. It helps improve blood circulation in tissues, resulting in more abundant milk production. Each half of the organ is massaged separately. With hands lubricated with cream, lightly rub the halves, then pat and gently knead. The actions are repeated 5 times.
- Lubricating with vegetable oil is a procedure that helps prevent the appearance of cracks and ulcers due to drying out of delicate and sensitive skin.
Possible problems
A healthy udder is hairy, the teats are pink, without bumps, nodes, tumors, ulcers, cracks and rashes. Organ diseases can be inflammatory, infectious, or associated with improper care and maintenance. If a goat has an infection, it must be isolated from the livestock. Possible goat udder diseases:
- Mastitis is an infectious inflammatory disease that occurs either in a dairy goat or when the animal is in a draft, cold, damp, or unsanitary conditions. The udder completely or partially hardens and becomes painful. The milk becomes tasteless and acquires a cheesy-watery consistency. In the acute form of the disease, pus is noticeable in the milk, the goat’s temperature rises, and the back of the body swells. Urgent assistance from a veterinarian is required; he prescribes antibiotics and external ointments to relieve symptoms.
- Swelling of the mammary glands is a consequence of impaired blood circulation in the capillaries. The problem is often observed in pregnant and postpartum goats. The udder swells, making milking difficult. For prevention, juicy and sour foods and salt are removed from the diet of a pregnant goat, and the portion of hay is increased. The secretion is milked from the swollen udder every 3 hours, after which the organ is gently massaged. And after milking, a medicinal ointment is applied to restore blood circulation, for example, Troxevasin.
- Furunculosis is a bacterial pathology accompanied by the appearance of lump-shaped inflammations filled with pus. After about a week, the boils rupture, the pus comes out, and dry scars remain in their place. You cannot milk a goat: firstly, it is painful for her, and secondly, drinking contaminated milk is dangerous. The causes of infection are failure to comply with sanitary standards in the barn or hypovitaminosis in the animal. The goat is treated with penicillin and streptomycin antibiotics. Closed boils are smeared with ichthyol ointment, opened boils are sprinkled with streptocide.
- Smallpox is a viral disease accompanied by fever and rashes in the form of blisters and pustules on all parts of the body. A sick goat refuses to eat, its eyelids swell, and mucus leaks from its nose.If there are no complications, the pet recovers after about 3 weeks. Treatment is symptomatic, using iodine and zinc ointment. You can drink milk, but only boiled milk.
- Papillomas are benign neoplasms that resemble warts in humans. They do no harm and sometimes disappear on their own. To remove papillomas, the goat's udder is lubricated 3 times a day with a product made from 10 g of salicylic acid, the same amount of lactic acid and 80 ml of collodion.
Many farmers cull goats born with extra teats, and in vain. This feature is not a defect, and a unique goat can produce a lot of milk. Cracks in the udder are not uncommon on large farms where compliance with sanitary standards is difficult. The wounds are lubricated with antiseptics and ointments that accelerate healing. Nimble goats can injure the udder. The bruised area hardens. The pet's temperature may increase. The problem is not terrible: the sore spot is carefully massaged and a warm compress is applied to it.
