Have any of you heard of a buck goat giving milk? Does this happen very often?

-- Bettie Ferguson (jobett@dixie-net.com), March 26, 2001

Answers

Hi Bettie,

Yes, I have and have one who will. It usually means he is from very heavy milk producing lines generally. I had heard of them in the past, however, last summer i noticed our registered Alpine Buck had slightly swolen teats. I checked, sure enough, he squirted milk. Don't milk them, just watch and monitor him for masititis.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), March 27, 2001.

Yes they do , mastitis can be a big problem .I know of a woman who had to have the glands removed on her buck .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), March 27, 2001.

Our foundation buck also milked. I in hindsight should have treated him just like I do now does with percoscious udders, which are either hormonal or mastitis. Eric got mastitis in one half of his "udder" and then after a brief illness from the mastitis, had a rock hard "udder" on the one side that looked very much like a third testicle. He had only one son with this trait and we would milk him out before rut (which was when he would fill with milk also) and infuse his teats with dry cow. I agree that it is a trait in goats with a hereditary will to milk. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 27, 2001.

Wow, I learn something new every day on this forum! When I read the title of this thread I thought it was going to be a joke, I had no idea that buck goats actually could produce milk on occasion. When I was a kid my dad used to tease us and tell us that if we weren't good he would send us out to milk the bull. :-)

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), March 27, 2001.

Milk is milk and then there is the white stuff that you can squirt out of a buck's teat; purported to be milk by those who have answered. The real question is if any of us have ever had the guts to let that stuff anywhere near our gullet. I know I would probably never try it. Not that this post negates any of the good advice given earlier...

-Mike

-- Mike Olson (olsonmr@yahoo.com), March 29, 2001.

Mike its milk. I know their is a story about a man who sells this stuff, of course the story that goes along with it is that it is an aphrodesiac or something (but of course :) Even human males can be born with milk in their breasts. This (in goats) is all hormonally caused, doesn't effect thier potency as males (Eric was collected for AI when he was 8, with good, viable, healthy sperm) We didn't show Eric because of this, now to find out he would not have been discounted for it. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 29, 2001.