Caked Breasts

Cause:
Either the milk is not being used fast enough by the young, or an injury has occured

Symptoms:
Breasts are caked and congested, firm, and greatly enlarged. Hard knots my form at the sides of the nipple often breaking open showing dried milk.

Treatment:
Remove the milk by stripping the teat with your thumb and finger. In extreme cases, you may have to lance the gland, irrigate with peroxide and apply an antibiotic ointment.


At any time during pregnancy or within a few days after kindling caked breasts can develop. Usually occurring when there are too few kits in the litter to consume the milk, or with a heavy milk producing doe.

A day or two following kindling a doe should be examined and if the udder is firm and feverish to the TOUCH, the ration should be reduced and supplemented with some succulent green feed for a few days.

Stripping the teat is generally necessary since it is sensitive to the touch. A doe will generally refuse to allow her kits to nurse, because it hurts.

If stripping the teat is not possible, it may be necessary to lance the lumps. Most of the time nature takes care of this and it breaks open itself. Irrigate with peroxide and apply an antibiotic ointment. If the doe has 5 or 6 good teats left she will be able to nurse future litters.

You should always remove kits from a doe gradually, especially in heavy milkers, and rebreed does two weeks before weaning time. This will help prevent caked breasts from forming.
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