Goats Bred or Not?

[Beorn]

Hi all this is actually Beorn's wife posting this. I have been reading over the goat forum here for weeks trying to garner info on goat pregnancy. We have two does born Jan/Feb of last year and one buck. We have housed them together continuously and last fall/early winter the girls seemed to go into heat and our buck Stuart MacIntosh was very interested in them. We never actually saw the girls stand for him, but we assumed since they were always together, the girls would be bred. Here we are April, the girls look 'heavy' and pregnant but maybe it's just because I want them to be, and I have read you cannot tell if a goat is pregnant by looking at her. Their teats have gotten larger and their udders feel like they are developing a little, but never having had goats before I don't know if this is just their normal development and it has nothing to do with pregnancy? It seems every other day they have pink vulvas, the next day they are pale again. Any way to know if these girls are due to kid or not?

[pookshollow]

From all the signs, I think you've got kids on the way. Their udders don't develop unless they're pregnant - they're not like humans that way.

Will they stand for you to feel their bellies? If they're six weeks or less away from kidding, you might be able to feel the babies kicking. You want to put your hand flat on her lower right side, sort of in front of her udder. They're not kicking constantly, so you might want to wait for a while - it will feel like a flutter, or when they're bigger, little elbows poking out.

[Minelson]

I agree with pookshallow, try to feel for kicking on the right side. I was having trouble getting my goat to stand still when I was feeling her...then I discovered I could scratch her with one hand and then just hold my other hand on her right side and she would stand still. She liked being scratched in the arm pit Also, in the morning when her rumin was smaller from not eating all night (left side) I could see that the right side with the babies was bigger than left side. I know it's hard because you are so "focused" and "aware" of everything...I went through the same thing because I didn't have a due date and it's VERY frustrating. If you look back on some of my posts late Nov and Dec you will find some pictures of my Gretta while pregnant. You will also find lots of craziness, frustration and freaking out on my part! Kind of embarrassing, but I am what I am

[Backfourty,MI.]

Ditto on babies coming, now to figure out when. I would keep a definate close eye on them & watch for any changes, especially their udders & ligaments softening. Also restlestness, more noisy, not wanting to eat(some still eat like pig's), losing mucus plug or goo, their bellies will change to in shape like the babies posistioning themselves.
Also, I would not keep the buck in with the doe's when getting close to delivery, during or after. Can you house him seperate with another friend?

[Beorn]

Our buck is very gentle and sweet, they have never been apart. Will he be aggressive to the kids?

[pookshollow]

Separate the buck. When the does are close to kidding, they give off an odour like they were in heat, and the buck may try to breed them. He can hurt them - hormones, dontcha know!

[Farmerwilly2]

if it helps any we bought one of your girls last fall, she dropped a young buck in mid Feb. Just so you know Stuart is not shooting blanks so to speak. How did Andrews bees fair over the winter?

[Beorn]

Well this is reassuring, and I have seen Stuart 'misbehaving' lately toward the girls. I thought perhaps they were in heat again. I think it will make him very upset to separate them but we will, for safety' s sake. Thanks all for the info.

Farmerwilly2, I think you are confusing us with someone else, Stuart was born early 07 and these are our first goats. My husband Beorn, aka Michael, does keep 2 hives and one hive made it through strong and feisty. This is the first time we've overwintered hives successfully and he is very, very pleased. Thanks for asking anyway!