How far will a doe go to let you think she is pregnant?

deetu · #1 04/13/08, 08:07 PM

All my does looked extremely big this season. It was a warm winter, there were probably more worms because after kidding, I wormed and their tummies finally dropped to normal.

Anyway, one doe was large, valva was swollen, she was pawing a bit, kept looking to the new babies that had been born, didn't really have a bag (but she didn't drop her bag two years ago either but had triplets) tendon seemed smaller. Never saw a plug fall. Kept her in all night, checking her. Next morning, let her out to get excercise, watching her for when she was ready. In the afternoon, she looks smaller, vulva isn't as large, not acting like she is going to kid anymore.

At first I thought maybe she kidded in the field.

But she never had a discharge. Vulva went back to normal and she is showing no signs of being pregnant anymore. If it was a false pregnancy, would she go all that way? I really thought she was going to be the second one to pop with all the signs and the way she was acting.

I am trying to decide whether to cull her or not. Two years ago, she had triplets but her bag never fell. One I sold as a bottle baby, one grew okay but one died during the night. Last year none of my does got pregnant (bad buck) so it has been two years of no kids for her. I thought I read somewhere that if they don't have kids for a couple of years, they can't. Is that true?
She is 7 years old.

deetu · #2 04/14/08, 11:01 AM

Humm... no one?

mpete · #3 04/14/08, 11:26 AM

False pregnancies can happen in all animals... it is possible that she has done just that.I think that there would definitely be a mess on her behind if she had kidded. I don't know about the skipping seasons, but the breeder that I am buying my nubby from has a 12 year old doe that just kidded triplets. What breed do you have? There are a few breeds that come into season all year long (boers go every 21 days or so). Sorry I can't be of any real help... just kind of rambling...

RiverPines · #4 04/14/08, 11:30 AM

Some of my goats look like that when they are in heat.
Could it have been a heat cycle?

As for the age. I had a 5 yr old birth this year...her very first time!!
It may take longer to get an older one PG, but they dont go sterile at 7.
Skipping a few years should cause her to go sterile either.

deetu · #5 04/16/08, 01:29 PM

Okay, in answer to the question of how far a goat will go to make you think she is pregnant? The answer is have a doeling in the middle of the night without showing any signs of imminete kidding