Is my yearling pregnant and will my 4yo raise her own kids?

[Didgery]

Hi! We have three Saanen does - one 2 year old purchased in milk this spring, and two purchased last summer and bred in the fall. Our 4 year old doe has had three sets of triplets for her former owner but hasn't ever raised her own kids. She's due to kid this weekend (and she's HUGE!). Our yearling is supposedly due late May but it's hard to know whether she's pregnant or not.

We'd like to let the girls raise their own babies, but have some concerns about whether Missy (age 4) will retain her mothering instinct after three years of having kids taken away at birth. Do you think it's likely that she'll need extra help getting started, or that she might reject her kids entirely? Right now she's big but has no discharge or swelling and her behavior is normal so I don't think she's very close to kidding. I haven't quite figured out how to feel for ligaments around her tail head.

Finally, if anyone has any tips on recognizing signs of pregnancy in our not-too-big yearling, please share! Her udder has grown from nothing to something, but it's certainly not huge. It's about this size of a mango, and her teats are small but noticable - about an inch and a half long and thicker than a pencil. I can't feel anything along her flanks and her abdomen doesn't look any bigger than normal. Her behavior is normal and she seems playful and energetic. We saw her bred twice on one day (Dec.2) and the buck definitely did good work. We didn't see any signs of heat the next month, but otherwise there's nothing making me think she's pregnant.

TIA for any advice!

[cjb]

I'm betting that your 4yo will do fine but I would watch carefully to be sure that you're available when she delivers, in case she doesn't clean the kids and sever the chord. Once she gets a good look and lick at her new babies, she'll likely be fine.

I have had Moms that don't look pregnant up until delivery so, if you didn't see another heat cycle, she's probably pregnant. You could have a vet or experienced goat person 'bounce' her to see if they feel a baby in there. If its her first time, she might just be having one anyway so not showing much.

Good luck!

[nubiansinny]

The 4yr should be fine just keep an eye on her in the begining.
If the yearlings udder has changed at all, she's bred. Some don't get very big their first time and it will get bigger when her milk comes in.If she's not due for another month you will see some more growth just before she goes
good luck