Doe past all projected due dates, still pregnant!

[fillycate]

OK, so I bought this bred doe. I bought her because ALL my other does were due April 24th through May 18th. I wanted *someone* to freshen earlier than that! (Yes, soon we will definitely have more kids than we know what to do with whether we like it or not.)

Previous owner, a reputable and experienced breeder and shower, gives me two dates that breeding was observed on: March 13th and March 24th. Both dates passed without event. So, we figured maybe she missed this cycle and got in the next. Well, here we are and she is still preggers. Yes, I checked yesterday and there was good strong fetal movement. (Fetal "dancing" more like it!)

Previous owner is stymied. She says she's never been this far off with dates. Now, this doe is skitterish. She's in a new home, and twice now I've moved her in and out of the kidding pen. Poor girl. (At least I bought two of her doe friends to keep her company.)

Has anyone ever heard of a doe retaining her kids long after the due date and them living? At what point should I be concerned and do something? What exactly would I do?

[thaiblue12]

I went through this last year. My girls bagged up, got huge and NOTHING! In my case they were false pregnanices and a trio of weird girls ( mom and her daughters) all but one gone and that one might be going to her new home this week.
Anyway find out the date she was last with the buck, not when breeding was seen. Count 145-155 days from then. If you feel movement then they are still alive. Also if she is acting fine I would not worry. Goats do not like to follow the rules or dates.

This site has some good info and pictures.
www.fiascofarm.com

Hope you have babies soon

[mygoat]

Breeding was observed on March dates? if so, she's not due till August.

Yes, use the last day she was in with the buck as your reference, not the dates they 'saw' breeding done. Count from there as your latest. Check ligaments 2x per day, and if you want accurate dates from now on, hand breed any does when they come in season, don't just leave 'em in with the buck.

Also, I only let my does go MAX 5 days over. I usually induce on day 4 after duedate, so they usually kid on day 5 over. However I have exact dates for my girls. I find that most of my minis go early, while my full sizes go anywhere from early to 5 days over (induced this year).

[CountryHaven]

Inducing scares me for JUST this reason. Here she bought does from someone who is not a novice, and STILL there is a most likely misconception of when the doe was actually due. If she'd induced even on the second date, it would have late term aborted the kids. Then again, if it was a misunderstanding that the goats were BRED on those March dates, then it's a misunderstanding on the part of fillycate on when they were due, but you'd think the breeder would have said that rather than she was surprised cause she wasn't usually wrong about the dates, etc. If you are going to induce I think it's best that you are ABSOLUTELY sure when the dates were, as in the goat was handbred on only ONE cycle. The above sounds like she was pasture bred, or at the very very least hand bred over a number of cycles (but it sounds more like pasture breeding) and in that case, inducing is VERY dangerous. IMO

[northprairiegir]

I would say to just wait and see what happens. I would not induce anyone unless I had a for sure date when breeding took place and there were no other opportunities for breeding to have happened. I don't know what kind of a breeding program you have for your girls - but would it work for you to hand bred next year? I realize with this girl since you just bought her - it wouldn't have made a difference, but next year it may be easier to hand bred so you know exactly when the girls are due. My life is a lot less stressful knowing exact due dates for my girls. It has eliminated a lot of worry for me and is an easy thing to accomplish. Just a suggestion!

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

This is not a good candidate for induction, for the reasons stated above. Induction is for one day breeding or AI with no access to another buck, ever.

I have never had an overdo doe, I have only had wrong breeding dates written down.

If you are talking November 24th she was bred, than April 24th minus 2 days gives you today she should kid. Got a photo of this doe from the rear? Udder full and ready to kid?

Find out the date you took her off their place.
Did she have access to bucks on your farm?
Find out the other dates she had access to bucks on their farm.
If she has no udder than spend the $7 and draw blood to send to Bio-tracking to find out if she is indeed bred. Because honestly most folks hearing and feeling kids are talking about rumen sounds. Vicki

[fillycate]

I misspoke. The breeding dates were not in March, those were the two possible due dates given me by the previous owner based on the two dates she witnessed breeding happen. They are unusual intervals, though. That already seemed strange.

Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that there are babies in there. Rumens don't kick, nor do they send bony body parts rolling across the surface of the tummy. I brought these does home the first of March. I didn't want to waste any time getting them, because I was worried about the one's impending due date of March 13th. I wanted her to have time to get used to a new home! I bought her and two other does that day. All three definitely pregnant. The next one "in line" to kid has a due date of April 24th and is currently in the kidding pen along with another doe also due the 24th. The latter of those two has *very* soft ligaments and both girls have noticable bagging up. I can see both of them right now from my office window (where we set up the kidding pen.)

The one who was supposed to be due in March has had no change in her floppy udder and her ligaments have stayed the same. She is also skitterish and grinds her teeth a lot. I worry about her stress. It doesn't help that I've moved her in and out of a kidding pen twice already. The previous owner is very puzzled over all this.