How early can you tell re. pregnancy?

cjb · #1 05/01/08, 07:34 PM

We let our does run with a buck for 4 weeks ending a couple weeks back, so some does could be as far along as 4 weeks or so. When you can you start to tell/suspect pregnancy? Two are milking so udder change on those two won't matter. Also, their heats (at this point) are not very noticeable so it can't be via that route.

Just anxious, of course. I'm sure that I could preg test them but I have not drawn blood and hate the thought of sticking them in the neck - especially the ND.

MisFitFarm · #2 05/01/08, 07:44 PM

I usually can't tell until they are at least three months or so. Have you ever done the "baby bump"?

sungirl · #3 05/01/08, 07:59 PM

If you are very good at watching them I can tell with older does by the third month. FF's seem to get larger at 2 months, (But one must remember I have been breeding them for 12 years.)

cjb · #4 05/01/08, 08:04 PM

I have done the bump thing but its pretty touch and go for me.

Our Nigerian doe is about 11 months and very tiny. My son seems to think that she went into heat almost immediately (I was out of town) so she could be 4-5 weeks along. Believe it or not, she looks different. Maybe its a coincidence and she just got old enough to get that doe, lopsided look but her tummy juts out on the left more than the right. I can't imagine that she would show already but she is TINY.

CountryHaven · #5 05/01/08, 08:12 PM

Well, I"ve had some number of goats over the years, but I'll say that for me, (and I spend a lot of time just watchingthem and studying ever aspect of them) some I can tell really early they are obviously pregnant, and some barely look pregnant up until hooves come out, and I've always sucked at 'bumping'. 'Sometimes' I can 'feel' a baby, and there has always ended up being one, lol, so its not rumen I'm feeling. I have a doe that always barely looks pregnant, this year she finally did look pregnant at the very end, last couple weeks. The blood test is about the best bet for knowing for sure. For me, I just figure 5 months ain't that long to wait and find out, lol.

cjb · #6 05/01/08, 08:38 PM

Yeah, I can wait as well but there's always the decision to breed back if they're not etc.

Alrighty then, I'll wait.. grrr...

southerngurl · #7 05/01/08, 09:10 PM

Drawing blood is really not too hard. I did it for the first time this year. Goats have like water hoses for jugulars, easy!

I couldn't really tell mine were pregnant until about 3 months. When they start making an udder that helps.

goatsareus · #8 05/02/08, 05:28 AM

I can't tell until about 5 weeks before delivery. Or, to put it another way, 3 months 3 weeks along.