Now what?

[christie]

So I brought my doe to get bred again tonight... again an hour away!! This is the story
I marked down her heat when she is all a mess and goopy down there her tail is wet and sometimes has alot of white discharge. I count out 19-20 days and wait for the next heat. So in November I bring her to her man and she resisits him but with restraint let him mount her. The owner of the buck says he got her but he didn't do his heas thing that he normaly does but that he got her. So I pay the lady doughting that anything took. so 19 days later I am looking for a heat and I don't see one... No signs at all.. which give me hope!
So this past Monday my other doe goes into heat and I take her dfor the long drive to see the buck. I bring the 1st doe along for the ride to keep the second quiet in the back of my mini van!. So the buck does #2 doe... w/ his does head thing. So I figured while I was there with #1 doe to try her too for haha's. I know that her heat isn't for another week if she even has one but were there why not. So we put #1 in he instantly jumps her and does his head thing, she lets him do it 2xs.
So this mourning... I go out and find #1does tail all wet white and sticky, and her wagging it like crazy. So I assume since this is the day she is suppose to go into heat that she is. So up to the bucks we go. We get there she desperately wants nothing to do with him. Can't be restrained and he never get her at all. And frankly he lost interest in her fairly soon. Which all other times he is very persistent. So the lady thinks she was in heat Monday and not today. Tells me the counting of days really doesn't matter. that I just don't know when she is in heat, and that she is already bred!

So now what? Do I wait for April to see if Nov. Breeding took.... and if not then wait till June to see if that took? Do I Just assume she wasn't in standing heat and bring her back up there tomorrow... looking like a nut!
How do I know if she really is in heat?

And how come there isn't a pregnancy test for goats? I mean come on and can't be that complicated for someone to come up w/ one!! Why all the waiting and guessing?
Frustrated,
Christie

[Tracy in Idaho]

There is a very simple pregnancy test for goats. http://biotracking.com

It costs a mere $7.50 -- pull a vial of blood, put it in the mail and you 'll have results the same week. They need to be 28 days past breeding before you pull blood.

Tracy

[hoofinitnorth]

Per their email to me this week, Biotracking is now requesting 30 days post breeding before testing a goat. They said "certain breeds" are more sensitive to the test but I did not get an answer from them on *which* breeds.

[powderhooves]

Someone, I can't remember who...maybe a jokster, told me you can use a human pregnancy test strip bought in the grocery store. Maybe they just wanted to imagine me running around trying to catch one of the girls peeing.

[catdance62]

the human test does not work....I tried when I first had goats! HA!!

[hoofinitnorth]

The human test looks for human-specific hormones so no, it won't work on goats. Biotracking is very easy and affordable and they have all the tutorials on their site (even a link to 9-year-old showing you how to pull blood from the goat). I did not test for pregnancy last year but I didn't think I needed to. I was lucky and the girls did take and did "look" pregnant and build udders so I just went on my merry way for my first year. This year, at least three of the six I have bred look pregnant but the other three I am not sure about. Two of these other three will be first fresheners and the third is a doe with VERY quiet heats. They are all trying to throw me off too by wagging their tails now and then and sometimes looking a bit swollen in the rear. I haven't seen a clear heat, so I *think* they are bred but I am not going to guess and I want time to put them back with the buck in case they did not take. Soooo, today I am pulling blood and sending it to biotracking. Fun, fun, fun!