pregnant goat

autimarie513 · #1 08/13/12, 09:01 PM

Hi, I am pretty new to goats, just got my first pair of Alpine Does back in May. When I got my girls the previous owner told me that Daisy was pregnant and due end of July early August. Well here we are mid August and still no babies. This would be her second kidding. About 3 weeks ago I was able to try to milk her and some milk squirted out. Now she wont let me get close enough to try again. About 3 days ago she had some white mucous coming out her rear area, but nothing since. I know they will come when they are ready but I am getting nervous something could be wrong? I will post some pics I took of her today.
pregnant goat - Goats

autimarie513 · #2 08/13/12, 09:03 PM

Alice In TX/MO · #3 08/13/12, 09:33 PM

Her girl parts will get loose and puffy looking when she's close. She's not really close. SORRY!

Do you have your milk stand built? It would help a lot to get her up on the milk stand for her feed every day. Get her used to you, the stand, being handled, etc.

autimarie513 · #4 08/13/12, 09:35 PM

does she appear to be pregnant? what would your guess be as to how far she is?

autimarie513 · #5 08/13/12, 09:36 PM

I dont yet, I have a plan for it, but am waiting for hubby to get a day off to get it built. thats a great idea though, will get on that asap!

Alice In TX/MO · #6 08/13/12, 09:42 PM

It's practically impossible to guess.

In the spring here, we post "guess the due date" pics.

If you think she might NOT be pregnant, you can draw blood and send it for testing.
Info here:
Goats Intro | BioTracking.com

Backfourty,MI. · #7 08/13/12, 09:49 PM

I would guess she's pregnant since if she wasn't & you haven't been milking her all along she wouldn't have an udder that big I wouldn't think. At least none of my does' would have an udder that size when they were dry.
I don't think she's ready yet though, like Alice said she's not puffy enough in the back end & her udder will get much bigger & really tight.

autimarie513 · #8 08/13/12, 10:56 PM

She was thin when we first got her and she had udders but no where near the size the are now. They filled up about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I'm not good at feeling the tail area for the cartilage, I always think its gone, but clearly it's not

well I guess it will be a waiting game, waiting for her is worse then waiting for myself to go into labor!

mrs.H · #9 08/14/12, 05:26 AM

Welcome to the wonderful world of no due date! There is
the does' secret code of honor is as old as goats themselves and is ultimately the species best kept secret. No Doe shall kid before its time. Its time being determined by the following factors:
1. No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all involved. Your owner?s house must be a wreck, their family hungry, and desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexistent.
2. ?Midwives? must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out. Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence means the time is getting close.
3. For every bell, beeper, camera, or whistle they attach to you, kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item. If they use an audio monitor, one good yell per hour will keep things interesting.
4. If you hear the words, ?She?s no where near ready. She?ll be fine while we?re away for the weekend.? Wait until they load the car, and then begin pushing!
5. Owner stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you?re getting close.
6. When you hear the words, ?I can?t take it anymore!? wait at least three more days.
7. You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are mandatory! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing your food around, and then walking away from it, and nesting are always good for a rise.
8. The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to wear that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for another day. Oh, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful wormings can also be avenged at this time.
9. If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when to have the kids, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe Storm warning is what you?re waiting for. In the heart of the storm jump into action! You have a good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching for a flashlight that works!
10.Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time someone comes into the barn to check you. Your barn mates will love you as the extra goodies fall their way too.

Remember this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly special goats are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a beautiful doeling to carry on the Doe Code of Honor for the next generation of those who wait.

Quote:

Originally Posted by autimarie513

She was thin when we first got her and she had udders but no where near the size the are now. They filled up about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I'm not good at feeling the tail area for the cartilage, I always think its gone, but clearly it's not

well I guess it will be a waiting game, waiting for her is worse then waiting for myself to go into labor!

mrs.H · #10 08/14/12, 05:31 AM

Here is a must see video for new goat owners, who are expecting kids with out a due date!

Alice In TX/MO · #11 08/14/12, 07:11 AM

As you are approaching kid delivery, there's a few things to be sure of:

Do you have a good, loose, high copper mineral out for your goats? They can't do well on smooth salt blocks.

Have you copper bolused?
It helps reduce Barber Pole worms, helps skin, coat, and hoof condition, and is necessary for overall health.

Have you given her a BoSe (selenium) injection? It helps prevent some kid issues, such as floppy kid syndrome.

Have a good dewormer on hand (such as Cydectin) to give her orally after she kids. The worms are simulated by the change in hormones when the doe kids, and she needs protection!

Hope these ideas help!

CaliannG · #12 08/14/12, 11:14 AM

If she started getting an udder in about 3-4 weeks ago, that meant she was approximately 15 weeks along, meaning you LIKELY have another 3-4 weeks before she kids.

The "white goo" she had was the mucus plug, does lose it before they go into labor. The problem is, they never keep that on a schedule! They can loose it 5 weeks before kidding, or 5 minutes before kidding.

Udder development, loss of plug, etc., means yes, she is pregnant. Some things to watch for that she is getting close:

Her back end will dip. The area between her spine and the base of her tail will go from bunny slope to expert only.

Her entire vulva area will get swollen and puffy.

Her udder will get VERY full, and tight. It is the tightness that makes it look shiny.

Also, when you see hooves sticking out of her hoo-haa, she is definitely close!

autimarie513 · #13 08/14/12, 01:07 PM

Well we were all wrong, daisy had a beautiful baby girl this morning! After deciding to give up waiting it happened! We thought forsure she had twins but it's been about 3 hrs and still only one. She already passed her placenta too. Mommy and baby are doing great, and we named her Summer. Will post pics soon!

CaliannG · #14 08/14/12, 01:40 PM

NOW you understand goats! See, we were all saying she wasn't close yet, and what did she do?

Without pictures, it didn't happen!

autimarie513 · #15 08/14/12, 02:26 PM

CaliannG · #16 08/14/12, 02:37 PM

Awwwww! The absolute adorableness! The.....

~THUNK!~

(Caliann has passed out from cuteness overload.)

mrs.H · #17 08/14/12, 08:41 PM

Wow you got off really light with the does secret code! And a doe to boot! (The extreme cuteness is super frosting on the cake!) Congrats!

Goat Servant · #18 08/14/12, 09:29 PM

This just cracks me up. Here you are asking questions get good feedback & doe goes ahead & kids, fooling everyone. She's got that Honor Code down, only in reverse.
Congrats on your pretty new doeling!

shelrox · #19 08/14/12, 09:51 PM

Her tail seems pretty solid still and she really doesnt look like anything has dropped back yet. Mine always drop their tails along with the puffiness and swelling. We are expecting another batch of kids near the end of the month and already our girls have milk bags but I have not tried to milk them. Wish you luck! Always seems like they will never get here and all we do is wait and wait.

Opps read on and saw the results, congrats!!

mrs.H · #20 08/15/12, 07:10 AM

Oh yeah, your milk stand just got bumped up on the priority list!