How can we tell if our doe's are breed??

old timer · #1 01/03/05, 09:04 AM

We had a buck come over and visit from November 26 till December 21... He was a very busy guy most of the time however he was about 4 inches shorter than my doe's...LOL and we really never saw him do the deed... maybe he was able to get them to lay down and cuddle durring the night...LOL. Are there signs that we can look for this early to determine if the girls are pregnant?

Update on my wether who had worms... he has gained about 10 pounds since we started him on the wormer... he is doing great now... we waited 10 days and gave him another dose...per everyones advice along with the vet... gave him panacur for his last worming.

Thanks for your help and advice.
Greg and Jen

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #2 01/03/05, 01:52 PM

We had a buck come over and visit from November 26 till December 21... He was a very busy guy most of the time however he was about 4 inches shorter than my doe's...LOL and we really never saw him do the deed... maybe he was able to get them to lay down and cuddle durring the night...LOL. Are there signs that we can look for this early to determine if the girls are pregnant?
........................

Honestly the answer is no. When you start visiting the boards and you improve the diet of your goats, or start worming correctly, most goats start blooming, it's hard to tell that or pregnancy. Some young does will start maturing their teats, but then yearlings who are unbred wil do this just because they are maturing. A doe in milk will start to milk less, but than a doe who has never been asked to milk for a whole lactation would start drying up at that time anyway.

The longer the season goes, especially into Dec, Jan and Feb, heats turn nearly silent, rare even in Nubians to find a doe screaming at the fence for a buck, so even answering your question with the logical "yes, you can tell your doe is pregnant because she no longer is cycling" works well in the July, August and Sept, months, but not now.

Buy yourself a young buckling to use on your own goats next fall.

Most new folks don't have a confirmed pregnancy until the doe starts to udder up, in the case of does who don't udder much, who are super hairy and are not dairy clipped or who are poor milkers, the first clue of pregnancy is kids on the ground when you go out to do chores in the morning!

Vicki

susanne · #3 01/03/05, 03:22 PM

i have a little buck in the penn with my girls since middle of november. he also is smaller but i think somehow he managed to breed the bigger doe. she didn't came back in heat and the base of her udder feels a little bit firmer than from the other doe wich came back in heat two days ago. hopefully it's not wishfull thinking

wish you luck
susanne

lhopkins · #4 01/03/05, 05:48 PM

One way that has helped us determine is to check their rear-ends. But they really don't start to show until they are about 60 to 50 days from kidding, but I have found that the bred girls are loose and getting saggy in their "private"

area where the non-bred girls are tight.

Not an early clue but something.

If you want to spend money, there are labs where you send blood or milk and they do a pregnancy test.

Leslie

Laura Workman · #5 01/04/05, 10:41 AM

I can usually feel babies bumping around at 2-1/2 to 3 months pregnant, but it's hard to feel. They're tiny then, and feel like butterflies. I try not to quit milking until I can get a definite baby bump. That way I know the doe is pregnant and won't just be dry for a season.

Milking Mom · #6 01/04/05, 02:28 PM

Just thinking out loud here........ Vicki or Tracy or somebody might know the answer to this......

Could you use a home pregnancy test on female goats? I don't know what it is in human women's pee that makes the stick turn pink or blue or whatever color.... nor do I know what is in a doe's pee that could confirm pregnancy with a test. Has anybody ever tried it?

Tracy in Idaho · #7 01/04/05, 02:51 PM

No, apparently the human home test won't work.... I don't think the goats put out the stuff that it measures for -- or something like that

I have heard the test for horses will, but it's pretty expensive I think. Cheapest way is probably the blood test from BioTracking. $15.

Or ask around about ultrasounds....there is a fellow here that does it for $3 a goat plus a call charge.

Tracy

boren · #8 01/05/05, 08:45 AM

Hi old timer,

For sheep we use the rent-a-ram approach, for goats I just travel to someone with a buck (thanks SherrieC). The cost of keeping a buck simple doesn't make sense for me.

I thought I saw a doe come into heat 3 weeks ago that was supposed to be bred. A somewhat local vet does ultrasounds, and within a about 10 seconds we knew she was carrying a single. Cost was $35 for the callout and a couple bucks (haha) for each doe. Too bad I only needed 1 checked. Oh well.

susanne · #9 01/05/05, 09:12 AM

how long do they need to be pregnant before you can see something with ultrasound? and do the girls have to stand very quiet?
susanne

susanne · #10 01/06/05, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracy in Idaho

Or ask around about ultrasounds....there is a fellow here that does it for $3 a goat plus a call charge.

Tracy

i wish i would live near your place tracy. i called the vet and asked for an ultrasound. it cost about $40 to come out and $50 per goat

not an option for me.
susanne

boren · #11 01/06/05, 01:22 PM

$50/goat? It takes at most 30 seconds, maybe the jelly is really expensive in MI...

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #12 01/06/05, 01:47 PM

This is where joining your local goat club comes into play. Just quietly steer them in the direction that will help your farm. Ours has a local meeting place and an ultrasound clinic in the late fall for 5$ a head. I use the BioTracking like Tracy told you about when I have a doubt. This year our club will have a one day milk test...something I really want to do. Vicki