How can I tell if.....

BubbleTea · #1 03/30/05, 12:41 PM

I bought a goat about 4 weeks ago that was due "anytime".....her udder had been swelling and has now stopped swelling and is pretty big....for about 2 weeks now her sides have been caved in like she is dropping....but no babies.
Is this normal?? We have wondered if she aborted them...misscarage...are there any signs to know if these are possibilities?

If anyone would have some insight into this I would be very grateful....
God Bless....
Kathryn

debitaber · #2 03/30/05, 01:10 PM

sounds about right. now just start watching her close. her bag will get really shiny, and she will kid. Ithink it shouldn't be to much longer. maybe a couple of weeks, if that.

TexCountryWoman · #3 03/30/05, 05:37 PM

Each goat is an individual. One of mine bags up a month in advance and looks like she will burst. Another doesn't. One hollows out in her sides and looks like she has dropped and is ready to deliver well in advance of delivery and another just up and has her babies without much warning. I keep breeding records and all of these does are on schedule. Personality change is a good indicator if you are very attached and close to your goats. They will call to you and you will know (sometimes).

eggladyj · #4 03/31/05, 01:43 AM

If she is that close to giving birth I would think you would have 'found' something or at the least see some discharge coming from her back side if she lost the babies.

One of my girls had me guessing tons even though I knew when she was bred! This was her second kidding so I didn't have alot of history on how she would do. She started having discharge about a month before her due date and about two weeks before she dropped and got really hollow, thought for sure she was going to go early....but no! She kidded last Friday, Good Friday

it was indeed!, to two hefty bucklings! Would have liked to get a girl from her but, that's the way it goes!

Just watch her close, real close and take note of anything different from the time before you looked in on her. Sounds like she could go anytime!

Jeannine

bethlaf · #5 03/31/05, 07:12 AM

as everyone has already said, every goat is different,
i have a goat that looks like she has swallowed a couple of large pumpkins,
but still shows no signs of kidding, and since shes a senior doe ( shes 8) the ligaments dont work well, hers are always kind of sprung due to her age, and i dont know if she is gonna bag up or not, right now it seems like i am a lot more impatient about it than she is

Beth

MoBarger · #6 03/31/05, 07:23 AM

She'll tell you when it is time. Those goats don't read the same books we do so they don't know what they are supposed to do :haha:
If it is not her first kidding I really wouldn't give it too much thought, she'll take care of it just fine 9.8 times out of 10! ANd now that we are out of the cold weather you have less to worry about too.
Good luck and show us pix when the kids pop out!

dale anne · #7 03/31/05, 10:42 AM

Howdy I agree with everyone...I had to wait a month for my gal Maddie[nubian} to kid...she started showing mucus a few weeks ago and just the other day I checked and rechecked on her seen a lil mucus in the morning but she wasnt acting like she was in labor or anything so went about my chores...checked again at 5 o clock...no mucus this time she way chewing on hay and looking at me like what the heck ya want now...I went into the house and fell alseep hubby came home at 6 o clock running into the house screaming she had them she had them!...gave us 2 lil bucklings...ran out to check and again the brithing didnt seem to bother her one bit....she looked at me with a gleam in her eyes that said thought ya was gonna catch me giving birth didnt ya?....everyone is doing wonderful....the boys names are Tremblay's blond shamrock and Tremblay's kaleidoscope dreams...watch her close she should throw her kidds soon...just about the time ya take yer eyes off her lol...Dale Anne