[MamaDee]

When do a doe's ligaments start softening before labor? I know when they are gone, labor is within 12 hours or so.....

I have been checking Lightning every day and know what they feel/felt like. Today they are not gone...but they are down deeper and the whole area back there feels squishier. But if I try, I can still feel them. Is this just a sign that she is getting closer to the day? The earliest she is due is 8 days. Do the legaments go away completely when the 12 hour thing applies?

I looked at the Fiasco site and pics, but I still don't know when the softening starts.

Thanks!

Dee

 

[pookshollow]

In my experience, each goat is different (not what you want to hear, I know!)

Angel, my NubianX, lost her ligaments about three weeks before she kidded. That was fun, because I had two possible due dates for her. Tiara, my FF Saanen, lost her ligaments about 2 hours before she kidded. Before that, they were as tight and hard as could be.

Keep an eye on her, and good luck.

 

[Caprice Acres]

Mine tend to 'soften' the day before and are gone totally the day she kids. But, even with 'lost' ligaments, you can still find them if you try hard enough.

 

[Idahoe]

I had goats do it differently, too. Some gradually softened which drove me nuts even though I had an exact due date. It was the "broken tail" head look they get that was a constant. Others kept tight ligaments until the last minute, I swear.

One goat had tight ligs the day she kidded. I went out to check on the newborns late that night and she was grunting out twins, no warning. She didn't even bag up until a day after kidding.

My experience is very limited, one kidding season, but I did get to watch seven does do their thing. Another sign that I needed to run and get towels and Betadine was that staring look, the yawning and pawing at the ground. They fall asleep between contractions just like I did when my kids were about ready to be born. A goat that looks rather wide eyed one moment and sleepy the next told me it was time.

 

[MamaDee]

It was the "broken tail" head look they get that was a constant. Others kept tight ligaments until the last minute, I swear>>>

whats the broken tail head look?

Dee.

 

[Idahoe]

Oops, I didn't check this post, sorry.

I think there is a pic on Fiasco . . . my internet is slow right now otherwise I'd check. It's easy to see . . . look at another unpregnant doe at how her tail begins on her spine. When a goat is very close the base of the tail looks much lower, like the angle is much sharper.

One goat had basically no ligs for days, and I thought her udder was going to pop. Then on the day she kidded the base of her tail dropped way down, and the rest of her tail was angled upward. Then I could put my fingers deep into where the ligs were. She kidded about 3pm.

 

[MamaDee]

Thanks, everyone!

And thanks, Idahoe, for the description...it helps alot. I don't think she is close yet. Her ligaments are the same--and she is acting the same. Still eating...still walking around normally. She does follow me around like a little puppy now, which is sooooo cute!

This will be our first goat baby--I am very excited!

Dee