HELP - I think she was pregnant when I bought her!

Hello. I have a young female Nigerian Dwarf (Freya) and I think she may be pregnant. I bought her and her twin sister when they were about 3 months. Freya is about 5 months now and her utter has started to swell. Not a lot, but enough to notice. If she is pregnant, then her father is the father.

Can you guys look at these pictures and tell me what you think?? Is Freya pregnant? Her utters started to show up about 2 weeks ago, so how much time to you think she has left? If she is pregnant I hope she'll be alright as young as she is.

Looks pregnant to me, especially the way her vulva looks. The udder starts to develop in the last two months or so of pregnancy. While she really was too young to be bred, if you feed her really well both before and after she kids she should be fine. She will continue to grow. I once had a doeling kid at eight months which meant she was bred at three months. I am not proud of it but it happened and it was a complete surprise. Both she and the baby were fine and grew up to be nice big does. I'm guessing she has about a month to go.

cassie said:

Looks pregnant to me, especially the way her vulva looks. The udder starts to develop in the last two months or so of pregnancy. While she really was too young to be bred, if you feed her really well both before and after she kids she should be fine. She will continue to grow. I once had a doeling kid at eight months which meant she was bred at three months. I am not proud of it but it happened and it was a complete surprise. Both she and the baby were fine and grew up to be nice big does. I'm guessing she has about a month to go.

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Thank you so much for your reply. I read that too much grain is bad for a pregnant goat... that it can make birthing difficult? I don't my herd a lot of grain to start with anyway - just what little bit is mixed into their sweet feed treat.

Freya (and the other goats) get plenty of clean hay, pasture/brush, mineral block designed especially for goats, medicated goat pellets and fresh veggies and/or fruit a couple time a week too. I've had animals all my life but I have never had a pregnant goat. Is there any advice you think a first time goat midwife might need? I've been doing research for when the does are old enough to breed, but if you have any tips or pointers that you feel are vital I'd truly be grateful.

You want the goat to be in good condition but not fat. The problems you mentioned are from the animal being too fat, not from the grain itself. Your goat is going to need a fair amount of grain after she kids. She will need enough feed to support both milk production and growth. You have to use some sense. Increases in the amount of grain fed must be done slowly to avoid problems and you need to keep a close eye on her body condition. If she is thin she needs more and if she is fat she needs less.

If it were me, I would start feeding your pregnant doeling some grain now. Not a lot, but some. Because she is so young she needs to be able to support both her own growth and the growing kids. If she does not get enough feed, she will be stunted. I have no experience with Nigerians so I can't tell you exactly how much to feed. If she was a full sized goat I would work up to about a pound a day. Maybe half that for her. Remember though, start slowly and gradually increase the amount fed. If she starts to get fat, cut back.

cassie said:

If it were me, I would start feeding your pregnant doeling some grain now. Not a lot, but some. Because she is so young she needs to be able to support both her own growth and the growing kids. If she does not get enough feed, she will be stunted. I have no experience with Nigerians so I can't tell you exactly how much to feed. If she was a full sized goat I would work up to about a pound a day. Maybe half that for her. Remember though, start slowly and gradually increase the amount fed. If she starts to get fat, cut back.

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There is grain mixed in with the sweet feed they all get as a treat, so it should be a little easier to transfer her to grain. Gradually, yes, I will be careful not to upset her rumen. Thank you for that advice.

Exactly what is in your sweet feed? Read the label. The sweet feed I am familiar with is mixed grain with molasses.

cassie said:

Exactly what is in your sweet feed? Read the label. The sweet feed I am familiar with is mixed grain with molasses.

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I dump it into a water/air proof container and throw away the bag once a month. I'll have to look at the label next time I'm buy some. But I looked closely at the actual sweet feed and I think you're right.

Should I gradually switch her to plain grain for the duration of the pregnancy?

Chicken5555 said:

Should I gradually switch her to plain grain for the duration of the pregnancy?

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"Grain," when referring to livestock feed, does not literally mean just grains - like kernels of wheat, corn, milo, barley, etc. "Grain" is a generic term typically referring to a commercially prepared livestock feed, either species specific (i.e. goat feed or sheep feed) or an "all-stock" variety. Sometimes it is a sweet feed that is "textured" which means it has pellets AND processed grains in it - usually oats and/or corn, or "grain" can refer to a pelleted feed.

Confusing, isn't it?

No, you do not want to put your pregnant doe on a diet of straight unprocessed grain kernels - i.e. corn, barley, soybeans, etc. You DO want to have her on a species specific, i.e. goat, grain or feed that is balanced. I don't know where you are located in the US, but most feed stores will carry some sort of goat grain/feed. Just about every major manufacturer has a variety, and there are generics available, too.

Yes, you do want to make ANY changes in diet slowly.

It is always a good idea to at least save the tag from the bag of feed that you are using. It helps you make sure you get the same feed next time, and is especially helpful if you have someone picking up feed for you, or if a situation arises when a vet needs to know what you are feeding. You should never "not know" what you are feeding! Lots of grains/feeds look identical once they are out of the bag, and it could be deadly to feed the wrong type to the wrong animal. Sheep can die from copper toxicity if they eat non-sheep feed. Horses can die from eating ruminant feed that has monensin/rumensin/ionophores in it.