goats and birthing - help

[FarmerMack]

I have a question about goat birthing. I have a pygmy doe that gave birth back at the end of july and it was easier to tell when she was going to give birth than the Nubian/Saanen doe that seems to be ready to give birth now.
the Pygmy got huge, i could feel a head or a butt when i checked her abdomen. she seems to loose her appetite, and she suddenly didnt want anything to do with me.

Well the Nubi/Saanen seems to have lost her appetite in the last few days, moved off by herself into a small hay shack i have in the goat pen. She still will let me pet her head but as soon as i try to check her abdomen she backs away from me. she is 6 years old and never has had any kids as of yet that i know of.
questions are,
is she close to the time?
how soon after a doe secludes herselve from the herd do they give birth?
and how can one tell if the kid(s) has dropped into the birthing canal on a nubian/saanen mix.

Farmer Mack - a kinder gentler Farmer

 

[helmstead]

Well because not all does get reclusive...that doesn't tell me much.

You should see her belly drop. Also, their rear legs can get 'posty' where it looks like there's no angle to the hock.

Most of all you need to learn to check her ligaments. Do you know anything about this? If all you can do is visually LOOK...then you'll notice her hind end around the femur and butt look poor suddenly - as if she were emaciated. The muscling sinks in, the bones get protrusive and her tail head will look raised.

 

[FarmerMack]

Quote:
She is not normally reclusive so it seemed to be a change in her normal behavoirisms. I wil look for the other signs you have mentioned. As for checking her ligaments not sure how to do that. I did move her into a place in the barn where she won't feel the need to hang out in the small hay shack as the wind chills have been brutal for that last few days, I figure wet kid = frozen kid. she seems content to lay under the heat lamp i set up in the barn for her on a bed of hay

 

[helmstead]

Here's a good link regarding ligaments (CAUTION annoying music!)

http://www.tyny.com/ligaments.html

 

[FarmerMack]

Quote:
thanks that should help and your right about the annoying music LOL. My pygmy doe is 8 and from what the pervious owner told me she has been pregnant every heat since her first, guess she had experience at birthing. I worry about mabel since i think it's her first. hoping for a doe as mamma goat had pgymy 2 bucks back in july, i still have no cash

Nice looking herd you have Helmstead

 

[helmstead]

Good luck. I am always able to tell by ligaments...soon as it gets mushy back there...you're within hours.

Thanks for the compliment!

 

[FarmerMack]

Quote:
I checked not mushy but she appreciated the massage, which is what is turned into.

She such a sweet friendly doe, maybe i'm just worrying to much because of the sudden change in her normal nature

 

[Chatychick]

I agree with Kate there...I have some that dont like being petted till it gets really close to time, and I have some that truly love being petted and all the attention and turn into a real stinker when its getting time. So all goats are different but I have 1 that will hold it till I come out in the morning and start yelling her head off at me, and she is 1 that loves loving and as she gets further along she is very standoffish...
Good luck sounds like she may be getting close as some like to be alone when they do this. Most of mine dont...

 

[hollyk]

I don't have much experience to draw on, I have one boer that I thought was going to kid a month ago and she just keeps teasing me and getting bigger. We bought her pregnant and don't have a good due date. However, I did find some great info on birthing with picturese That helped me a bunch. www.fiascofarm.com is the website and there is lots of good info there. Especially for milk goats.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[reallemons1]

I feel too for the loose ligaments. Also about at the base of the tail, when the bones pretty much seperate she will be about 24 hours. After that I look for the discharge 'goo string'.