How can I tell if my goat is prego?

[BladesAngel]

Hello everyone! I am new to this site and I have a crazy question. My husband and I just recently aquired a new "yard decoration" as I like to call it We bought a goat from a neighbor of ours. He did not have her for very long, but was told that she could possibly be prego?! We have had her for a week now and I have never had goats before, but she was just too cute to say no to. What do I need to look for to know for sure if she is pregnant other than kids running around? She did look kinda round when we got her but now she looks like her belly is more saggy under her belly than round on the sides. Please , someone help..... I am new to this whole goat thing

 

[michellemire]

Have you notice if she has a udder developing that's a good sign that she is breed

 

[suzettex5]

Can I just say, goats are herd animals, and very much need a companion goat. It's. Sad lonely life for a single goat...

That said, did the person you got her from, see her get bred? Any idea of when it may have happened? Pregnancy is about 5 months long.
And udder should begin to show, at about 4 months preg, but varies by individual goat. An udder getting big is a sure sign of pregnancy.

There are many ways to test...blood test, urine test, X-ray, ultrasound.

At home, you can 'bounce' test, or look at the 'pooch'... You can find YouTube videos for bouncing test, and the pooch test, you can google for info as well.

The pics you have don't show enough. Get a up close pic of her udder, from the rear. Show her sides, babies are held on the right side, rumen on the left (in general)

 

[Stacykins]

Can I just say, goats are herd animals, and very much need a companion goat. It's. Sad lonely life for a single goat...

That said, did the person you got her from, see her get bred? Any idea of when it may have happened? Pregnancy is about 5 months long.
And udder should begin to show, at about 4 months preg, but varies by individual goat. An udder getting big is a sure sign of pregnancy.

There are many ways to test...blood test, urine test, X-ray, ultrasound.

At home, you can 'bounce' test, or look at the 'pooch'... You can find YouTube videos for bouncing test, and the pooch test, you can google for info as well.

The pics you have don't show enough. Get a up close pic of her udder, from the rear. Show her sides, babies are held on the right side, rumen on the left (in general)

I think you misunderstand the purpose of a 'bounce' test. It is not to determine is a goat is pregnant. It is to determine, in an actively laboring goat, if she has any kid left to go. Meaning if she pops out a kid, you 'bounce' her to feel for any remaining kids. If you don't feel anything, you know she is done. Especially useful if labor stalls and you need to figure out if you need to go in and pull a kid.

And yes, goats are very much herd animals. BladesAngel, plan on adding another goat to your little herd. It is actually cruel to keep an animal that is a herd animal alone. Their health and wellbeing is put in jeopardy from the stress of being without another herdmate. Chickens, ducks, dogs, and people (unless a person lives with the goat/sleeps with them) don't count as a herd. Because she is female, you will want to get another female or a wether (a castrated male) to be a companion.

 

[suzettex5]

Yes, the ounce test is used to see if there are any remaining kids, but, if you know your goat, and she isn't shy or stays relaxed, there is a spot, right in front of the udder on her belly, where, if you kinda poke it, it will be either tight or loose... Tight signals a full uterus and pregnant, loose signaling not pregnant. Once a person feels what I'm talking about, again, if the goat is used to people and doesn't tense up when being touched, they can tell the difference, and use it as another homemade way to detect pregnancy...

It takes time and patience and experience for this method. Kinda like the pooch test, it takes time and experience to get a feel for the procedure. There are a few videos on YouTube that show this method. I'm not great at it, but I've gotten a feel for it with some of my past goats. I usually go by udder development myself.

 

[BladesAngel]

Sorry that its been so long since my last post. Thanks for all the info. We did get her a little friend ( whether) and they get along great! Oh, and she did have 2 little ones a little over a week ago but one was still born. . The one that did survive is a beautiful buckling with bright blue eyes!!!! He is sooooo adorable and playful..