Is my goat pregnant?

[cassie]

You are really going to have to do something about that head butting. You really are. My goats, all of them, from a very early age, knew who who was top goat. Your doe thinks she is. Bad idea.

As for the ligaments, if you can find them, congratulations!! Good for you!! I mean that. If that remark comes across as snarky, it isn't. I bred dairy goats for over 40 years and I never did figure out the ligament thing. It isn't as if I didn't try either. Slow learner maybe.

 

[cassie]

Oh phooey!! Since I cannot send you a private message, I will just go ahead and post to the forum. What could it hurt?

I really do not like to be the bearer of bad news, and I hope I am wrong, but that discharge could be a sign of a uterine infection. If that is the case it would be the reason why the doe, even though she was living with the buck, is not pregnant. If the infection is serious, that doe may not ever breed again. Please understand that I am not saying that this is the case, but it is something to consider.

Meanwhile you might check into what you have to do to file a claim in Small Claims Court. To sum it up: you bought a doe guaranteed to be pregnant, she is not pregnant, and she may not breed again. One other thing. Is the person you bought the goat from a member of the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA)? If she is, if necessary, I can help you file a complaint if it comes to that. I am not a big wheel in ADGA but I know people who are.

 

[lomine]

I'm glad the seller is willing to take her back and refund your money. I think if she isn't pregnant, there's a reason and it's probably not something you want to deal with.

Sorry you have to go through this though. My herd started as a doe in milk and two unrelated doelings. At just 6 years old, the doe should have had at least a few more years of breeding left in her. Unfortunately, after trying with many different bucks she never got pregnant again. I'm fairly certain she had trouble getting pregnant that last time or there was some issue and the the seller decided to get rid of her.

 

[cassie]

I'm wondering if she's not pregnant if she could even get pregnant. The seller told me she was 3 years old and they had her for 2 years and she had kidded one time with them and it was triplets.

The fact that she was penned with the buck and still didn't take is not a good sign. If she could have gotten pregnant she would have.

 

[lomine]

If it were me, I personally wouldn't risk letting my buck breed with her without getting her tested. She may have some kind of STD or something that could be transmitted to the buck. Then he could give it to the rest of your does.

Whether or not to spend the money on testing, would depend on how good her traits are. If she's got great milking lines or the like, she might be worth it. If not, I'd probably list her for sale with an honest description.

 

[NatJ]

Just wanted to give y'all a update. She was not pregnant but she is now.
Due in January!

Thanks for updating!
It's nice to know how these things work out

 

[two j farm]

Her due date should come tomorrow or in about 2-3 more days. Good luck to your goat!

Thanks. I will update in a few days on her

 

[two j farm]

Is there any milk in her udders?

She kicks at me if I try to touch her anywhere around her belly

 

[cassie]

I'm in the minority here, but she doesn't look pregnant to me. If she is, she isn't very far along. The belly is the normal size I would expect to see in a grown non pregnant goat. The udder has not started to fill at all. When a doe is pregnant you will first see changes in the rear udder where it joins the body. I don't see any evidence of filling at that point. Bear in mind I could be wrong. I have been fooled before, but if I were a betting person I would bet that the doe is not pregnant. One thing you can do is to stand behind the doe and clasp your hands together right in front of the udder. Push up sharply. You should be able to feel the kids, if any, as they come back down.

 

[NatJ]

If the reason you bought her is because you were told she was pregnant, ask for at least a partial refund.

Certainly do ask for a refund (at least partial) if she does not have kids, or return her, but I would wait a bit longer first. It's only been two days, and she was supposed to be due "any day." It would be frustrating to return her and then have her deliver babies right after that!