IS MY SAANEN GOAT PREGNANT? SEE PICTURES

[Happy Camper]

Please if you have a good eye and some goat experience help me here. This is Pippi my new Saanen goat. I bought her pregnant (supposedly). If she was pregnant her due date cannot be later than mid January. She has grown on her sides (I know pic show her left only but her right looks prettty much the same size although carried a bit lower than her left).

She had a bit of milk on her teats (the tip) when I got her now I see some empty little pouch but very empty. Can an almost 4 month old goat that is pregnant have an udder this size?

She has been acting up with my older doe, I don't have an adult buck so is has been hard to identify a heat on her since last August when she came to the farm... I have not been able to feel or see movement. Oh, and her privates look normal but pointing downward... sometimes I think look a bit swollen but then again I think is just my imagination ...

I appreciate a lot your insights and experiences.

 

[Happy Camper]

Oh I forgot to add, all goats need loose minerals offered free choice to them. It's hard for them to get the minerals they need on even the best of hay. Especially things like copper and selenium. It's okay not to know.

Some of us have just spent a lot of years researching. Honestly, I love to share goat info. I still feel bad if you took my comments the wrong way. I'm really sorry about that.

Thanks for understanding... I did not mean that to offend you either... I am just so worried about her right now is not even funny... I hope she not bred so I have time to get her into condition. Here in PR you just cannot find goat products. Sometimes I even doubt I am feeding grain that is appropriate because there is just one brand of grain we get here. I will have to order those minerals from overseas. Which ones would you give her? I will make an order asap. How much grain should she get daily? anything else you would do? Thanks a lot.

...Oh please and don't worry for a second about what I think regarding your previous post... everything's fine. Even if there were questionable intentions in them (which I am sure that was NOT the case) I would have still taken the good and just overlook the bad.

 

[Stacykins]

It is hard to tell, without closer pictures of her udder and 'lady bits'.

One thing I can say for certain is she needs more nutrition. Her hips and spine should not protrude like that. Dairy goats are often lean, yes, but she is far too under conditioned to be healthy. If she is pregnant, she is growing kids (that takes energy) and will soon be feeding milk that takes a lot of energy to produce. Because she is already very thin to begin with, she doesn't much to offer those kids, her body has no reserves for her kids. While she will need extra rations, be sure to make any additions to her diet slowly. Bring up the amount of calories she is consuming a bit at a time.

What does she eat now? What is she getting for her mineral needs?

 

[H Diamond]

First of all, that is not a 4 month old goat. She is an adult doe that has kidded before. You can get a good guess on her age by checking her teeth. Follow this image: http://www.goat-link.com/AngelGoats-Forum/article-images/goat-physiological/teeth by year2.gif

If she was running with a buck prior to you purchasing her, then she could possibly be pregnant, but unless she's carrying a single kid, she doesn't appear to be. Also, dairy goats are seasonal breeders, and August is pretty early for a Saanen to be in heat. I would guess she probably isn't pregnant, but be prepared in case.

Then there are the ears... does she keep them down like that all the time? Has she ever kept them erect? If not, she's probably not a full blood Saanen. Crossed with a Nubian or Boer possibly, something with a pendulous ear to get that "airplane ear" look.

Lastly, she is pretty thin, so you might reconsider what she is getting to eat.

 

[Stacykins]

First of all, that is not a 4 month old goat. She is an adult doe that has kidded before. You can get a good guess on her age by checking her teeth. Follow this image: http://www.goat-link.com/AngelGoats-Forum/article-images/goat-physiological/teeth by year2.gif

If she was running with a buck prior to you purchasing her, then she could possibly be pregnant, but unless she's carrying a single kid, she doesn't appear to be. Also, dairy goats are seasonal breeders, and August is pretty early for a Saanen to be in heat. I would guess she probably isn't pregnant, but be prepared in case.

Then there are the ears... does she keep them down like that all the time? Has she ever kept them erect? If not, she's probably not a full blood Saanen. Crossed with a Nubian or Boer possibly, something with a pendulous ear to get that "airplane ear" look.

Lastly, she is pretty thin, so you might reconsider what she is getting to eat.

Wow, I must've misread the original post! I assumed she said the goat was four months into the pregnancy, not four months old! Definitely not four months old, because of that saggy udder (though perhaps an un freshened doe with atrocious attachments could have an udder like that, but likely not).

I am definitely hoping this is NOT a four month old kid that was bred....

 

[H Diamond]

Lol, ya, it was either a typo or she was terribly misinformed.
Those would have to be some pretty terrible attachments! Lol

 

[Happy Camper]

It is hard to tell, without closer pictures of her udder and 'lady bits'.

One thing I can say for certain is she needs more nutrition. Her hips and spine should not protrude like that. Dairy goats are often lean, yes, but she is far too under conditioned to be healthy. If she is pregnant, she is growing kids (that takes energy) and will soon be feeding milk that takes a lot of energy to produce. Because she is already very thin to begin with, she doesn't much to offer those kids, her body has no reserves for her kids. While she will need extra rations, be sure to make any additions to her diet slowly. Bring up the amount of calories she is consuming a bit at a time.

What does she eat now? What is she getting for her mineral needs?

Thanks for replying... she has hay available free choice and I feed three cups of grain daily. I am always afraid of feeding her more grain because I just had a goat go through toxemia some months ago and I blame overfeeding grain on that one case. She also gets to pasture during the day. I understood minerals were a supplemental nutrition for goats with nutritional needs and I have to be very honest... I thought she was in ok condition... she was skinnier when I got her and after worming her and taking care of her abandoned hooves she looked improved to me... I am totally double guessing myself now...

 

[Happy Camper]

Lol, ya, it was either a typo or she was terribly misinformed.
Those would have to be some pretty terrible attachments! Lol

That was a typo... I meant 4 months into pregnancy. I am pretty sure she's not a fullblood Saanen. .. but she is mostly so I call her Saanen... breeds and pedigree accuracy is not my thing. Nor is it cockiness. Having a healthy happy goat is and right now I am concerned she is in worst shape than I thought. Thanks for replying though... I could at least get some awareness about this.

 

[H Diamond]

That was a typo... I meant 4 months into pregnancy. I am pretty sure she's not a fullblood Saanen. .. but she is mostly so I call her Saanen... breeds and pedigree accuracy is not my thing. Nor is it cockiness. Having a healthy happy goat is and right now I am concerned she is in worst shape than I thought. Thanks for replying though... I could at least get some awareness about this.

I apologize if you took my statement as cockiness, Ican promise you it was Not intended that way. It was meant jokingly.
I glad you've helped her along! Here is a YouTube video on body condition score. It might help.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...twIwAA&usg=AFQjCNE--uAhM6AJ_wPlI2EEJqeQm2C4zA

 

[H Diamond]

Oh I forgot to add, all goats need loose minerals offered free choice to them. It's hard for them to get the minerals they need on even the best of hay. Especially things like copper and selenium. It's okay not to know. Some of us have just spent a lot of years researching. Honestly, I love to share goat info. I still feel bad if you took my comments the wrong way. I'm really sorry about that. :/