Pregnant goat question

[lexustami]

Hello all,

I am still new to keeping goats and I think one of the nannies I got at an auction is pregnant. I have no idea how far along she is but her belly is getting bigger and bigger by the week.

Are there any signs that can indicate that she is getting close to giving birth? I would hate to be caught totally unprepared and have her with the other goats when she kids.

Thanks in advance.

Tami

 

[helmstead]

Unfortunately with goats it is nearly impossible to tell. You can try to learn to feel for their tailhead ligaments while also checking their bag development and looking for mucos discharge from their vulvas.

I think the url to the best goat site in the world is www.fiascofarm.com , they have pictures of the ligament and just a bunch of great info for newbies.

Our nannies, even though we know the weeks they're bred, always surprise us. It's just good I'm a stay at home mom. I can hear them bellowing and rush out to help.

Also, bear in mind a healthy rumen makes a goat look preggers, too. Can you post pics?

 

[LynnGrigg]

Hi,
She will lose any/all hair on her udder and her bag will fill just before she delivers. Also her appetite will decrease and you can watch for the mucous plug to be discharged. That is an imminent sign that she is about to deliver within 24 hours. Kids should deliver head first - the mouth and nose should appear. I used to assist (if I was around) by breaking away the placenta so the baby could breathe. Mom is good for the rest of the job. You'll love goat babies. They are precious!!!

 

[helmstead]

Quote:
Not in every case. We only have one doe who drops the hair on her bag - and she did that AFTER birth. Many does don't bag up until afterwards, either, especially first time fresheners.

I keep saying...if only we were made of money and could buy a portable x-ray!!

 

[Chatychick]

I have been raising goats for years and they still surprise me sometimes. Mine are mostly talkers and they want me there with them when it happens. The signs are the udder starts to fill and the ligaments start softening. I do a belly check to check and see if they are PG too ...you wrap your arms around the belly and pull up lightly and let it down and usually you can feel the baby...Some goats dont mind this and some do . Some goats udders dont fill till after the kids are born First timers or FF udders will be tight but older does sometimes that isnt the deal at all. I just watch and see how they are doing and sometimes there is a discharge when they are close. The kid should present with either 2 feet first with nose and head right after it or 1 hoof and nose. I dont break the placenta as some get in to big a hurry and it can cause the kid to aspirate the amniotic fluids. Once the head and front legs are out if they mother is standiing and some do I catch the baby and help deliver it. Most lay down to do this but I have some that dont. Hopefully the buck your doe was bred to wasnt a large buck. Also you need to have a place that is warm with shelter for her to bond with the baby or babies and be by themselves for about a week as some goats try to steal babies from others. Also the baby need colostrum within the forst 12 hrs of birth. There are alot of this I could tell you but it would just go on and on...Good luck and try the belly bounce to make sure there are babies. They will usually kick you if she is close. Just have your hands close to the bottom when you do this ..you will feel them. Good luck

 

[LynnGrigg]

I had lots of pygmies and they all did this- each and every one of them. It's what I went by although, yes, there are exceptions to every rule. These are pretty good signs to watch for... even if they may not always happen, my odds were pretty good. I managed to observe these signs for all of our goats' pregnancies. Like horses, the area around the tail bone also softens but that's something that might be hard to determine. If you don't check it every day, you may not know the difference. When I have animals, I watch behaviors closely. I also used a vet who specializes in goats teach me quite a lot about them.