Pregnant Goats losing condition

[Photokitty]

I have 2 goats that should have been due the 18th of December. But the previous owner had the buck around for a month. One is an Alpine and the other a Nubian. My worry is a week after these pictures were taken it seems they are losing condition even more. They both have had sets of triplets before with no issues so they are projected to have triplets again. I am more worried about the alpine, her spine is very visible now. I have never owned goats so no idea on what a heavily pregnant one should look like. When I first got them they were much rounder then literally over night their sides sunk in near their hips.
This is the Alpine named Cammie.

 

[Photokitty]

The kids in these pictures are not theirs, I have a Nigerian/Nubian mix and she had them in July. Again, wasn't there I got these goats in October.

This is the Nubian named Casca.

 

[Zoomie]

You are showing us pictures of the wrong parts. You don't look at the belly on a goat, you look at the udder. Check right now: are they bagging up? When you look at the "belly" what you are seeing is the rumen, swelling and shrinking as digestion occurs.

In addition, when a goat is getting very close to kidding, they "drop". The kids change position to get ready for birth. I've had people call me up and declare the goat is not pregnant, and the next day she has kids.

Again, look at the udder: that is what will tell the tale. Both these breeds are dairy goats. They won't look like beef cattle; they have a leaner build. Now, maybe they *are* losing condition, but first you should try and determine if they are even pregnant. Since they are experienced does, it should be easy to tell if the udder is preparing for kids or not.

 

[cassie]

Zoomie is right. Stand behind the does and look at the udder where it joins the body. It first starts to change and fill at the point. If they are pregnant the vulva should look kind of puffy. Quite frankly, just by looking at the pictures, I am not sure they are pregnant at all, but it is hard to tell and I have been fooled before. Goats carrying multiple kids get huge, but if they are carrying just a single they may not expand very much. It would be helpful if you could take some straight on shots from the rear that show the udder and the vulva.

 

[Zoomie]

I'll add to what @cassie has said: I once had a Nubian doe who I bought out of pity (never do that, it puts your other animals at risk... oh well, live and learn) because she was so terribly thin. I mean, just nothing but bones. And two weeks later, she had TRIPLETS. So you can not go by looking at how thin/fat/round/flat they are. You can really be deceived. I knew that goat was pregnant because I knew to look at the udder. I must say though - I never expected triplets were in there! Holy cow. They were all fine.

 

[cassie]

I'll add to what @cassie has said: I once had a Nubian doe who I bought out of pity (never do that, it puts your other animals at risk... oh well, live and learn) because she was so terribly thin. I mean, just nothing but bones. And two weeks later, she had TRIPLETS. So you can not go by looking at how thin/fat/round/flat they are. You can really be deceived. I knew that goat was pregnant because I knew to look at the udder. I must say though - I never expected triplets were in there! Holy cow. They were all fine.

I laughed out loud when I read your post. I wasn't kidding when I said I had been fooled before. Goats don't read the books and some of them try to write a new chapter.

 

[Photokitty]

The Alpine's udder has changed and gotten much fuller. Her teats used to be asymmetrical and now they are both bigger and the same size. The other one, the nubian. Her udder is not big at all. She does have one of the kids drinking off her though (it isn't her kids). I didnt get them because they were skinny, they were much much plumper. Then one day I went out and their hips stuck out and their belly shape changed. I just learned from the previous owner the latest they were exposed was August 4th (so January 1-6 at the latest). They may just be getting ready. The pictures were to show the sunken sides.

 

[cassie]

As for the Nubian, look at the top of the udder where it joins the body. That is where you will first see the changes and filling due to pregnancy. If she is pregnant, it would be better if she was dry and not nursing when she delivers. If she is still being nursed at that time, you may need to get some colostrum from another doe to feed her new kids because she may not have been able to make it.

 

[Zoomie]

Those sunken sides are sometimes what you see when the kids drop. Like I said, I have sold pregnant goats to people, and then had them call me up in a panic and tell me they can't possibly be pregnant. Then, the next day... kids.

Sounds like your Alpine is pregnant for sure. If you have a kid nursing off the Nubian, I'd pull that kid so in case she *is* pregnant, that other kid will not suck down all the colostrum meant for the new baby/s. That can happen and it would be a disaster. New kids have GOT to have their colostrum, otherwise they are really behind the 8-ball. You've got about a 12 hour window to get that colostrum into the new kids. Your Nubian is probably a really good mother, but she can make mistakes. Pull that kid, and then see how her udder looks after a day or two.