| What to expect when your Doe's expecting |
Hi,all of us at Ivy Brook Farm thought that it is a good Idea to have some
informational pages on our web site. We are a 4-H family and I (Rachel) am a
4-H goat leader.So all this info I am about to tell you is what we have read or
have been told or what we have expirienced with our goats. We are in no way
Veterinarians So please if you are in need of veterinarian help please call one
right away. This page and others like it is just informational/educational! We(Ivy
Brook Farm or residence of ) are in no way responsable what you do with your
goats with out the advice or help of your veterinarian.
informational pages on our web site. We are a 4-H family and I (Rachel) am a
4-H goat leader.So all this info I am about to tell you is what we have read or
have been told or what we have expirienced with our goats. We are in no way
Veterinarians So please if you are in need of veterinarian help please call one
right away. This page and others like it is just informational/educational! We(Ivy
Brook Farm or residence of ) are in no way responsable what you do with your
goats with out the advice or help of your veterinarian.
One Month Gestation: Does will not show any signs of being pregnant. they
will how ever not come back into heat. Some does will even eat more hardely. but
eating more isn't a sign of pregnancy.
Two Months Gestation: At this point your doe hasn't come back into heat at
all and now you want to send off a urin sample or a blood sample to see for sure
that she is pregnant. With a URIN sample they test for TOTAL ESTROGEN
number levels. The numbers tell you if your doe is infact pregnant and about how
many kids to expect.With a BLOOD sample you send it off and they will test for
hormones if the hormone is there then the lab will call and say YES your doe is
pregnant. If the hormone isn't there then they will call and say NO your doe isn't
pregnant.
Three Months Gestation: At this point some Does start to "udder up" a bit.
which means their teats won't be firmly attached (firmly attached udder)to their
abdominen any longer. they will be a little bit "poochie"(poochie udder) about a
handful maybe. All does are different. Last year all my does even my first timers
had a "poochie" udder at this point in their gestation. This year however only
one of my does has a handful and the rest have a little sag in their udder
development ( about a finger pinch). So that is how some does are different.
Four Months Gestation: At this point you may be able to put your hand
under the belly right infront of the udder and put a firm press (not a push) and
feel the kid(s) moving. It will feel like what it feels like when you put your hand
on the belly of a pregnant human and you feel the baby move against your
hand.Twords the end of this month you will beable to look at the side of your doe
(her right side) and SEE them moving arround in her belly. If your doe is
carrying twins she will look something like this: Prego2 If she is carrying only
one kid she will look something like this: Prego 1
Also at this stage you will want to give your doe her Shots she will need a
C&D/T shot (for over eating disease and tetanus.) and a BO SE shot (for
selenium in the areas of the world where the land is selenium deficient)) those
shots are very important to your doe and to your kids. Please ask your
veterinarian for advice with what your goat needs for shots and etc... You don't
want to over dose your doe on something she doesn't need
Five Months Gestation: At this point you will want to make up a list of
kidding supplies. (Click here for a list of what I use and pictures.) You will want
to either make a kidding pen or make sure you have a spot in your barn where
you can seperate your doe from the rest of her herd while in labor.(please only
seperate your doe at arround 145-150 days gestation) make sure that either the
kidding pen or the spot that you have secured for your doe to be in labor is
where she can see her herd mates. goats don't like to be seperated from their
herd for very long they get lonely. Now that you have your kidding supplies and
a kidding pen you now have got to wait for her to come in to labor. One way to
tell wether or not your doe is going to kid in 12-24 hours is to check her tendons
on her rump that go at a 45 degree angle from the head of her tail to her rump
(click here for an example) put your hand over her head of her tail (middle of
palm to middle of tail head) and spread your fingers an press down and move
them back and forth you will either feel nothing wich means she is going to come
in to labor or you will feel two cords that are about a little less the size arround of
a #2 pencil. Practice this feeling of tendons at arround 4 months so you know
what they feel like when they are present.When they are gone they are gone and
you won't beable to feel them at all. also your doe will have dropped and you will
see that her belly has dropped down (see picture) her sides will have sunken in at
the flank and her tail bone will be raised up. you should beable to almost be able
to wrap your fingers arround the head of her tail bone.her vulva will be swollen
also. Some does also will start secreating a white mucus from their vulva arrount
one month till up to the day of delivery. some does don't do that at all. Like I
said some does are different. Her udder will start to fill up too......
will how ever not come back into heat. Some does will even eat more hardely. but
eating more isn't a sign of pregnancy.
Two Months Gestation: At this point your doe hasn't come back into heat at
all and now you want to send off a urin sample or a blood sample to see for sure
that she is pregnant. With a URIN sample they test for TOTAL ESTROGEN
number levels. The numbers tell you if your doe is infact pregnant and about how
many kids to expect.With a BLOOD sample you send it off and they will test for
hormones if the hormone is there then the lab will call and say YES your doe is
pregnant. If the hormone isn't there then they will call and say NO your doe isn't
pregnant.
Three Months Gestation: At this point some Does start to "udder up" a bit.
which means their teats won't be firmly attached (firmly attached udder)to their
abdominen any longer. they will be a little bit "poochie"(poochie udder) about a
handful maybe. All does are different. Last year all my does even my first timers
had a "poochie" udder at this point in their gestation. This year however only
one of my does has a handful and the rest have a little sag in their udder
development ( about a finger pinch). So that is how some does are different.
Four Months Gestation: At this point you may be able to put your hand
under the belly right infront of the udder and put a firm press (not a push) and
feel the kid(s) moving. It will feel like what it feels like when you put your hand
on the belly of a pregnant human and you feel the baby move against your
hand.Twords the end of this month you will beable to look at the side of your doe
(her right side) and SEE them moving arround in her belly. If your doe is
carrying twins she will look something like this: Prego2 If she is carrying only
one kid she will look something like this: Prego 1
Also at this stage you will want to give your doe her Shots she will need a
C&D/T shot (for over eating disease and tetanus.) and a BO SE shot (for
selenium in the areas of the world where the land is selenium deficient)) those
shots are very important to your doe and to your kids. Please ask your
veterinarian for advice with what your goat needs for shots and etc... You don't
want to over dose your doe on something she doesn't need
Five Months Gestation: At this point you will want to make up a list of
kidding supplies. (Click here for a list of what I use and pictures.) You will want
to either make a kidding pen or make sure you have a spot in your barn where
you can seperate your doe from the rest of her herd while in labor.(please only
seperate your doe at arround 145-150 days gestation) make sure that either the
kidding pen or the spot that you have secured for your doe to be in labor is
where she can see her herd mates. goats don't like to be seperated from their
herd for very long they get lonely. Now that you have your kidding supplies and
a kidding pen you now have got to wait for her to come in to labor. One way to
tell wether or not your doe is going to kid in 12-24 hours is to check her tendons
on her rump that go at a 45 degree angle from the head of her tail to her rump
(click here for an example) put your hand over her head of her tail (middle of
palm to middle of tail head) and spread your fingers an press down and move
them back and forth you will either feel nothing wich means she is going to come
in to labor or you will feel two cords that are about a little less the size arround of
a #2 pencil. Practice this feeling of tendons at arround 4 months so you know
what they feel like when they are present.When they are gone they are gone and
you won't beable to feel them at all. also your doe will have dropped and you will
see that her belly has dropped down (see picture) her sides will have sunken in at
the flank and her tail bone will be raised up. you should beable to almost be able
to wrap your fingers arround the head of her tail bone.her vulva will be swollen
also. Some does also will start secreating a white mucus from their vulva arrount
one month till up to the day of delivery. some does don't do that at all. Like I
said some does are different. Her udder will start to fill up too......
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