# What's going on here? *Update, she kidded*



## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

I think my goats are trying to drive me insane. :GAAH: So here's the story. FF Boer doe, I had written on the calendar that she was due to kid on the 17th, however when I looked back at last years calendar I didn't even have a breeding date written down, so I have no clue where I got that due date. Needless to say she's definitely due sometime really soon. 

Now for whats going on, today she's had a LOT of goo, looks just like pre-kidding goo, she had about a foot of it hanging out just earlier. However I'm not seeing any contractions at all, ligaments are really loose, and her udder is fairly full. She ate her evening grain ration just fine, but she's acting a bit restless right now, not just laying down like normal. 

Sooooo, what's so weird to me is all the goo with no contractions if she is indeed going into labor, if not I can't figure out why she's got all the goo hanging out. Should I go in and check to see if her cervix is open...wait....or what? Any ideas?? :hair:


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: What's going on here?*

If it was me, yes I would go in with two fingers and see if she is open at all.

My LaMancha this year had lots of goo coming out, but no really hard contractions until a couple hours later. I did go in two fingers on her to check and make sure everything was ok. She wasn't open all the way yet. So I knew I had to wait a while. :hair:


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: What's going on here?*

That's what my gut was telling me to do, thanks for confirming it Ashley. 

So I could barely even get two fingers in and it feels like her cervix is totally closed. I wouldn't be worried if it was just a small amount of discharge...but with so much? Kind of concerning me that something may be wrong.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: What's going on here?*

I'd give it a few more hours, that's how it was with Ghost. I could only get two fingers in and she had a ton of goo. About 2 hours later she started really contracting and finally kidded.

Now if she starts getting distressed or starts pushing with her cervix still closed then I would get worried. Otherwise I would let her be for a few more hours, but keep a close eye on her.

You could try giving her some NutriDrench and some Calcium drench. I give that to my does before and after kidding. The Calcium drench seems to get things moving. :wink:

:hug: I will be praying she gets down to business soon and all goes well. ray:


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: What's going on here?*

Cool, thanks Ashley. Zero contractions though, I haven't seen even one, the only thing that's making me think she's close is the goo and her being slightly restless, not uncomfortable at all though...otherwise I was thinking she wasn't due for another 10 days.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: What's going on here?*

I give them up to 24 hours to start contracting after the first signs of streaming.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

*Re: What's going on here?*

you definitely did the right thing checking on the cervix.

I had a work doe (FF boer) last year that never got further than streaming and looking slightly uncomfortable, never started straining etc. I noticed her in the morning and by evening she hadnt done anything, so I thought I'd better see what was going on. The cervix was completely open and there was a malpresented kid stuck. I got him out and he was dead, then there were two more perfectly fine. But it just goes to show you they can be in full labour but not pushing or showing any signs.

I've also had them where they start streaming, and pushing, nesting, etc. but seem to take forever, when I go it the cervix isnt fully dilated yet, I guess they were overreacting a little bit


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: What's going on here?*

Well she's still the same this morning, streaming, no contractions etc.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: What's going on here?*

How are her ligs? If she is all mushy then I'd say she'll be ready to go soon, if the ligs are still there and she's not mushy then she's just not ready yet, it has been my experience that when something is wrong the doe will let you know.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: What's going on here?*

Oh my, well here's the story. At about 3:00 I checked on her and noticed some contractions finally, so I checked her cervix and it was open about the size of a half dollar, and just inside that I could feel hooves. I checked on her again about 30 minutes later, and she was getting down to business, doing some serious pushing and presented some hooves. I let her push for a little while, and then not seeing any progress I tried pulling a bit, but MAN that kid was STUCK. I pulled hard every time she pushed, (really expected the kid to be dead) but was beginning to worry that I wouldn't be able to get the kid out. Finally after poor mama pushing super hard, and me pulling as hard as I could the kid popped out, it was alive. However it was thrashing around unable to breath, as I think she had aspirated quite a bit of fluid into her lungs. Her head was also pretty swollen. I quickly got to work on her, grabbed her up by her back legs and swung her a few times, and patted her back and ribcage to try to get some of the fluid out. It seemed like forever before she was breathing easily on her own. She appears to be slightly premature though, definitely not like the ones I lost, but I'm thinking maybe like 8 or 9 days early. She's pretty tiny, but is trying to get up on her own, although she hasn't succeeded yet. I tried getting her to nurse off mom, and then tried a bottle, but I think she's having some difficulty swallowing because of her head being swollen. So I went ahead and tubed her with a couple ounces of colostrum and right now she's in a warm stall under a heat lamp.

She did have a second kid that was tiny and rotted, probably the reason she went into labor early. Soooo I'm not totally sure if she's done yet, planning on going in to check for more kids and also doing a uterine flush here in a little while.

Quite the afternoon.... :sigh:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

wow what an ordeal....congrats on the little one....  ...I pray that the kid will be OK....I am sorry you lost one though.... :hug:


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

oh bugger, hope you can pull the little one and mum through



liz said:


> it has been my experience that when something is wrong the doe will let you know.


that was what I thought, until I had a few cases where the doe didnt tell me, I lost both kids and does. Now I am quicker to check - it certainly doesnt hurt to put a finger in to see if she is dilated, or to put an arm in to see if there is more kids or just placenta, or if they are presented correctly etc.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

sounds like quite an ordeal, as you said.  

cograts on the kid..sorry for the one you lost...


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Wow, good thing you know her well enough to know that she needed you. Until she had labored enough to dilate you likely wouldn't have known the baby was stuck, sorry the 2nd was DOA but as you said it was likely that fetal death that caused the premature labor.

Hope mama recovers quickly and baby thrives and starts to eat on her own soon.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Well, little girl seems to be doing okay, she was standing on her own, and actually drank some from the bottle earlier! I was glad about that, at least I don't have to tube her again, although I REALLY want her to nurse off mom.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I'm happy she is sucking from the bottle and is standing .......sounds good..... :wink: :hug:


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

So glad you were there to help with that little one. Sorry about the other one. It sounds like she has a fighting chance.. hope you can get her to nurse on mom since that's what you want.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

She seems to be doing a lot better today, much stronger than she was yesterday! And she's nursing off mom now!  I'm really glad about that, didn't want a bottle baby. 

Mom is doing well too, still hasn't passed all of the placenta, but I'm giving her some oxytocin so hopefully that will help her expel it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

sounding good........I am happy to hear that..... :wink: :greengrin: :hug:


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## yonderhill (Jan 15, 2009)

I am glad she is finally nursing!! I am sorry that you lost one....

Jennah


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks guys! So far so good, mom and kid are doing well, little one is nursing on her own. I'm just worried that she might get aspiration pneumonia from getting so much fluid in her lungs. 

Oh and I had 2 more kids born yesterday, a boy and a girl, the girl is so cute though, she has one brown and then one all white ear. Never had a white eared Boer before.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

More babies! I really wish this rain would go away so I could come visit! Congrats! And I hope the little one continues to get better.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Crissa said:


> More babies! I really wish this rain would go away so I could come visit! Congrats! And I hope the little one continues to get better.


Thanks Crissa! I've just got one more left to kid now, and that's it for the year. I'm SOO ready for the rain to go away too, wow it's been something else.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

Yeah, it's crazy! My goats are miserable. So how many kids have you got now? How many are you keeping? (as in which boer kids?)


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Well I've had 15 boer kids, only 6 does though, so I'm *probably* keeping all the doelings. I usually keep the nicest bucklings around for a while and show them to see how they do and then sell them in the fall, probably won't keep any of them.


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