# Ligament help



## Rebecca Meyer (Dec 7, 2017)

We have a doe that is a second timer this year. We did not own her when she kissed previously. Tomorrow, January 2, marks day 135 since being exposed to the buck. It is also a full moon and very low temps, so I am inclined to think she could kid tomorrow night. However I am stumped on this ligament thing. I included a couple pictures of her..best I can get until I get her in the milk stand this evening for feeding. Any ideas on if she's close? If I am feeling in the right place around her tail, I can almost reach all the way around her bone.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

134 days is not long enough gestation.
148 to 152 is normal range, some can go longer.

Ligs: Feel on either side of the tailhead for looseness and it will feel like pencils on each side there.
When the pencil feel is gone, she is close to kidding.


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## Rebecca Meyer (Dec 7, 2017)

toth boer goats said:


> 134 days is not long enough gestation.
> 148 to 152 is normal range, some can go longer.
> 
> Ligs: Feel on either side of the tailhead for looseness and it will feel like pencils on each side there.
> When the pencil feel is gone, she is close to kidding.


My extension agent said with Nigerians their normal gestation is 145 days and can go as early as 10 days early, so 135. I am hoping she will wait until the normal time because it is just too cold! I have felt for the pencil feeling, and don't feel it, but it could just be that I'm not sure what I am feeling for.


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## Rebecca Meyer (Dec 7, 2017)

Maybe these are better pictures. I do not feel anything pencil-like. I did feel them on another bred doe tonight so I think I have a better idea of what I'm feeling for. Here are gone


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

It took me a good while to figure out the ligament placement as well! 
From the pictures it doesn't look like you are feeling in the right place though. The ligaments are on either side of the tailhead, not really under it.

Here is an article about that (I didn't read the whole thing, but at least the pictures might help you determine where they are).

http://tyny.com/ligaments.html


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## Sweet_Song (Oct 8, 2014)

I tried, with my very limited artistic ability, to draw (in blue) where you should feel the pencil-like ligaments. I like to start feeling for ligaments a few weeks before due dates, just casually while they're eating. That way I can note changes and start obsessively 
watching

Being able to reach around the tailhead is a pretty good sign that ligaments are either very mushy or gone completely.

Hopefully she'll hang on to those kids a few more days. 135 days is pretty early.

Best wishes for a healthy doe and kids.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Looks like you are feeling in the right place. I had a ND that would fully lose her ligs 2 weeks before kidding. It's not always reliable indictor of when they're going to kid.


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## goat girls (Dec 13, 2017)

I have a Doe that always has loser ligaments.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very good pictures of the correct area to feel. 
Wrapping your fingers around her tail like that tells you she is getting looser, but, that is not the ligs, you feel on each side of the tailhead area as pictured above.


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