# Signs of Close to Kidding



## GeorgiaBrownRIP (Oct 14, 2012)

What signs should I look for to show a doe is close to labor? Does their temperature change at all? Does their "opening" swell? What other signs?


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Ligaments gone, grunting, mucous, pawing, strectching... That is all I can think of at the moment.


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## emilieanne (Oct 15, 2012)

Some people will say their "opening" will be open. 
My one doe's "opening" will actually "deflate" lol and get all saggy but will not open til part of the baby is sticking out! Lol I was their for her kidding 2 months ago and she walked off into the woods and I noticed she was in labor ~just by mommy instincts~ and tried walking her to a stall, she wouldn't get up. Picked her up and put her in a stall. She climbed onto my lap and started pushing. 
This is her:

























My other doe's opening stays the same. Or Atleast it looked like it did. 
I wasn't there for that birth. So I couldn't tell you much.

It really depends on each doe. 
Hope that helps!!


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## GeorgiaBrownRIP (Oct 14, 2012)

OwnedByTheGoats said:


> Ligaments gone, grunting, mucous, pawing, strectching... That is all I can think of at the moment.


She isn't stretching or pawing. How do I tell if her ligaments are gone? And she had some white mucus hanging out earlier today. VERY white. I can tell what contractions are though. But I have only ever birthed puppies and kittens, never goats.


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## emilieanne (Oct 15, 2012)

GeorgiaBrownRIP said:


> She isn't stretching or pawing. How do I tell if her ligaments are gone? And she had some white mucus hanging out earlier today. VERY white. I can tell what contractions are though. But I have only ever birthed puppies and kittens, never goats.


Put your fingers around her tail head and feel for a pencil like thing on each side. 
Like this:

















They will sink in and be GONE when she's in labor.


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## GeorgiaBrownRIP (Oct 14, 2012)

emilieanne said:


> Some people will say their "opening" will be open.
> My one doe's "opening" will actually "deflate" lol and get all saggy but will not open til part of the baby is sticking out! Lol I was their for her kidding 2 months ago and she walked off into the woods and I noticed she was in labor ~just by mommy instincts~ and tried walking her to a stall, she wouldn't get up. Picked her up and put her in a stall. She climbed onto my lap and started pushing.
> This is her:
> 
> ...


Very pretty doe. The stud to these kids looks a lot like her in color. Thanks also


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## emilieanne (Oct 15, 2012)

GeorgiaBrownRIP said:


> Very pretty doe. The stud to these kids looks a lot like her in color. Thanks also


You're welcome! 
And thank you!! 
She had triplets. I was very happy with her! 
I hope you have good luck kidding!!


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

The white was most likely her mucous plug. To feel her ligs, follow the pictures above or go by these. If you can't find them, then try pushing straight down. Middle pic is of my doe's tailhead about 2 days before kidding.


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## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

Another big sign that may happen is her udder will fill up and get tight, and her teats stick out, called "strutting". Some find this unreliable but it has worked for us  They also talk quietly 'to their babies', and occasionally lick stuff.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Here's some signs from our doe who is in labor now:

Getting up and down, stretching, contractions (will arch up back, tail head will arch), ligaments gone, nervous, may become more or less friendly than usual, moves away from herd.


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## CrookedTreeCheryl (Jan 31, 2013)

The only sign our mini-Alpine doe gave us last Saturday was to separate from the herd and refuse to come in at bedtime. She still had ligaments through the whole labor too. I found her in the pasture and she was obviously having a contraction, I brought her in and straight to a newly vacated kidding pen. She paced back and forth while I set the kit up, pawing the straw and doing the flehmen, then once she found a good spot she turned around, squatted, and started pushing. She had twin bucklings one right after the other about 10 minutes after this pic.

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Here's a few pics of another of our does taken during contractions, bracing her back legs and staring into space, 'dog sitting', ect. She ended up having a really hard time, a HUGE single buckling that had his head back and his knees in the canal, and I had to pull him after almost 24hrs of labor. This was her early labor.

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