# Spring Kidding Thread



## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, not quite spring over here in the U.K. it seems. Still feels like winter if you ask me! But the does are due again from April 13th, so we’re all potentially getting close! That being said, some of our girls are being a little bit lazy in the udder development department, so let’s hope they get their acts together soon! We’ve also got a couple of first timers PLUS the three eared doe to kid, so that’s exciting!

Does left to kid: 7
Kidding tally: 11 bucklings, 8 doelings (eww!)
Kidding percentage: 173%

Smartie: CB/CB :kid2::kid2:
Pepper: CD :kid3:
Scarey: CB/CD :kid2::kid3:
Lily: MB/CD :kid2::kid3:
Ears: MB/MB :kid2::kid2:
Pickle: CB :kid2:
Chile: SB :kid2:
Peanut: SB/SD :kid2::kid3:
Buttercup: SD :kid3:
Eclipse: MB/CD :kid2::kid3:
Poppy: SB/SD/SD :kid2::kid3::kid3:

Key:
B=Buckling
D=Doeling
S=Show
C=Commercial
M=Meat


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Wish you and the does easy kiddings and healthy twins all around! 

Are they all bred to the same buck?


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

SalteyLove said:


> Wish you and the does easy kiddings and healthy twins all around!
> 
> Are they all bred to the same buck?


Anything better than 130% will be a blessing! That's what we got last time-but 13 doelings and 7 bucklings so I cant complain too much.

And yes, everyone is in kid to our prize winning buck this time. He puts lots of meat on them, even on the worst ones, so it's a great opportunity to begin improving our herd in general. We're going to (hopefully) be getting a young buck in soon too to cover our current buck's kids, and I've got my eye on another prize winning herd... But that won't be until September that he's in action anyway.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Best of luck!


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Does the weather ever get super cold over there? Or is it mostly wet that you have to worry about?


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Honestly, the country goes into meltdown at the first specks of snow and begins to stock up on enough food to survive the apocalypse. So compared to the US, no, not really. That being said, it still gets pretty cold when you’re not used to such extremes. We don’t have heat lamps either, so that makes things more difficult.

As for rain, luckily we have a barn big enough for our does to be fully housed until the babies are weaned. Last season (February) we tried a group pen system for the first time though, it’s both wonderful seeing the mums and the babies having so much more space to move but I’m terrified something will get killed one day. But if it means they can all get in it’s a risk I naturally have to take...


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I LOVE that photo - looks like a buck of very cute beached whales!!!!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

That made me smile before my work shift, thanks! :lolgoat: Yes, my girls haven’t been having any concentrates until the last few days but the winter haylage we buy is wonderfully good stuff... and it shows... They’re totally gonna be tiny single kids though and the mums are, as you say, just fat whales!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Good luck!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

No kiddings as of yet however we are now just three days away from our first official due dates so I thought I’d post a photo of the fatties as a pre-kidding memory. That being said most of our udders are large but very saggy... I’m hoping it’s going to be a case of the girls flooding with milk a few days before kidding as opposed to having to wait another fortnight! With the amount of grumbling, groaning and teeth grinding going on, they really ought to be close—but maybe they’re just massive drama queens. Knowing my girls both options are possible!

Good luck to anyone else going through kidding right now and I hope your does are less of a tease than mine!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

I think Limoncello might go into labour soon. Technically speaking she’s not due for a week yet, but she looks positively skinny now (though the old fur I took out yesterday might help with that) and her vulva has gone incredibly swollen. She keeps twitching her anus and vulva too... I know a lot of my does seem to do this (anyone know why?) but it’s more vigorous than normal. Also, her tiny little udders look to be strutted (but they’re so small it’s hard to tell). She keeps doing these pathetic little bleats at me too. I’ve not seen any small contractions yet to seal the deal though. 

She’s one of my only set of triplets and is only about 35kg, however at nearly 3 years old she wasn’t gonna grow any so I figured she may as well have a chance at life as opposed to going to the abattoir. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. That being said, maybe she will go full term (but at her size, I am skeptical anyway).


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Hey all,

After Limoncello turned out to simply be a drama queen, Eclipse seems to have gone into labour! After grumbling for days on end let’s hope this genuinely is the real thing! She looks like she’s contracting so we’ll see... 

Photos coming soon!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Yay!!!!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

So far we’re just having tiny contractions... Not much action yet, but the teeth grinding suggests otherwise. Will just go and check her again now... keep an ear out!


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

C'MON Babies!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Alas, no progress yet. For the moment I’m leaving he out in the group pen still... I’m reluctant to put her in a kidding pen while she’s still early stages. With how restless she is it’s probably nice for her to be able to walk around.

She’s an FF so it naturally might take her a while. I’ll be checking frequently since I hate the thought of my doesies, especially FFs, going through that alone.

My guess is a single.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Poor girl looks so skinny. I know it’s just where her belly has dropped but I feel bad xD


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well so far she’s not doing anything, So by the looks of it I’m going to have a long night...


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Progress update: So far we are still waiting on a water bag, however ‘Clipse is now in her kidding pen. She’s very restless and has just started muttering. Hopefully not long! (But knowing my luck, probably ages if at all!)


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

After looking so likely to kid last night—no appetite whatsoever, “talking”, running laps around her pen, back and tail arching—Eclipse has now decided that she can’t be bothered to kid yet and has gone back to her normal self. Looks like there aren’t gonna be any babies yet...  These does are intent on driving me mad.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things now?


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Pretty quiet. Everyone has started trying to kill each other all of a sudden and we had two girls psd their mucous plug today, but other than that we’re all just snoozing a little uncomfortably. A few seem to have almost lost their ligaments, but they’re just about hanging on. Might be some big kids this year though, we’ve got a couple of girls who are now leaking urine and semi-prolapsing. If only they’d get on with it though!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, came out half an hour ago and nothing. Since then, Smartie’s popped out her first little one! A little buckling. Twin is just on the way...


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)




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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

It’s two bucklings! Name ideas anyone?


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## BrokenArrowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

Awe congrats! How about Thunder and Twister?


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

BrokenArrowRanch said:


> Awe congrats! How about Thunder and Twister?


Well, my cat's called thunder but I love the theme-and one has a Harry Potter scar marking-so I think I'll go for Storm and Lightning.


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## BrokenArrowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

Lightening is cute


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

I take it back, I already have a goat called storm xD Thunder and Lightning it is!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cute!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Thunder and Lightning weigh 3.9 and 3.5 kg (8.6 and 7.7 lb) respectively. Tiny bubbas! But all three are doing well and are enjoying this strangely warm day. That being said, babies have sucked Mum dry and Thunder keeps telling her off for not feeding him enough!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

It looks like Pepper may be following Smartie’s example. Though there’s no physical proof yet, she was due at the same time as Smarts and is absolutely huge. Her udders aren’t fit to burst but they do milk out. She also loves Smarties’ kids and is constantly kicking at her belly and trying to lie down—and then getting up again and bickering at next door’s babies. So she’s in a pen now just in case she I’m keeping an eye. Her kids always seem to grow slowly on her milk sadly but they’re usually chunky little things and hopefully with creep feed they’ll do better than normal this year!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)




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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

We’ve just hard the first bit of kidding too, shouldn’t be long now... :happygoat:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

A big congrats.

And.. Happy kidding.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks! She’s just popped out a lovely doeling, though it’s a single which is a real shame. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad it’s a doeling and it’s a good size and healthy, but she’s always had twins in her other three kiddings, even as an FF, and was flushed with more food than usual this time... any ideas why she’s only thrown a singleton? onder:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Congrats.

Singles, you never know, doe's are weird that way and surprise us don't they.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

They do! I really had high hopes for her too! XD But her milk does seem rubbish (colostrum looks like normal milk...) so maybe sheer quantity will mean the kid will grow well this time!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, I just measured the new girl—I am naming her Salt—and she’s 4.1kg (9lb). Respectable, but she should’ve been about 20lb with the size of mum’s tummy! XD


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Both mummies and babies are doing great this morning! Little doeling’s a beauty!

Also, Scarey has just started going into labour. We’ve had a few hard contractions so possibly won’t be long... She’s had twin doelings and a single doeling in the past so I’m expecting bucklings this time.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Just started to get the kidding gunk.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

It’s a doeling and a buckling, and a Black doeling at that! Very happy, she’ll be staying with us!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

A big congrats, so cute. 

With the doe that does not have much milk, you may have to supplement feed store bought whole cows milk, if the kid isn't getting enough.

Be sure mama has alfalfa hay and is fed grain. Do it gradually if she isn't use to it.
Be sure she drinks water. 

Bumping her udder and milking her helps too, unless you teach her baby there are two sides, that too will help stimulate her to make more milk.

Good luck.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

toth boer goats said:


> A big congrats, so cute.
> 
> With the doe that does not have much milk, you may have to supplement feed store bought whole cows milk, if the kid isn't getting enough.
> 
> ...


The main problem is that she's got twins. I'm not going to worry too much until her milk proper comes in as opposed to colostrum. If she's still sucked dry today I may see if I can get something else into babies, but I'm hoping she'll have enough now. She usually doesn't have a problem with feeding kids. Would the store whole milk alone be adequate as a supplement?

It's annoying. I've got a friend with a herd of jersey cows down the road and she sells this deliciously creamy raw milk... if only her pasteuriser was up and running I'd feed them that!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Just chilling in the adults pen. And to think this is the cool part of the day...


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Maybe separate them for part of the day or the day and to see if that helps her rebuild her milk. At the same time, supplement the kids in between that time.

Colostrum is gone by now.

Yes, just cows whole milk is fine.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Awesome, thanks! I’ll keep an eye!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good luck.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

What a nice surprise from Lily this morning! Considering last year she had to have the vet and was then anemic for months, I’m pretty chuffed! Girl and boy too!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Here they are... Darn noisy things!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Aww, congrats, so cute.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Wow, everyone is very uncomfortable tonight. There’s a cacophony of teeth squeaking and pawing-at-the-ground as soon as you step out of the door. Lots of stargazing and yawning and pee-sniffing too. Could be babies tonight!


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## yankeedoodle (Apr 13, 2018)

wishing the best!
Good job so far!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things today?


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

It’s all been very quiet around here these last few days! Chile has been very quiet for a few days though and she’s not eating her hay and I may have see a contraction earlier. She gives nice kids; looking forwards to seeing her kid! Just hoping for twins as her kidding percentage so far is 100% xD


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Also we've not had a single show quality doeling yet... we have got two lovely does but they've got the wrong markings. Oh dear! Still, I love my little black doeling!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cute!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks, they’re real sweeties aren’t they?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very cute indeed.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Attention all! Ears—the teeny tiny three eared goat from a few months ago—has seemingly eaten a rock and has deposited it in Her udder. Seriously, I’ve never felt an udder so hard. The brick walls genuinely have more give. And she is currently waddling like a fat penguin. Oh dear.

So, yeah. She’ll be kidding soon. I’m prettified. But keep an ear out in case she and baby(ies?) make it.

(Also, before anyone asks, yes, she is an adult. She’s actually about 2 or 3 years old!!! She’s just tiny.)


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

We have twin bucklings! They're tiny! Will be interesting to measure them later!


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

What a bunch of cuties you've had! Congratulations!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks! They’re so small... only 1.7kg and 1.85kg each!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

One week old and already loving his role in life. Nothing like starting young!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Funny!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, the tiny runt bucklings are bedded down with full tummies, ready for their first night! I can't get over these two! Their auntie-who's acting very quiet and sulky-was covered a day before their mother, oddly, so maybe we'll have more runt bubbas overnight? Or maybe not, who knows.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Too cute.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, nothing for certain yet but it sure looks like Pickle’s got some kidding goo and is contracting. Never seen the goo so thin before (usually it’s as fat as two or three fingers) but she is a small doe. Keep an eye out for updates!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

It’s a boy! Sadly a single, but at least it’s a show buckling this time!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

And... here he is! Looks to be a decent size but I'll weigh later.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Cute.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Look who turned up last night... Absolute beast of a single buckling. Don't think anyone in the surrounding 10 miles slept through that noise, poor girl. That being said, 4 singles in a row, it wouldn't hurt so much if she got her act together and had twins!

I haven't yet measured him but he's gonna be big... We named him zodiac anyway.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cute!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Very cute


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Lovely isn’t he?  Peanut has just gone into labour so more baby goats! I swear I have an addiction to baby goats.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, it’s another single buckling. I’m stumped as all of these does we’re wormed and flushed with a 16% protein grain a month before and then three weeks after breeding. Any ideas why the percentage is so low? Is over-flushing detrimental?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

How is your iodine level? Do you have cobalt blocks out and or feed kelp?


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

ksalvagno said:


> How is your iodine level? Do you have cobalt blocks out and or feed kelp?


I tried feeding kelp but none of my girls liked it.  They all have a mineral block ad lib and plenty of complete pellets however I haven't ever put out cobalt. I did buy some salt blocks the other day... might that help?

That being said though, she did end up popping out a surprise doeling two hours later! Complete shock so at least she had twins. Now just need to focus on getting rid of these pesky singletons! (Although I must say, the singles are beautiful)


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You need specifically a cobalt block. They are blue.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice and huge.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Ok, I’ll look into the block, thanks!  And yes, I’ve still yet to weigh the twins but they’re pretty good sizes!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Only drinking off one side of mum’s udder at the minute though. I’m hoping they’ll realise the other side isn’t poisoned as they get hungrier...


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, here are the remaining does... any guesses at how many kids? They should all be due in the next week or so...

#1









#2









#3









#4









#5









#6









#7









#8









#9









#10


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good luck


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Well, it’s another single... but a single doeling this time, and a massive one at that!


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## Kiera Ruggles (Jan 11, 2018)

I'm not sure how to start a thread, so I thought that I would post on here since it has to do with kidding and this thread has been active recently. 

I bought a ND doe that was exposed to an ND buck from the 3rd - 31st of November, we a pretty sure that she is pregnant as we have a buck of our own and he is very good about letting us know when a doe goes into heat. We picked her up on the 1st of December so we know she couldn't have been bred after then. We know that she couldn't have been bred by our buck later than that as he is not an escape artist and is in a pen with 6ft tall hog panels no way to get out. Which would mean that she is at least on day 152 if not farther along. She lost her plug 2 weeks ago and as of 5 days ago our buck has been very interested in her like she is in heat, which he usually does when the does start getting closer to delivery. She is a first freshener and has just started to bag up on the 28th of April, on the 29th her vulva was very red and was swollen open, she was having lots of thin, clear, and stringy discharge, and her ligaments were completely gone... she was also laying on her side and seemed to be having contractions roughly every 10-15 minutes. I was sure she was going to have them that night. But when I went out in the morning she was up and moving, her vulva was no longer swollen, she didn't have any discharge, and her ligaments were hard again. Her udder had filled a bit more but other than that you wouldn't even guess that she was pregnant. 

Since then, she has not been acting like she is close to delivering or making any progress, her belly is so small that I think she is only having one kid. Which I think is weird because her sister who is another FF just had quads and their mom has a history of quints and has once had 6. 

One friend, who has been raising Nigerians for 20 years nearby has said that she thinks we should wait a few more days before doing anything and then induce using Lutalyse? She doesn't think that we should let her go too over her due date because she is a very little doe and was bred to a larger buck. What are your thoughts?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Kiera Ruggles said:


> I'm not sure how to start a thread, so I thought that I would post on here since it has to do with kidding and this thread has been active recently.
> 
> I bought a ND doe that was exposed to an ND buck from the 3rd - 31st of November, we a pretty sure that she is pregnant as we have a buck of our own and he is very good about letting us know when a doe goes into heat. We picked her up on the 1st of December so we know she couldn't have been bred after then. We know that she couldn't have been bred by our buck later than that as he is not an escape artist and is in a pen with 6ft tall hog panels no way to get out. Which would mean that she is at least on day 152 if not farther along. She lost her plug 2 weeks ago and as of 5 days ago our buck has been very interested in her like she is in heat, which he usually does when the does start getting closer to delivery. She is a first freshener and has just started to bag up on the 28th of April, on the 29th her vulva was very red and was swollen open, she was having lots of thin, clear, and stringy discharge, and her ligaments were completely gone... she was also laying on her side and seemed to be having contractions roughly every 10-15 minutes. I was sure she was going to have them that night. But when I went out in the morning she was up and moving, her vulva was no longer swollen, she didn't have any discharge, and her ligaments were hard again. Her udder had filled a bit more but other than that you wouldn't even guess that she was pregnant.
> 
> ...


How is she doing? Is she eating ok? I would let her go until at least day 156-157 without intervening, so long as she is't in distress.


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Agreed with Suzanne, my does have done the exact same thing to me this year  Keep an eye out for any funny sort of mucous or smell. Keep us posted!

Also, look who turned up yesterday! Was going to sell mummy but she kidded so well (after being a drama queen all day) and had twins first time, so if the kids grow well I'm gonna keep her. Literally, I gave her dinner and she wolfed it down. Gave everyone else dinner and then heard a grunt, came in to check and she'd popped it out! XD Clever Eclipse!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

It's tiring being a baby goat... And a mummy goat too by the looks of it!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cuties!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Poppy’s in labour! Will post pictures once they’re all out!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Yay!!!


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## TooManyBoers (Oct 19, 2017)

Ohmygod! It’s triplets! Our second ever triplets too!!! Two girls and a boys! <3


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

They are adorable!! Congrats


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