# Emily -- camping out in the barn tonight, getting nervous...



## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

Em is my first doe to kid... ever! She is a beautiful gal and veteran mom with 2 Grand Champs to her name, 1 reserve, and also a couple of Best Udders. I bought her bred to Castle Rock Farms Nehemiah, and I am really hoping for at least 1 :kidred: because I am really excited about what kind of udder that kind of cross would produce! 

I'm getting excited! I've been checking her ligaments and feeling her udder every day... I know this may be a bit obsessive but I'm hoping if I do it every day I'll be more likely to notice changes. Also she seems to like the attention, and I figure it's good to get her used to being touched by me.

How many do you think are in there?


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- day 124*

Her Udder is about the size of my doe who is on day 135. She was starting to scare me that she wasnt bred.


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## SterlingAcres (Oct 19, 2009)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- day 124*

Fingers crossed for girls  Good luck!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- day 124*

well I think twins for her


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- day 124*

Yep ...looks like twins to me to.... :wink: :greengrin:


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- day 124*

Yay! I hope so. She was sono'd before I got her so the previous owner knew she was definitely bred, but they weren't quite sure how many. I got a print-out of the sono (which just looks like gray junk to me, I can't tell anything from those things!) and the vet wrote "1+"... I am not sure what that meant but I assumed it to mean, "We definitely saw one and maybe more."

She has never had a single before so I'm hoping for twins.


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- day 136? -- help me guess due date!*

OK, so as I mentioned in another post I'm not entirely sure of the breeding date, because I bought Em bred and the woman I bought her from doesn't hand-breed... she puts the girls in a room with the buck and leaves them there until sono-ing them. Anyway, Em's kidding date (according to the sonogram) would mean she was bred really soon after being put in the pen -- and the owner thought she had just gone into heat before putting her in the pen -- but I was thinking maybe it was one of those "5 day heat" things.

Anyway, I am wondering... is there any way to guess at the kidding date based upon changes in the udder?

Here are photos I took on "Day 126", and then today, which would be "Day 136." (Her guessed due date is Valentine's Day  ) Does this progress seem about right for an older, pretty well-endowed gal?

Sorry for the fuzz in the earlier photos... as you can tell she's gotten her prego haircut since then so I could watch for any udder changes!


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Em's kidding thread -- need help with due date!*

The wait is driving me crazy. :hair: I haven't slept more than a few hours straight since we moved her to the kidding stall 5 nights ago! I check on her every few hours... but not too much has changed. A tiny tiny bit of mucus discharge but really barely any at all.

Here's what she looks like today... so much for being due on Valentine's Day!

Any advice on when she might kid? (Please please let it not be Thursday when I'm at work all day...) ray:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Going crazy waiting! New pics... when will she kid?*

do you know if she fills as she is in labor? some goats fill before labor others during.

as to the ligaments -- to much hair to see anything via picture, plus its more of a feel thing then a see thing


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## Goat Crazy (Feb 8, 2010)

*Re: Going crazy waiting! New pics... when will she kid?*

My first experience with my doe I was feeling it wrong. I kept thinking more about being able to put my fingers around the tail (I didn't notice any difference doing it that way) then feeling for the ligaments. My second kidding experience felt for the ligaments twice a day, the night before she kidded I could still feel them pretty well. The next morning went I was taking her out to feed her, her tail area looked a little sunken in. So I felt for them and I didn't feel them they totally disappeared and she kidded 2 hours later. Put your fingers in a V position at the top of her tail (tail in between your V) you should be able to feel them, if she is really close 3-7 days from kidding they will feel a little softer then a pencil.


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Going crazy waiting! New pics... when will she kid?*

thanks goatcrazy, that was helpful! I know that at first I was feeling them wrong, at first I was going way down too close to the tail... and that part is always pretty soft. Then I looked at some pictures and realized I needed to move up a bit above the tail. But I think I moved up too high, and stayed too close to the spine.

Now I think I really figured out where they are with the help of the V suggestion... and one side I can't feel, and the other side is there but soft. So they're more on the side of the doe, not up super close to the spine? Is this right? They kind of point downwards a bit?

Stacey... I don't know... but I thought most goats filled up 24 hours before?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Going crazy waiting! New pics... when will she kid?*

oh no they can fill as they are pushing


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## Goat Crazy (Feb 8, 2010)

*Re: Going crazy waiting! New pics... when will she kid?*

She sounds like she is getting close! I can usually feel both ligs. until they are totally gone, but sometimes goats loose on one side then the other. Sounds like you will have kids within the next day or two, she may even have them tonight!


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Going crazy waiting! New pics... when will she kid?*

She may be getting close, but she may just be teasing us! This morning her udder looked more full than yesterday. And she now seems to only want to lie down in the corner with her back leg stretched out behind her. She's making little funny grunting noises that I haven't heard before, but I don't see any contractions yet. Haven't seen too much goo either... still just a little bit of mucus hanging off her you-know-what... and she still wants to eat. Always wants to eat! Started eating the straw around her until I took pity on her and put some alfalfa hay by her head!

Her stomach still looks smaller than it used to, like the kids have dropped down a lot. Bets on when she'll kid?


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Em-Udder filling, grunting, lying down, and makin me crazy!*

Well so much for being close. I think I was just not feeling the ligs on the one side before... now I am quite sure I know where they are, and they're still there. :hair: BUT, check out this udder! In the past couple of days it has just become enormous. And the goo! There's quite a bit more now than there had been.

Any guesses as to when she'll finally have them? Still no milk in the teats, ligs are still present (but possibly softer), and she's of course hungry as a horse.


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

*Re: Emily -- new udder pics! When will she kid so I can sleep??*

If her udder is filling up that quick it wont be long now!
Can you get a full body side and rear shot? That way I can see if she is at all posty/kids dropped


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

*Re: Emily -- new udder pics! When will she kid so I can sleep??*

Well it's 2 a.m. and I'm camped out in the barn with Emily. She has huge amounts of amber-colored goo coming out, she is pawing the ground like crazy, and her udder is even huger than before! Her ligs are completely gone. Also, her teats are full. I'd say the goo has been oozing out steadily for the past 2 hours.

Why do they do this to us?? When should I start to worry if she hasn't made progress??


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## lesserweevil (Oct 5, 2007)

well looks like she's giving birth! You need to see whether she is actually contracting, though... often they will have goo like that for a good while, but won't actually go into hard labour. They shouldnt be in hard labour for over an hour, really. A couple of years ago one of my goats had tons of goo but NEVER went into hard labour, and that was like, 10 hours later... still no hard labour. It turned out both kids were coming at once so she was unable to give birth. If I were you I'd just keep an eye on her, give her time... see how much she contracts, etc

LW


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