# New to Goats. Is my new goat preggo? Pooch/Udder Pics.



## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Hi everyone! I am relatively new to goats. I raised lambs for a few years for market, but never actually bred them. I also showed pygmies for a year, but never owned one myself. SO, I know about basic care, etc. but not about breeding. I finally was able to buy a goat, and I am very unsure if she is pregnant or not.

She is a Nigerian Dwarf. I have no clue how old she is, or when she might have been bred. I got her a week ago (and named her Spirit). She was in a pen with about twenty other goats, five of which were fully intact males. They were all Dwarfs (supposedly), but the people I got her from were scary! I didn't want a buck, and there were no wethers, so I chose a doe. I figured most of them had to be pregnant. There were 5 or 6 with kids at their sides. ANYWAYS, I have been researching how to tell if she is pregnant, how to birth kids, etc. I have bred horses and dogs, but never a goat.

I read about the pooch test, but after staring at her butt for an hour my head just hurts and my fiance thinks I'm some weird goat pervert. She has a teeny little udder, but I'm not sure what a non-bred doe's udder looks like. It could look like hers! Lol. Her anus isn't tucked in at all, it is pretty out there, and her vulva area looks very slightly swollen, but not really "poochy". I thought I'd post photos for the experts. Also, how far along do you think she could be? Someone guessed 2 months, but I have a feeling there is really no way to tell. Lol. Without further ado, the photos:




























And here she is in all her cute little glory (She is very short, BTW. I guess she is average for a nigerian dwarf, but I'm only familiar with pygmies. I chose her breed because I like the colors and the buttermilk.) :










Thanks in advance! Do you think she is, and if she is do you have a guess for time? Also, is their a way to guesstimate how old your goat is? Thanks


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

She's a pretty girl  I say yes she is pregnant, but I can't tell when she's due, sorry.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

awe she looks so cute. udder would depend if she was ever bred before. Her udder looks like my doe's who is due the end of June. She was bred before and her udder had that hanging look to it until it filled in this past week. So assuming you dont know the age of your doe as you said there is a good chance she has kidded before.

Age of the goat can be estimated by their teeth up to 5 years old. They loose the baby teeth and get a new one every year (or set I think it is one per side of the front).

My estimation is that she is between 2 &3 years old if she has kidded before, she looks fairly young.

Welcome to TGS


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Her udder indicates that she has kidded before...and I go by horn growth, her horns tell me that she is no younger than 3 years but not older than 4. Look at her front teeth, if there are spaces between them and she has less than 8 large looking teeth then she is younger, no spaces and she has 8 large teeth then she is older, at a year old goats have 8 small teeth that fall out by 2's and are replaced by adult teet until they are 4 years old. My 2 yearlings have not lost their baby teeth yet and my almost 2 year old doe looks funny because she has gaps in her front teeth.

I am talking about incisors here..the bottom front teeth.....even I won't dare to check the molars of my goats...those things are sharp.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

her pooch ...she does look preggo .....her bag shows ...that she has kidded before.....I also can't tell you ...how far along she is ...but it is at least 2 months or more ....2 months is the earliest to use the pooch method................. the last month... is when they usually start to bag up ....you should see the difference tremendously....in her udder as it fills.......and her vulva may have a stretched/ loose... appearance.....her ligs may begin to relax some ....you may see a discharge by that time to....and you will see her belly extend more.... the last month of preggo is when you give her CD&T tetnus toxoid....to help the kids inside of her ...to build a little immunity... :wink: 



Keep us updated on her progress... and take more pooch pics... as you see the changes occur... :wink: :greengrin:


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Thanks very much for the replies. I kind of assumed she SHOULD be pregnant since she was in forever with so many bucks. But, you never know. Its nice to know a better guestimate of a due date. I didn't know you could only use the test about 2 months out from breeding. I didn't know if she has recently become pregnant, was halfway through, or what. Now at least I have somewhat of a better idea. 

I am going to run out and check her teeth right now! What are signs of an 'aging' goat?? 
If she is between 2 and 3 she obviously isn't old, but I'm just curious. And I will continue to post pics of her belly/udders/hoo hoo as the weeks go by. Then you guys can watch her changes and start crazy bets on when she'll kid. Lol.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Aged goats will show tooth loss and the teeth will be very worn.....if she was on poor pasture/browse , her front teeth will be very short...due to scraping the ground for vegetation. She still has an impish look about her so I would say that she is under 5 years....ND can go as long as 15 with the right care and I guess that we'll be seeing baby pics from you around the end of July :wink:


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Just thought I'd update. I know it hasn't been long since I posted, and I'm now positive that Spirit is not due for QUITE some time, but her pooch is more poochy. Lol. It has gotten more smooth/soft looking the past week. I also think I felt something in there that could be a kid, but it could have been any number of parts inside of her. Lol. It was on the left side up towards her spine, not down in her belly. It moved over (down and to her right side) when I touched it lightly. I will post some more poochy pictures in the next couple of days. I don't think her belly size/shape has changed any yet.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

If you want to feel for kid movement, place your palm on her belly just in front of her udder and gently push in on her right side, you'll feel flutters at first but as she progresses you'll feel kicks. The movement you felt on the left was likely her rumen, it will feel "alive" as the muscle action moves it in waves.


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## shadycreekgoats (Mar 23, 2009)

She is a pretty doe....yes, I think she is bred! :greengrin:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

up on teh left towards the spine is the rumen.

I check for kid movement more on the right.


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