# Young nubian doe



## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Hello all, my Nubian doe Maybel is supposed to kid on 2/8. She was born dec 2013 so this will be her first pregnancy. This is my first year dealing with dairy breeds and she's a smaller/more petite than my big ol' boer girls (who start showing that they are preggers very easily and have no problem letting me know about it). Would she be showing any signs yet or am I just jumping the gun on this? I haven't had a doe yet that has only had one kid so idk what size to be looking for I guess haha.

I'm kind of worried that she's not bred for 2/8...as she's not visibly putting on more weight. About when do their udders start growing? I've never really paid attention with my other girls because they turn into tanks and clearly look bred.

All my other girls have been with a buck since 11/8 and she's been in there with them, so she may be bred for 4/7 like my other does...not the end of the world. I was just hoping to have her in milk before everyone else starts to kid. Going off of last year, I had more triplets than twins, and would have liked to have her for backup.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Some pictures of her from this fall.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I've got a Saanen/Nubian cross due 2/18 that already has a handful sized udder. She has a bit of a belly, not huge but you can tell she is bred by looking at her. With your girl if she is only a month away she should be fairl puffy behind and should have some udder development.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Can you post a picture of her back end with her tail up naturally and her lady parts showing along with udder?


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Didn't get a photo of her, the weather was nasty last night (still is) and they were in a big snuggly goat pile (almost wanted to join, 17 cuddly goats :hugs but just going off of what ptgoats45 said with udder development I don't think she is. She's not bagging up at all and looks almost the same as the about photos..... Will try and get some new photos asap.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

if she is still looking like the above pics (nice looking girl, by the way) I would doubt you are due early Feb. She could surprise you tho. I have said this on several threads but I have had one that NEVER showed any sign of being pregnant...nothing. :| Found her hovering over a tiny baby and didn't believe it was hers. She had no signs of having given birth either. :chin: Had another that looked like she had given birth so moved that one and the baby into the barn...no one was happy. :sad: Then another baby showed up.  So I moved both does and both babies into the same pen in the barn. Mama's each took their own babies and everyone was much happier.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

kccjer said:


> if she is still looking like the above pics (nice looking girl, by the way) I would doubt you are due early Feb. She could surprise you tho. I have said this on several threads but I have had one that NEVER showed any sign of being pregnant...nothing. :| Found her hovering over a tiny baby and didn't believe it was hers. She had no signs of having given birth either. :chin: Had another that looked like she had given birth so moved that one and the baby into the barn...no one was happy. :sad: Then another baby showed up.  So I moved both does and both babies into the same pen in the barn. Mama's each took their own babies and everyone was much happier.


I guess I'll still get everything ready just in case. Hopefully I can get some pics tonight, it's a big warmer today so they might be a bit more active when I get home lol.


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## rebelINny (Feb 7, 2014)

I have a ff due feb.19th and she hasn't remotely started bagging up yet but I know e she's prego. She never came back not heat and she's got s bigger belly. I think she's just got a single though.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

not the greatest photos, it was still a bit cold for modeling. I did have to lift her tail up though.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Was she in heat recently ? Her tail looks as if she was…..
Im on the fence about this….not sure , but I'm leaning towards not bred. Love to hear what others say 
She is a very pretty doe


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

She doesn't look bred to me. First timers always have to develop the entire udder, opposed to veteran does who already built their mammary tissue, so you start to see an udder earlier with them, and I'm not seeing it with her. Normally they will start building their udder 2 months before they kid, they'll start developing the mammary tissue, and by the time they have a month before kidding they will normally have an udder the size of a large grapefruit of so.
Her vulva is also "wrinkled", leading to think she isn't bred, as pregnant does will smooth out back there. She does look like she might have just been in heat.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Here is a doe that was due in about 3 weeks from the pic, and the 2nd is a doe due 2 months from the pic. The 2nd doe had a gunky tail from losing her mucus plug. 3rd pic is doe number 2 again, but a couple days before she kidded. So you can see, with pregnant does, the vulva smooths out.


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## Sether55 (Dec 5, 2014)

This is all very interesting. With dairy goats we were told they can only breed in during the rut. (Which seems true because my does only come in to hear near august and they have to be in heat.) another thing, if you breed a dairy goat and she comes back into standing heat she is not bred. It can be hard to tell though (my toggenburg was bred October 12 and has not un swilling flagging nothing but she has grown a ton.) all my does haven't come back into head. All due the same mid week in March. They have all grown. (Some a lot more than others) none have started an udder. Hope this helps.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

It's amazing how different the dairy breeds work, I always forget that they have a season. I haven't seen her in heat at all since she's been here and I've had her since middle of October I think. She's been with the rest of my goat herd which have been exposed to the buck from beginning of November till last Saturday. 

I'm actually kind of worried that she may not be bred at all because I've never seen her in heat (though I could have missed it, so used to my other does who give all the signs they are in heat). She is the lowest doe on the pecking order and the buck didn't really like her around..... though if she were in heat I think he would have loved her like the others (he would get a bit overexcited like that).

There was a night this fall around 11:00 or so that I looked out the window and all the girls and the buck were going at it, I just cant remember if I seen her in the mix or not since I had thought she was already bred.

Is there ever situations like that where a less dominate, shy(towards other goats), doe wouldn't get bred? She's the type of doe that seems to prefer my company, or the llamas, over the other girls....

Thanks for all the compliments on her!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes it is definitely possible that she didn't get bred due to low in herd. Also possible that the buck didn't like her and didn't breed her.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I hope she was, a bit disappointing that she probably isn't bred for February as she was exposed to a nice registered buck. The buck I used for my other goats was a boer. Was hoping to be able to keep her daughter(s) for milking. Fingers crossed that she's at least bred, would still like to keep any of her daughters even if exposed to the boer buck. My Nubian/boer does are by far my favorite girls. 

Nubians typically come into heat in the aug/sept time right? She was exposed to the breeders buck on 9/11.

I know my other Nubian doe is bred (or really confident she is), the buck absolutely adored her. So I will hopefully still get to start milking...eventually lol. Another couple months to wait, argh!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Sometimes they have a silent heat , you may not have noticed it and she might be running like heck from the buck not allowing him to do his job  I have a doe here that wouldnt have gotten pregnant , i think , if i didn't hold her steady for him. Just a thought. If possible , count the days between her heats and put her and him in a separate pen , maybe she wants to be wined and dined first , lolol… Good luck


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I don't have a buck right now, so she's going to have to wait till this fall, as I was renting the buck. Going to invest in my own this year though, to much risk with renting.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

She may surprise you. It only takes once and that is a quick few seconds! Keeping fingers crossed that she is bred for you!


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I sure hope so, been waiting over a year to start milking!


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## justamerefarm (Sep 2, 2014)

No expert on these matters, but my girl surprised us with one little girl kid. She never did behave like she was in heat and didn't developed a bag till the day the kid was born. Also I find Nubians come into heat in late fall/early winter but this is not etched in stone as my other doe was bred in late May and caught.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Ummm, just an FYI all my standards went into heat during the summer, June, thus I had November kids. I don't think their heat cycles are as pronounced though, but I'm convinced they have them. I had oberhaslis, 1 Nubian, 1 Saanen/ober cross... When I took 1 little guy into the vet to get his health cert for his move up to Alaska, the vet was very surprised and even more surprised that I had more then 1 kid in November.. My bucks weren't even stinking in June..

From the pics it doesn't look like she's bred, but I had one I couldn't tell, and she is bred due at the beginning of February.


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## justamerefarm (Sep 2, 2014)

The two does I'm referring to are both 3/4 Nubian/1/4 Alpin.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So I'm fairly confident my Ms. Mabel isnt bred for 2/8 . She hasn't changed at all since the start of this post, but still going to be ready just in case. Now I'm actually a bit worried that she may not be bred to April 7th either.....she was in the same pen as all my other does with a buck, from November 8th to beginning of January. All my other does are quite large, getting big bellys though that could just be that they are chubby...lol. 

I'm assuming it would be to early for any real signs other than maybe getting more plump this early?


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I'd do a blood test and sent it to Biotracking.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

That's actually a great idea, I didn't even think about that. 

It's funny, all my other does I don't doubt at all that they're bred even though there's 5? FF this year. She's just my little mystery girl I guess lol


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

some updated photos, had her in the stand to treat her foot.


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## top_goat (Sep 16, 2014)

Somebody with more experience please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought I read that Nubians can come into heat year round. I know mine do. I've got a juvenile in heat right now. With my senior doe that I acquired last April, her heats were irregular and she accepted multiple breedings, but never settled. I discovered that her copper levels (and probably a host of other things) were off. I worked on her nutritional levels and -- voila! Babies due early April! I guess I share this to offer hope that maybe you won't have to wait an entire year to get her bred. Try tracking her cycles, put her in a pen with the buck by herself as suggested, really focus on her nutrition, bring her bon-bons (just kidding)...I bet she'll come thru for you!


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Some Nubians will come in heat year round.
Your doe looks open to me.


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## rebelINny (Feb 7, 2014)

My one and only Nubian came into heat and was bred in June so I'd say yes some are year round breeders.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So miss Maybel's due date has come and gone, though she "could" still within the next couple weeks I suppose depending on when she had come into heat when she was put with the buck, I doubt she will. I still haven't done the biotest, going to see if I can get some help with the blood drawing...don't feel like I can do that solo haha. But I'm fairly sure she's not, I've been bringing her and my other Nubian on the milk stand every night just for practice and it just doesn't seem like she is. Compared to my other Nubian, also a FF, who will kid in april; who is obviously bred..getting quite large.

So I'm looking at other options on how to get her bred and when.... I've been thinking about calling around to see if any vets would do AI? Though from what I've read its difficult to do with goats and even worse for FF. So not sure how that will work.

I may see if I can take her back to visit the breeder I bought her from for awhile but I have a suspicion that she's one of those does that just wants nothing to do with bucks or other goats in general. Since she "probably" missed at least 3-4 heat cycles while with the buck I was renting. (though he didn't seem to really like her, which could be the issue) But she just doesn't seem to really like or is scared of other goats so I'm not sure if this will be with all bucks?

I wont be buying a buck until at least this spring/summer as I don't have the facilities to house one, or a companion for one, at the moment. Plus it will end up being a boer buck, and I would really like her to get bred to a Nubian. So depending on how long she would still come in heat this year, I could maybe get her bred for a fall kidding?

I don't know what to do I guess..... She is also the same doe with the hurt leg I've been asking/getting help on in another thread, so I think I would rather wait until that clears up before giving this another go. (though I think that it's on the mend, she will walk on it sometimes, it just seems like it maybe dislocated?)


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I personally would wait till her leg heals up so she won't have any problems carrying the extra weight with pregnancy.
Maybe my then you will have your own buck


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So I talked to the breeder where I got Maybel from and she pointed out something that completely slipped my mind, that she could come in as late as 3/9. For whatever reason I had it in my head that because she was put in with the buck on 9/11 doesn't mean she will have it 155 days after that....doh....can't believe I missed that. 

Though she still hasn't changed, going to try and get a blood test done if I can find assistance. I don't feel at all comfortable doing it solo, after reading how to do it.


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## scubacoz (Nov 7, 2013)

I have 3 first timers who are due in March sometime and their udders are there. My other goats didnt start with their udders until just a few days before delivery but they were not first timers either. All 3 of mine are mini-nubians. One of them looks like she is carrying triplets or quads. 


Sent from my iPad using Goat Forum
S&K Hilltop Farm and Ranch
Registered mini-Nubians and Nigerian Dwarfs


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So after looking back through this thread, I just realized something haha. Though Maybel didn't have her baby, and I still have my doubts that she will in April (crossing fingers though) (still haven't got a blood test done yet though, too chicken) she is getting a little bit of a belly, just a smallish bulge (could be food related, a bit of a piggy when the others leave her alone) but she hasn't started an udder. BUT neither has my other Nubian doe, also a FF, and very clearly pregnant (3rd largest blimp currently waddling around)......... though it is still rather early since she's not due till 4/7. 

Probably false hope, since she hasn't smoothed out or anything on the back end.....Need some babies already, seeing pregnant goats everywhere! :hammer:


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

I can't find the top view pic....starting to sound like a broken record haha but what do you all think now? I guess she's not as smooth and poofy in the back as my others but it almost feels like an udder is starting. About the same as my other Nubian that's very pregnant (brown one)


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## alicejane (Jan 15, 2014)

I just read this thread and I read about the large nubians. I have only mixed goats but I am pretty sure my RED goat that just had two hugh babies is nubian. I allso have a white goat that seems nubian large goat. My white goat is very selective as to when & who she lets have her. We had her last year baby with her as I had no alternative. She delivered last, last year & she delivered last this year. I had her boy & another boy with the does. She refused to let her boy with her. She chase after the little brown boy who would run from her as he was little. She just delivered babies from that little boy three days ago. It is amazine how smart goats are. Course she is so big with huge horns. She can push all the goats except RED, BUT RED DOESN'T HAVE HORNS. Back to this tread, your doe could have completly refused him or could have waited till the last minute to let the boy get with her. We lost a whole breeding year because the boy with our girls wasn't able to do it. Live and learn. But I injoy my goats. I just sold 12 goats as I didn 't have the place for them. Sorry for rambling. Last year I purchased a boer buck for my does & it sure made an improvement in my herd. Thanks


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

So my other FF doe Sophie is starting to form her udder now, still don't really feel anything on Maybel...so there goes my theory haha.


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