# Hazel's Waiting Thread!



## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

I figured I might as well start one for her.

Miss Haze is a 9 year old Angora doe who came to me with the intention of having a retirement from breeding...good thing her previous owner left her with a 5 month old buck (registered Angora, at least!) right up until the day I brought her home then! :shocked: 
I actually did not know anything of that until a couple of days ago when Hazel's personality really started to change weirdly (she's more of a "And that was important, why?"-type woman vs a snuggly girl and she's suddenly morphed into this creature that wants to be brushed/touched/loved...not that's I'm complaining!) and I figured I should contact her previous owner to confirm that here was no way she could be pregnant. Silly me.

Anyway, so this will be her final kidding and after that she'll go back to hanging around the pasture with my blind horse and her wether buddy.

The baby/babies have started kicking me with impunity (every time I touch her belly - which Hazel seems to LOVE, she spreads her legs and gets this dreamy look on her face...weirdo! - they're kicking up a storm!) so I'm thinking that she could have anywhere from a week to a few weeks left.

She seems to be creating an udder verrrry slowly but since she's an experienced girl, that seems to be unsurprising according the stuff I've read. I do know that it went from being totally empty on Saturday to feeling a bit fuller and heavier today. Not full-full or anything, just more of solid handful. However, since she's an Angora, no udder pics for now since they'll just be pictures of fluff.  I'm sure, though, that eventually it'll get full enough to see and then some pictures will appear.

I'm hoping that she'll have them close to New Years (or earlier) since I go back to school on January 7th and I'll be gone 8am-5pm on a daily basis except for the weekend. However, if she goes later...well, I might have to take a very small school vacation, right? haha

I'm hoping for a single doe kid or twin does. But really, healthy is my main hope.
I'll be keeping one (the doe kid, if she has a doe) and as soon as I brought Hazel home, back in September, I had goatie friends clamoring for a Hazel kid so any kids beyond one are going to have good homes with friends of mine. 

She's not super wide or big but she's pretty deep bodied as it is so I'm assuming she just carries deep. And since she's still gaining weight , I imagine she'll start showing pretty soon! 

Here's the lady herself!

In her blanket:










She knows she's cute.










And just because she is cute:










Oh yes, can't forget the horrifying brain-sucking alien picture (her face disappears into her hair...it's just wrong )










These are my first kids ever so I'm sure you guys are going to get to answer SO MANY, probably silly, questions! hahaha


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

My doe Busy Bee loved being pregnant too. She'd murmur to her babies


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Can't wait to meet her little fur balls! Angoras are so cuddly sweet looking with their curls


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## pierceingstarr (Nov 13, 2012)

She is cute. I have never seen one before. Is there hair really soft too?? What do you do with them?


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

That's absolutely adorable, Woodhaven! 

Meee too, Liz! When I initially got her, I was a bit bummed that she wasn't a baby since Google had informed me that Angora kids are possibly the most adorable things ever...good thing I got her anyway!  I'm so excited for them to be here! They need to hurry up and get done baking. hahaha

Piercingstarr, me either, until I met her! I actually got into goats with the sole purpose of getting my horse a pair of companions (I got larger goats so they were less of a tripping hazard since my horse is blind - they wear bells as well) so I just took what I could find. And Hazel's previous owner was trying to find a way to retire her and I happened to be looking on Craigslist the day she posted an ad about it...it was a match made in heaven!
Her hair is SUPER soft. It's a bit greasier in the areas exposed to the elements and she definitely has her own smell (not a bad smell though! Basically like a super manly, outdoorsy cologne), but yeah. She is super soft. I could pet her allll day. haha
Currently I don't do anything with her beyond just hanging out in the pasture. I do teach riding lessons to children and the goats sometimes play the part of "cattle" and the kids herd them to various areas of the pasture (super fun game! haha) but that's about it. I would like to one day, in a long time, perhaps start some sort of dairy+fiber program based around purebred Angoras (that's part of why I'd like a doe kid - apparently Miss Haze has some darn good, expensive bloodlines) but who knows. I personally don't use her fiber for anything but I might try my hand at processing after her spring shearing (her fall shearing was just gross due to some less than ideal conditions at her last home so it got thrown out).


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## pierceingstarr (Nov 13, 2012)

She is an absolute doll.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Shes real cute..like a little bear. We brought home a 9 year old Saanen to retire. Ended up getting bred ( ugh the persistence) She kidded a single doe which we retained...and since she is her last we named her baby Deliverance Finale...LOL...(Dee for short) ..Good luck on your babies...I bet they will look like cotton balls lol


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Aww, she is a cutie


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Thank you, happybleats, for that story! That makes me feel a whole bunch better. I've been nervous about the whole 9 year old thing because it seems (in my research - I've been doing so much reading..I'm surprised my eyes aren't bleeding) like not many people are either breeding 9 year olds or writing about their experience with a 9 year old kidding... So thank you! And that's an ADORABLE name!! Good one! hahaha

Thanks Pam! 



So today's "dumb" question: Is it normal for her to be slowly building an udder already?
I've read that that's more a FF thing and that experienced does generally just basically explode udders right before kidding... It's only been a week or two since I really increased her nutrition levels (I had been feeding her appropriately for a dry, open doe but since she's not open...that was an issue...) and it just seems like she's exploding in all sorts of unexpected ways. Suddenly her belly seems wider (on Saturday, her left and right sides were equal, now her right side is noticably bigger) and that udder. We went from 100% empty saggy skin on Saturday to definitely having a little something in there. Still saggy, not full at all, but there's no fitting the entire udder in one small hand anymore.

I guess I'm just a bit freaked out by this "SURPRISE! Babies on the way!" then "BAM, so many changes! Prepping for babehs as fast as possible, YAY." thing. Her ligs still feel solid (at least what I think I'm feeling as ligs are still there - her tail bone isn't protruding at all) so I think we're ok on that front. Just a bit freaked out! haha


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

What a cutie, love her little coat. The last pic is great.


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

The baby/babies kicked me hard today! There was no mistaking that for anything but a kick. 
My, highly uneducated, guess is that whatever's in there is (like it could be an alien or something, HAH.) a single. Sometimes I can feel him/her but sometimes I can't and sometimes the kicking feels super far away and other times it's super close. That could also be because they're still small!
Of course, watch her now have triplets.

I just can't get over how PROUD of herself she is. You want her to stand still? Just touch her belly, she'll stand stock-still and turn her head to look at you while you feel her tummy. I have one proud mama on my hands! hahaha


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

She sounds like such a good girl!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

She really really is! I'm so glad I got her as a first goat. My 8 month wether is so nuts (in a good way though!) compared to her. I think I would have been super overwhelmed if I had started out with two youngsters! And she puts up with my stupid mistakes so well...I couldn't ask for a better goat! haha

Speaking of my wether being nuts and Hazel being laid back... I just love this picture of her. She and my horse (also an old lady) are just like "Whatever." and my wether is doing aerial maneuvers (that's his white leg+hoof in the upper left, hahaha).










Haze and my horse waiting for dinner (they're super good friends...also my horse is basically pro at derpy faces...hahaha)










Annnnd, I got the goat babies blankets done today! I had planned on just buying something but realized that I already had the materials so why spend $$? haha
I'm not sure how the babies midsections/front legs are going to fit into these so I made the straps out of sweatshirt material that won't fray - hello custom sizing! 

And of course - gotta be purple to match Mom's daytime blanket (that purple one)!










That's all for now.

Oh, actually, P.S. she's REALLY building an udder now. I think we're closing in on some udder shots! haha 
Now, not to be awkward, but it's like there's a single mildly saggy boob between Hazel's back legs vs just an empty sack of skin. That was bad, hopefully no gentlemen read this... hahaha


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

Awesome kid coats!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Thanks!  Hopefully the kiddos like them! 

Nothing new to report except that Miss Sweetie-Pie has suddenly taken a turn for the dark side and spent today being a huge jerk to everyone. 
She threw my wether on the ground a few times (he's such a wimp! haha), bit him when he was "in her way" post-WWE moves, tried to bite me whenever I touched her "too much" - biting is her "thing", I think cuz her horns are so sketchy, refused to stand still....gaaaah, what a sassy pants! 
Luckily she did not actually bite me (she's one for the warning "snap", then she'll go for flesh if you ignore the warning..so I just keep going but make sure I'm not within biting range. HAH!) but she was madder than a wet hen.
And she was like that alllll day.

Hopefully she's feeling better tomorrow! The baby/babies are growing something fierce so I imagine that can't be super comfy, poor dear!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

She has been being friendlier again! I do not know what got into her on Monday! Silly goose.

Anyway, I thiiiiink we might be getting closer. I'm not sure at all but she's been "leaking" for about a week and today said leakage seemed heavier than it has been. Since she's so furry, it's a bit hard to tell but the mess on her bottom seemed to have doubled overnight! haha
And we've been having storms all week which probably doesn't hurt.

Today I worked at cleaning up her booty fur and her udder fur - she was NOT a fan but we got through it. While I was doing her udder, I discovered that both her teats have a little dot of hard stuff on the very tips of them... Is that normal? What does it mean?
Her udder has not really filled up a whole lot more than it was. It's still maybe 1/4th of the way full. The little dots of crust are the only new things about it!

I can't wait for these/this babies! I would really really really like it if she had Christmas babies. It doesn't seem likely but how fun would that be?

And HAH, the lady I got her from is somewhat perturbed that Haze is pregnant. I traded excess horse tack for Hazel and my wether so I got a super good deal as it was, then to have her be preggo? I get the last laugh here, apparently!

Yesterday it snowed a bunch, she was not thrilled:










Then today (with my cell phone's nasty camera), just some pictures for posterity.

I do just love how rectangular she is. It makes me smile.
Oh! For those of you who are experienced with testing ligs, are they right down where the tail meets the body? She has such a steep rump that I have no clue where to even try looking for them. If they're right where her tail meets her body, then they're soft but not gone yet. I can get my fingers maybe halfway around her tail right there but not all the way.









No major udder yet!










It's so weird, physically she does not look nearly as pregnant as all the signs say she is! I wonder how much of it is hair hiding things and how much of it is carrying well...


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The spots on her teat canals are keratin plugs. They keep the teat canal closed so the bacteria can't get in there. They are normal and serve a function. You may want to clip her wool on her hind legs, udder, and around her privates if you haven't. The discharge after birthing will make a huge mess of her.
Waiting for cottonball goats


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Yep, the dots are good! They protect her udder from bacteria. You'll just want to squeeze the teats after she kids to make sure the kids get milk


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Ligs are not quite where the tail meets body, usually a few inches above that is where they'll meet the spine. If you work your hand up the spine from her tail to her hip bones, you should be able to feel something. I love Molly's illustration of where to find ligs, scroll down the page.http://fiascofarm.com/goats/prenatalcare.html See the red lines?


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Great to know about the plugs! I know mares wax up before giving birth but Hazel =/= a horse. haha! I did leave them on so no bacteria entering here!

I agree, goathiker, about her wool. I'm just not too sure how to do it. I don't have electricity in the barn (or I would use my horse clippers) and the places where I could access electricity are unfamiliar enough to Hazel that I worry about stressing her out completely getting her there (especially since she freaks out about any kind of hair cutting)... I do have a pair of nice scissors that I used to shear her in the fall so I'm going to use those once she gets a bit closer... I'm a little apprehensive about clipping her too short too soon because it has been getting cold and she is 9. But I'll probably clip her back legs tomorrow and see if I can take anything more off around her udder/lady parts area - better a week too soon than too late!

RedGate, I'm wondering if maybe her hair is getting in the way of me feeling them... I've tried using that picture to find them and I literally feel nothing. It all seems soft. But, it has been a few months since Hazel was shorn so she does have about 4 inches of hair going on on her patootie in the area of these legendary ligs [hahaha]. I'll try to get some of it off tomorrow, then reassess.  Thanks!

In terms of definite "getting somewhere"-ness, she's started standing with her front end higher than her back end on a somewhat regular basis and today I noticed that her lady parts were looking looser. Not "hanging open" loose but loose enough that when she moved certain ways, it was a "girlll, you are showing your insides to the world. Cover up!" situation. hahahah
Oh! Also, she's started licking me... Today she licked me in the eye... She's super thoughtful. 

Those plugs on her udder are getting bigger as well. They're making her hair under there tangly! hah.

I wish she could just tell me when her due date is. That would be neato for sure.


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

It's not a have to for everyone, but my girlies always get a hair cut before kidding, whether they act like I'm shearing off a limb or chew their cud calmly. Lol. Really, I don't want them to stress at all, I let them take it easy as possible, but birthing gunk and then the discharge that continues for weeks later turns into a concrete mess. if it dries in their hair its gonna be stuck there for a while . Plus it helps me see/feel what's going on better back there, and trimming that udder makes it nice to see where to help kids latch on. Before I started pre-birth clipping, it was more stressful to them trying to keep them clean afterwards. Do you have a goat stand? Would an extension cord reach to the barn maybe? I bought a tiny battery operated wahl clipper from the pet section at our Walmart for $12 that I used to clip tails and udders when my andis were repaired last year. It wasn't nearly as pretty, but did the job  you might could look into those.


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

I don't have a goat stand.  I would really like one but so far the powers that be have not combined enough for me to end up with one. One day!
Well, I took your advice (since I obviously don't know what I'm doing I better listen to experienced people! haha) and "snuck" over to the other barn in the other pasture that does have electricity (I'm keeping my horse+goats on my neighbor's land and while they would totally not mind that Hazel is pregnant, they would get overly excited and try to be "too" helpful, you know? So I'm trying to keep it under wraps until the babies arrive).
And it actually worked out super well! I brought my wether with us so Haze/the wether wouldn't get too excited about being separated and my horse didn't even notice that they were gone! hahaha
I got her patootie all trimmed up (she actually stood SO well, I was really impressed, maybe the scissors just freak her out) and her udder too.

Maybe you guys will have opinions (hopefully!) when you see her udder (udder pics coming in a paragraph!) but I'm beginning to wonder if she might be really a lot closer than I thought... Today her lady parts were just drip-drip-dripping (slightly cloudy, water-like stuff), each teat has a huge blob of plug in it (though I know that's not a "sign"), and she's just been acting a little...strange. A bit more "I love you but....let's be bff's from afar" and a bit less interested in food vs "Let's snuggle ALLLL day!" and "feed me ALLL the foodz!".
But then no real udder. I'm wondering if she might be one of those does that gets an udder at the last second, since it hasn't really changed in a week aside from the plugs getting huger...but I know nothing.

Of course, I'm such a newb, she probably has a full month left. hahaha

Tell me what you think, I'm very interested to know.

[excuse the nast on her lady bits, she woke up this morning with SO much hay stuck to it then managed to add sawdust to it....GOATS. haha]










And THIS is what she thinks of looking like a poodle with a really bad lion-clip. 
She hates my guts. 










Thank you ladies/guys for all your help! I really really appreciate it. 

ETA- I don't know if this is relevant but I'm 99.9% sure she lost her plug almost exactly 2 months ago. I saw a really long ***** white mucus-y "string" coming out of her lady parts and just assumed it was weird normal girl-goat stuff. Now that I know more...I'm pretty sure that was her plug and I just had no clue.


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Thought I'd update a little, just for funnsies.

Basically, there have been no real changes. She's stopped obviously dripping (though her rear is messy when she gets up in the morning) and her udder is still at about the same place it was.
Her lady parts so seem to be getting looser so that's a plus, I suppose!

I am wondering a bit about her diet... I've read about how too much grain can cause the babies to get too big... However, since Hazel was rather skinny up until a couple weeks ago when I realized her "condition" (I was feeding her right for an open doe...not so much for a preggo one!) I'm not sure if I should continue feeding her what's keeping the weight on or taper it down to something lower...
My "goat friend" is relatively unconcerned because, since I'm not feeding grain-grain, she feels like the worry is less. I'm feeding a mix of alfalfa pellets and rice bran (maybe 2/3C rice bran/day, 1/2C alfalfa pellets/day), 4lbs of alfalfa hay per day, unlimited grass hay, Vit E, free choice minerals, etc. The rice bran was recommended to me by a dairy friend of mine - it's what she uses to get weight on her hard-keeping does. It's been working really great for Hazel too! And I really like how it's softer. Hazel is missing a few teeth on front so I try to keep things easily digestible for her.

Basically, rice bran is fat without a whole lot of anything else in there. The Ca ratio is 1:3 (inverted, higher phosphorus) but I think that perhaps all the other alfalfa is leveling that out... 
At least I know with horses that if you feed rice bran, you generally want to do it with alfalfa to make sure things are even.

Anyway, udder shot!
[why is one of her teats more droopy than the other? Is that just because her previous babies preferred that one? Her udder also seems smaller than in was, in this picture, to me... But I did leave her warmer but shorter blanket on her yesterday. The other one covers her sides, this one doesn't - maybe the udder went up because it was cold...? haha]










And then, just because I feel bad for her about posting lady-pictures all the time and no cute ones... Yesterday she and my wether were playing. It was real cute.


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Alrighty folks, I thiiiiink we might finally be heading somewhere. However, I could be SO wrong.

I'm almost questioning whether or not she's even pregnant since I've read that sometimes later in pregnancy you can feel heads and such inside...and I haven't felt anything beyond possible kicking. However, I suppose if she has a single in there, I might not feel it as easily as a doe with more than one hidden inside?

Today I saw some mucus-y stuff dripping from her lady area and my wether has recently (in the last two, or so, weeks) become obsessed with mounting her with some regularity (which, according to some sources, can apparently be him confusing late pregnancy with heat...or just her being in heat). I don't thiiiink she's in heat because from what I've read, Angoras generally do their fall cycles from September to November. But I'm such a newb, anything could happen at this point and I really wouldn't be very surprised.

Anyway, maaaybe she's loosing her plug?

I took another patootie picture last week sometime and in comparing the two, she seems quite a bit puffier back there in today's picture than she did...
Also, I'm not really sure where her udder went but I did notice that last Saturday it seemed to move forward somehow? Like now she has udder flab in front and between her back legs where as in the picture from earlier last week, the udder was ONLY between her back legs...

Who really knows. If she's gonna pop anything out, it'll be by February 10th-ish, Feb 5th is 150 days since I brought her home, so I guess we'll see!

Anyway, here's a picture/"collage" (lolz at making an udder collage...add that to the list of things I never planned to do with my life!!), for funnsies and comparisons if you feel like.

The first one is early last week, second is this evening.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Hummm...no filled udder...But that can happen pretty quick in the last few weeks...since she is a month or so before kidding..it will be hard to tell..I have a saanen Doe who just kidded...she had me guessing all the way til I saw babies on the ground!! She began to flirt with the bucks as if she is in heat..we even let our Saanen buck out a minute to see what would happen..she laid down...she was flagging and calling...and she wasn't very large at all, so I thought , Man I really missed it this time lol..But then yesterday afternoon she kidded two Large babies..one doe one buck...3 days past due date..just like last year lol...Soooooo...my moral.lol...Most times you can not tell she is pregnant until the babies hit the ground. Last year we had tons of triplets and BOY you could tell mom was pregnant in the end months..lol but that is not always the case...Keep a close watch, hope for the best, and if she isn't bred..there is always next season : ) in the mean time enjoy her...she is adorable!!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Wow! It's comforting to know that someone experienced with goats can get confused too! I was beginning to feel like every doe is super obviously pregnant when they are and since Hazel's not, wellllll... haha Thanks for sharing! And congrats on the new babies!! I bet they're super cute. 
Unfortunately, in her case there really isn't next season. She's SO arthritic that even her having babies right now isn't my favorite idea. She can't/won't climb over anything higher than about 6 inches due to the pain it causes her. :/ But yeah, I'm just happy I have HER. Pregnant or not, I'll be happy. She's fantastic. 

Today I left Haze's blanket off all day to let her skin "breathe" a bit (it's been very cold so she's been wearing her blankets 24/7 since she gets chilled, to the point of violently shivering, very easily) - she's spent very little time without a blanket for the last week or so.
I don't know, maybe the fact that she's been wearing "clothes" for days in a row is throwing me off...but she looks rounder to me than she did...
I did find a picture I took about a month ago of an "aerial" belly view...it seeeeeems like there may be a baby bump starting. Of course, she could just be getting chubbier since about a month ago is when she suddenly started dropping weight and I couldn't figure out why so I really upped her ration... But the "bump" IS on the right side... Who knows, I'll show ya.  I made another collage. hahahaha

In any case, I'm going to set up a "kidding stall" tomorrow, just in case. My winter break is ending on Monday so this'll be my last chance to really get anything done and if she suddenly ends up having some babies, well, it would be seriously unfortunate to be scrambling in the dark to create some sort of secluded spot for her.
I have a 12ft metal gate that's not in use and my stalls are 12x12 - if I place the gate in the goat stall horizontal+at a slight diagonal, then secure it to the wall on one side, and make some sort of latch on the other side, I think that should end up pretty respectable. Then I can also wrap the gate in a tarp, or something similar, to limit drafts since the stall itself is completely open in the front.
That way I'll feel better knowing that at least there's a safe, warm, spot no matter what. And if she ends up not being preg, well, it'll still be a nice addition to the stall. I'm sure she and my wether wouldn't mind having a little windbreak (the shed/barn opens away from the prevailing wind but sometimes it still gets a little windy in there!).

Anyway, today's "collage":










Then, today I tried taking a side shot, just for references sake...and boy, I don't think she had _any_ opinion about _that.... :laugh:

_









Captain SassyPants reporting for duty!!


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

I can't say I have input on Hazel's pregnancy... she DOES look a little bigger in the one pic than the other. But I can always say, WOW, I love seeing pictures of Hazel. She's so darn adorable!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

lol..she is adorable ...yes even those of us who have been at this for a few years can get stumped from time to time : p


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Thanks for the compliments to Hazel's adorableness! I may be partial, but I have to agree.  She's as sweet as she looks too which is probably my favorite thing ever. A teddy-bear looking goat that actually wants to be loved? Sign me UP! hahaha!

Well, I'm back to thinking she's pregnant! :laugh:
I wasn't really able to effectively check her out all week since I started school this week again and was therefore doing both feedings/checks in the dark. So I was checking her udder feel-wise but no lady-parts checking.
Today when I finally got to see her in the light (her udder has been feeling slightly bigger each day but I'm getting the impression she's going to be one of those "explodes and udder overnight right before birth" types) and her lady parts have REALLY changed. And yes, I did make a collage. hahahaha
I really see what people mean about them getting a bit red and puffy back there... This picture doesn't show the olor the greatest but things are definitely really pinker-red in "important" areas and everything is much...flatter than it was.

Her ligs seem to be gone even more (I still haven't been able to find them...I'm sure it'll become obvious when they really disappear! haha) because she can barely lift her tail all the way when she tries - which, in her case, is really low anyway. She can still pull it sorta down (doesn't seem to be able to clamp it totally though) and put it up a bit but not much in any direction.
She's also stretching more than usual and wagging her tail all over the place for no apparent reason.

OUT babies, OUT, I say! :baby: :girl: :girl: :kidred: !!!!!!

lady-parts:










Then, she was being so needy today (adorable.). I hung out with the critters for about 4 hours this morning and the entire time, she was "glued" to my leg just like this. 










However, now that it's late Friday, I would REALLY like her to wait until next Thursday.That would be the absolute most ideal time for her to have them. That way, I could skip class on Thursday (I don't have class on Friday) then have an entire weekend to make sure the kiddos are ok+going to be ok. Even Wednesday night would be great. Then they'd be 4-ish days old by the time I had to go to school from 8am-5pm and I would feel better about it. Versus leaving a couple of day old babies alone for that long...you know?

So think next Wednesday/Thursday thoughts!!


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## dem1960 (Dec 30, 2012)

Adore able

She is so cute! Any kids yet?


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## Heffer_Nite (Jan 7, 2013)

How's Hazel getting on? I have really enjoyed reading your thread, i hope it all goes well for you both

Heather


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## bayouboergoats (Dec 30, 2012)

I was wondering the same thing...Has Ms. Hazel had any babies yet?


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Oh sorry guys!

No babies yet! 
She's being altogether tooooo wily about this. I have zero gray hairs currently but I really feel like she's working on adding a few to my head! haha

Early last week, I tried separating her in the kidding stall overnight because her lady-parts were suddenly really puffy (no more udder though, but I figured I should start getting them used to it) and every morning, post-separation, my wether started mounting her and really "going at it".... So I began to wonder if she was in heat and not pregnant after all... 
But thennnnn (see? Growing gray hair. I can feeeel it), today I checked her out again (I hadn't really done hoo-hah checks all week because it was stressing me out+making me frustrated), and her lady parts were basically hanging open. They went back together as the day progressed but I haven't seen them this loose ever... I would have figured that if she had had a heat cycle, they should be de-loosening+de-puffing by now. But they are doing neither of those things. If anything, they are growing in puffiness+loosening.
Her udder isn't doing anything really, It's just the same "thick"+"heavy" feeling it was before, but small. I figure that, if she's pregnant, she'll fill up right before she kids.
The one thing I have noticed, that's really hard to put into words, is that before it "shrunk" up and forward, her udder felt sort of attached to _her_ everywhere except for the very middle, where the udder was hanging straight down from. NOW, it's sort of...opened up and feels sort of...unattached from her in a full square-ish shape that reaches from either back leg, then back to her rear end and up to right behind her belly button-ish area,, but attached on the edges. Like a rectangular/square Tupperware container with her body as the lid. Maybe that makes no sense, it makes barely any sense to me! haha

HUH. I guess we'll see!!

February 10th is 155 days after her last possible breeding date (September 7, 2012) so she has until then to play games! haha

Anyway, some pictures:

This morning:
"Gurrrrrl, don't show those parts to the world!"










Later today - still loose but not as ridiculously loose+small udder.










Then, cute Hazel face because we can.










And,
Self sufficient goat is self sufficient. 
Wants pillow, uses rumen.


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

Oh Hazel, why you playing like this?


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## bayouboergoats (Dec 30, 2012)

Well glad to know she is okay.I sure hope she is preggo so we can all see some cute little fuzy babies!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Well guys, we maaaaaay, very tentative "may", be having some contractions/pre-labor tonight. 
And of course, 5 days before the "last call" due date! haha

Anyway, her "hoo-ha" is puffed up and red, she's suddenly acting sensitive about her udder (which has not filled up more than about 2 big handfuls yet but we'll see) - she tried to kick me twice today when I went for my daily feel, she spent the day really trying to stay away from my horse and wether, then, after I basically herded her into the goat pen for the night (usually she goes right in), she wasn't super interested in dinner and after she took a few bites, she went and stood in the far corner of the pen, shifted her weight back and forth every minute or so. While she'd shift her weight, she would also arch her back...

No fluid (though she did start having some discharge this morning, clear though), no pawing/licking/digging, etc.

I just went up to do one last check for the night, just in case, and while she seemed uncomfortable, she wasn't obviously contracting or anything dramatic.
We'll see!

I did put her in the kidding stall by herself though, just in case. Better safe than sorry!


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## bayouboergoats (Dec 30, 2012)

Aww yay! Keep us posted


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

Just found this thread! How is she? She is adorable!!!! Babies yet??


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Well gang, no babies yet but I'm thinking we'll be getting some later today or tomorrow.









She's definitely contracting (I felt one along her back, then when I went to let her out and she zoomed around me, I saw her tail curl to the side in a real strange way, like those Fiasco pictures!), ligs are totally gone (I can get my fingers nearly all the way around her tail bone), her hoo-ha does look like really risen yeasty bread and it's ridiculously loose. AND she's making weird quiet noises that I've never heard before - presumably talking to her babies?
She also ate maybe a 1/2 cup of her breakfast (about 3 total cups which she usually eats like she's starving), then shunned it totally.

I went to let her out for the day -prior to seeing the contraction- and she immediately shot out of the stall and headed straight for the deep woods at the back of the pasture. I followed her, then saw the contraction, "captured" her, and took her right back to the stall. I realized that she may have never kidded inside before and so she's acting mad about being in the stall due to that.
But, there is a coyote that hangs around in my pastures sometimes (hasn't threatened the goats at all, I've even seen them sleeping together in a huddle - but babies might be too much a of a temptation for her since both adult goats are bigger than she is+horns...babies are not) so I locked Hazel into the stall again, just so fate is not tempted.
Hopefully we'll get a baby/some babies by the end of today!

Of course, yesterday I accidentally let it slip to her that I have midterms every single day this week. #doecode

SOMEONE suddenly looks super prego:










Anyway, I'm going to head back up to check on her in about two hours.


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## Heffer_Nite (Jan 7, 2013)

Oooooo Im so excited for you, my 3 goats all kidded in the last 3 days and im a first time goat mommy too. Its so scary and fun all at the same time. Fingers crossed for a little girl for you :kidred:


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## fezz09 (Oct 30, 2012)

YAAAY go hazel!! Hope all goes well can't wait to see some pictures!!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Aw, thanks Heffer_Nite!  Wow, 3 in 3 days? I would go insane!! haha This waiting is so stressful! Especially with trying to study for midterms...studying may not be taking the highest priority... haha 

Thanks Fez! I can't wait to take some pictures of this/these kiddo(s)!!



Nothing really new to report.
She's breathing pretty heavily nearly constantly now and every once in a while her tail will curl to the side+she'll stiffen up like it's a contraction but nothing major yet. 
I let her out for about half an hour this afternoon to walk around a bit (figured that if taking a walk works for human women, why not goats! haha) and he back legs looked really sort of stiff and posty. Like instead of flexing them to walk, she was sort of swinging them out. Weird! haha

No strings of mucous yet and no huge bag BUT her bag was slightly bigger this evening than it was this morning! Her ligs are still 100% gone as well.

Gah, I will be insane by the end of this. 
Hopefully she'll have her little one tonight or wait until Thursday (YEAH RIGHT. hahaha).

I'll be going up there to check on her again in a few hours, hopefully we'll be getting somewhere!


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## pygmymommy (Jan 11, 2013)

Im gonna take a guess and say she has two in there! My girl only got this big as a first timer and had two, Hazel is experienced and is probably carrying deep so i think two!  also my girl had all those same signs also mine would burp up her cud then moan little and scratched her back alot with her horns. She ended up having her kids the morning after she started all those signs and Mine didn't completely fill her bag till after she had them. I've been reading your thread but never commented, Hazel is such a pretty girl and i wish you two the best of luck and hope she has them soon!









Here's some baby picture for while you wait!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Awwww! They are SO cute! Thanks for that! I needed it!  
And WOW! Your girl seems so small to have had two! That gives me hope! haha I can't decide whether I really want one or two. Two would be super fun but one means I wouldn't have to choose who goes and who stays... I have a great home lined up for a twin but you know... haha 


I just did my evening check. 
The only changes are that her teats seems to be softening up and filling out. Udder is still small but her teats are much bigger than they were. Her pooch also seems possibly even puffier and redder...also slimier. haha! No mucus strings yet, but everything back there is "wet". 
Ligs are still gone and she's getting more and more "other minded" - I tried scratching her chest (usually makes her REALLY happy, even gets her lower lip wiggling all over!) and she "accepted" that for about 5 seconds, then she shoved past me and slowly lumbered a lap around the stall.

I think we're going for Superbowl babies! haha



Should I be worried that she really hasn't eaten anything today? She has had about 4.5 cups of Beet Pulp/Alfalfa Pellets/Rice Bran and maybe a few mouthfuls of hay over the day (though she has plenty of hay, alfalfa and grass hay, available) but not much else... I figure that's just a normal part of the labor process?
I guess I can be glad her weight finally picked up some over the last few weeks! Of course, once these babies are here, I'm sure she will be needing everything I can throw at her. For now though, the fact that she's no longer such a waif is reassuring!


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Keep a real close eye on her. Going off feed is a sing of impending labor. Its also a sign of milk fever.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Oooooo....watching this thread!! Good luck to her and you


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## pygmymommy (Jan 11, 2013)

Well with mine, she is such a sweet goat but once she got pregnant she wouldn't let me touch her until right before she went into labor she started screaming at/for me and if id leave her or stop petting her she'd scream at me. So look for big mood swings and almost a startled look in her eyes. Also mine lost her plug about a week before she kidded but i didn't see any amber good until the kids were coming out. So it really is different with every goat. Just look for loose to no ligs where you can almost wrap your fingers around the base of her tail and her teets to get large. Once that happens babies should fallow very soon after. There could be alot of other signs but they very with each goat. Oh, the stiff legged walk is also a sigh of labor too. Everything you are saying makes it seem like she is very very close to kidding!

Also, that picture is from the day before she kidded so i think your girl might have either one big boy in there or twins. But either way good luck to you and post lots of pictures!


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

No babies yet! 

It's pretty obvious though that her hormones are going NUTS. She's wagging her tail pretty constantly, trying to make my wether fight her through the fence (not her thing at all) -they were really going at it so I ended up closing off the entire goat pen, with Hazel in the kidding stall, so they're forced to leave each other alone-, standing/climbing on the gate that makes up one side of the kidding stall (I've never ever seen her climb anything, ever, before), etc.

Out babies, OUT! haha


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Here's a video of her being mad, while we wait! haha


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

She's acting like a girl in heat... do you have any new pics of her girly bits?


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

I'll get some. 
I'm pretty sure this isn't a heat since she's never ever acted like this before and her lady parts haven't ever been this red and puffed up...but at the same time, she's being as confusing as possible. Goat troll! haha
I'm gonna feel sillllllyyyy... hahaha :/


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## Wallaby (Sep 11, 2012)

Sooooo confused. 
I decided to let her out for a while since she was acting really frantic when I went up there to check on her a few minutes ago.

My brain hurts. :laugh:

Here are some coochie pictures. It's super red and puffy... And I really cannot find ligs, do ligs disappear with a heat? And the whole udder thing...
Thinking about it, about 2 weeks ago, her lady-parts puffed up, then de-puffed slightly (but not back to the level of de-puffed-ness they had been at), and my wether acted like she was irresistible, then this... So I suppose this couldddd be a heat cycle? 
However, before she didn't have the heavier breathing or the udder changes...

I wish she were making this easy!




























???????????

Yesterday it seemed like a sure thing...not so much anymore! haha

ETA: from yesterday, a video of her "panting" -






I think we all need to get really mellow and totally unexcited about this maybe baby. THEN she'll pop it out. :laugh:


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## FlyingFeetsFarm (Nov 28, 2012)

Engebretsen said:


> She's acting like a girl in heat... do you have any new pics of her girly bits?


That's exactly what I was thinking when I watched that video, you may try to find a buck and see if she will stand for him. Her swollen lady parts could be from being in heat.

Her udder does not look like it has any milk at all, and I would say just from looking at her that she is no where close to kidding, so there is a good chance she isn't bred at all. IMO :/


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## pygmymommy (Jan 11, 2013)

How is Hazel?


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

So? Any fluffy kids?


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## bayouboergoats (Dec 30, 2012)

Yes how is Miss Hazel??? Was it heat or did she spit out some cute little fluffy kids???


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

My saanen doe acted like she was in full blown heat days before she was due to kid...I even brought my buck to her..she laid down and wanted nothing to do with him but was riding everyone in the girls pen, she didnt look heavy bred at all so I doubted my self...then a few hours later she pooped out twins..lol. WOW put me in my place quick...Hazel looks dropped..I would have a sonogram done or blood work to clear up the mystery...if she is not bred or in heat uterus infection comes to mind..she is so dang cute...We saw a whole herd Friday of those fluffy goats...Love them


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## pygmymommy (Jan 11, 2013)

How is Hazel?


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