# Scratching My Head



## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

On New Years Eve, we had 3 beautiful babies born. Unfortunately one was a stillborn doe and one little buck almost died. We had to bring him in and raise his body temp...Now the mamma won't take him. She is doing amazingly with the living doe...but she doesn't want anything to do with this poor beautiful buck. Now we have another one that is in the kidding stall. She was exposed to a buck from july 22nd to sept 1...I know she's close but not sure when she was actually bred. So with all of that being said, she has me scratching my head. Her bag hasn't really started filling with milk yet. She is an older doe and her bag is large and loose...she has had a small amount of white discharge on and off for a couple of weeks now..Tonight I went to the barn to check on her and she had a string of clear mucus that was about 7 inches long. Here's the problem with that...Her ligaments still appear to be intact. Is this just normal mucus or can they start streaming before their ligaments disappear. I do NOT want a repeat of New Years Eve. Can anyone tell me if I should camp out in the barn tonight??? SMH..


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

I hope someone with more experience comes on but it doesn't sound like she's ready, from what i can remember a clear mucus discharge is normal and doesn't signify impending labor it needs to be tinted amber color also since she has ligs and bag isn't tight i would say it's safe to not worry and go on to bed.


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks..my biggest concern is that Daisy (the one that delivered new years eve) had ligaments at 6 Am when I checked her before I went to work...and no milk. When I got home at 5 mins after 8 that evening I had a dead kid on the ground and another that was 3/4 of the way dead. It has me really worried...and I think i'm driving my husbands nuts! LOL


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## FlyingFeetsFarm (Nov 28, 2012)

I know how you feel, I have a doe right now that could kid anytime between now and the 15th so I am on edge. What I usually do with a doe that is due anytime is I check on them 4 times a day and if I see something such as the a large mount of discharge you saw on your doe I check on them every 1 to 2 hours during the night. When I check on them I try to sneak up where they don't know I am watching and I observe their behavior. I watch for restlessness, pawing, baby talking and contractions. I watch them for about 10 minutes and if I don't see anything weird I go back to bed. This method has worked best for me, even though I have to get up a lot I still get some sleep and I don't have to freeze in the barn all night.


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

JenVise said:


> Thanks..my biggest concern is that Daisy (the one that delivered new years eve) had ligaments at 6 Am when I checked her before I went to work...and no milk. When I got home at 5 mins after 8 that evening I had a dead kid on the ground and another that was 3/4 of the way dead. It has me really worried...and I think i'm driving my husbands nuts! LOL


That would have me all worried too. And don't feel bad i know i drive my husband crazy on a daily basis..it's my job


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

I can't wait until kidding season is over!!


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

Any more opinions? Or is the general consensus that this is normal?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If she was bred, July 22nd she would of already kidded.

So, she had to of bred later, which means, if she was bred in August, she would be already filling in the udder. When you physically feel her udder, does it feel empty or like a little pouch starting? Sometimes we can't see the filling, but, can feel it coming on. 

If she was bred just before she was taken away from the buck, sep 1, she wouldn't be filling in the udder just yet.

As to the discharges, they are normal later in pregnancy. Some get pretty messy tails, so I am thinking if she was bred in August it is right on target. 
Don't quote me on it, you know the Doe code of honor, LOL 

As mentioned, if it is a clear amber tube color, she is getting super close. 

A doe has to lose their ligs in order to kid. So she isn't ready.

Of course, they can fool us and it is recommend for those, that we are unsure of due dates, to watch closely.

Is she getting lose around the tail head yet? Sunken in appearance? 

Sloppy vulva/loose?


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

Here are some pics that was taken just a few minutes ago. I wasn't able to get a good pic of the pooch because she won't put her tail up. The ligaments that were up close to her spine have dropped down to her rump but they are still palpable. Sorry about the mess on her...she had a run-in earlier this morning with a chicken and it was WAY too cold today to wash her down!


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## crzenner (Dec 23, 2012)

toth boer goats said:


> If she was bred, July 22nd she would of already kidded.
> 
> So, she had to of bred later, which means, if she was bred in August, she would be already filling in the udder. When you physically feel her udder, does it feel empty or like a little pouch starting? Sometimes we can't see the filling, but, can feel it coming on.
> 
> ...


Dumb question....what is the Doe code of honor?


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

1. No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all 
involved. Your owner's house must be a wreck, their family hungry, 
and desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexistent.

2. "Midwives" must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out. 
Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence 
means the time is getting close.

3. For every bell, beeper, camera, or whistle they attach to you, 
kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item. If they 
use an audio monitor, one good yell per hour will keep things interesting.

4. If you hear the words, "She's no where near ready. She'll be fine 
while we're away for the weekend." Wait until they load the car, and 
then begin pushing!

5. Owner stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care 
of someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you're 
getting close.

6. When you hear the words, "I can't take it anymore!" wait at least 
three more days.

7. You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are 
mandatory! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing 
your food around, and then walking away from it, and nesting are 
always good for a rise.

8. The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to 
avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to 
wear that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby 
for another day. Oh, they made him do tricks too! Three more days 
seems fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those 
awful wormings can also be avenged at this time.

9. If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when 
to have the kids, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that 
has been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe Storm 
warning is what you're waiting for. In the heart of the storm jump 
into action! You have a good chance of those who wait missing the 
whole thing while searching for a flashlight that works!

10.Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time 
someone comes into the barn to check you. Your barn mates will love 
you as the extra goodies fall their way too.Remember this code of 
honor was designed to remind man of how truly special goats are. Do 
your best to reward those who wait with a beautiful doeling to carry 
on the Doe Code of Honor for the next generation of those who wait.


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## crzenner (Dec 23, 2012)

goathiker said:


> 1. No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all
> involved. Your owner's house must be a wreck, their family hungry,
> and desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexistent.
> 
> ...


I think I just peed my pants! That is so true!!!!!!


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

Even more large amounts of discharge today...kind of an orangeish color...ligaments still palpable. Any ideas?


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

goathiker, i'm lmao because it's soooo true!
If the discharge is amber (possibly what you are describing as orangeish) then you should be close. Mine went a few hours from the amber goop. Not to be rude, are you sure the ligaments are still palpable? I only ask because i had a heck of time the first two goats getting use to feeling them! Hope she goes today for you


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

ligaments used to be up by the spine and now I can still feel them down at the rump. I can't feel them anymore at the spine where I used to...and there is still no change with the bag


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

I'm just confused because I have never seen this amount of discharge and birth not closely followed...but I've also never seen this amount or type of discharge and still feel any ligaments at all... :scratch:


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

again refer to the code of honor:laugh: keep us posted.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If you want to put on a new rubber glove and check to see if she is open, I would do that. 
With 2 fingers, see if you hit a wall or if you can go in easily. If she is open, she is getting ready to kid.
Without a filled udder, it is hard to say, as some Does will fill just before or shortly after. Have colostrum backup ready, just in case she doesn't have enough to feed her kids. Also, you can give her a Oxytocin shot, after she is all done kidding, to help with milk letdown. Get it from a vet.

Her body, is preparing for kidding, that is for sure, but, it is so hard to judge when, having no udder development and is not filled tight.


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

Update on Sugar... She delivered 4 babies today!! Again her ligaments were there when I left for work at 6 this morning. She still had no milk and her udder was very loose.... When i called home to check on her at 11 she had started having a discharge again. By 2 her bag was filling...at about 5 she delivered 3 bucklings and a doeling (born dead  ) I'm starting to think my Does all hate me!!! They fool me into thinking they are going to be fine while I'm at work and deliver before I get home!!!!


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

Oh dear Jen, I am sorry about the little doeling. I can't believe that doe made you wait that long. Sheesh! How is she doing with her bucklings now? Those girls don't hate you, they are just committed to making you into the crazy goat lady who lives in her barn so as not to miss anything


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## JenVise (Dec 7, 2012)

She is doing AMAZING with her little guys! She is soooo nurturing. It's heartwarming to watch. We did have a problem with one of the little guys though. Again, he got way to cold and had to bring him in to warm him up. We fed him colostrum with a syringe. After I got him warm, I took him back out to be with his mamma and brothers. She kept fussing over him and and rolled him all over the stall trying to clean him. He perked up so much while he was out but I just couldn't get him to latch onto her to nurse. She was more than willing to try, but he wasn't having any of it. I thought I would leave them for a while to see if he would warm up to her. When I went back out 45 minutes later, he was lying on his side shivering and limp again. So...round two of the warm up started! After we got him warm for the SECOND time he DOWNED a bottle in record time! Now he is cuddled up on my lap under blankets and seemingly very content. Looks like he will be joining my little ornery Nottingham on a bottle schedule! 

I can't wait until kidding season is over! This is crazy. I'm a nurse and I work 13 hour days and have 3 two-legged children to tend to. One of my patients at work this morning saw me and said..."Up all night with the goats again, Jen?" The things we do for our goaties!!!


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