# Surprise!



## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Orla surprised me! I need to write this all down so y'all can share with me, and so I can work through all the info and figure it out. 

I had the vet ultrasound Orla on June 27th, 3 weeks after the end of a 4 week stint with the buck, and there was no visible pregnancy. I was super disappointing. Fast forward to today, when I took her in after being exposed to the buck for the past 41 days, and they said there's definitely a pregnancy, see, there's the eyes, and spine! I said it's only been 41 days, and that baby looks huge, and they assured me these babies are a lot older than that!

Surprise! I was not treating her like a bred doe! AAAAHHHHH! She had Valbazen twice over the summer. The vet said not to worry too much about the Valbazen because we can't fix it, but most importantly because the fetus looked really healthy on the ultrasound. Fingers crossed!!!

She's been on serecia hay, free-choice minerals, and water the whole time. For the last 3 months I was feeding grain with a little alfalfa pellets to flush my does for this fall's breeding (starting 6 weeks before I released the buck, which was 41 days ago). I'm cutting grain out now and I'm upping her alfalfa ration. Luckily she has been in overall good health. Just need to catch up on her selenium a little and pray she doesn't have a grain-obese single baby!!! Orla was a quadruplet, so I am hoping she is having multiples, which will keep those birth weights more reasonable considering her diet.

She's due anytime from 10 days ago to first week of November, if I wrote down her play-dates correctly. She's a first freshener and is 18 months old. Judging by her udder development and the lack of a ultrasound-visible pregnancy in June, I'm guessing either the vet is bad at caprine ultrasounds, OR, more likely, Orla took at the very end of her romance and is due in 2-ish weeks. 

Just yesterday I was thinking her udder looked a little more feminine and less baby-ish, so she's just barely starting to swell. From my previous and limited experience, that looks more like she's due in one month! Which shouldn't be possible... I'll just have to keep a VERY close eye on her. I'm hoping she's just one to develop an udder at the very end.

Anyone want in on guessing her due day for fun? I'm guessing she'll kid on October 30th during our Halloween party that my kids are so excited for...


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck! What a nice surprise!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How exciting, good luck.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Oh October 30th for sure!

A photo of Orla and the buck until the kids arrive?

Well wishes for a simple delivery of healthy hearty twins!


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Orla:










Guccio the buck with his 3 does


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Guccio is the dark brown with a small white patch on his side.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Orla is stinking cute! What a doll. I hope you/her have an easy and convenient delivery.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Also that is a great hay feeder, i'm going to have to make something like that.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Oh exciting! Halloween babies... you'll have to come up with witchy or warlocky names


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

@Dayna Orla is a beauty. I like my feeder, too! The roof lifts up to fill the feeder. They can't waste much, which frustrates them to no end!


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Gucchi is te buck you currently have for sale, yes?

I agree to not fret about the Valbazon. You can't do anything about it.
I agree with cutting down on the grain and upping the alfalfa. I especially agree with the selenium being given now.

In short, you are doing everything you can, and there is no help in fretting about what you can't!

Congrats!


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

@mariarose Yes, Gucci(o) is the buck I have for sale. Thanks! I'm getting excited now that the shock has passed!

She's such a lovely, gentle doe. I'm so excited to see how her baby(ies) turn out! I hope I get all does that look just like her with blue eyes and white patches from Gucci and polled from Orla.


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## SandyNubians (Feb 18, 2017)

Such a beautiful girl! She look so sweet. What a wonderful surprise. Hope all goes well!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

So cute.


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Hey! Question: Have y'all ever seen a FF kid without her udder developing?

She's supposedly due sometime in the next 2 weeks, but according to my limited past experience her tiny pouch of an udder is at the 1.5 months left to kid stage. On the flip side, her tail head is softening like crazy, her ligaments are a little spongy, and she's getting friendly, which isn't like her. If it weren't for the lack of udder development, I'd say we are right on track for sometime in the next 2 weeks. Just the doe code? should I go get some baby bottles in case her milk doesn't come in? I have some colostrum stored from last year, just in case.


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## mariella (Feb 23, 2017)

I don't have much experience with something like this, but I've been told they can fill after labor starts. 
I always have bottles and nipples on hand just in case something goes wrong or the doe has too many babies to care for.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I've always thought it a good idea to have bottles ready, because you don't know what can happen. No milk, or rejection, or even (shudder) the death of the mom.

So yes. Even if the udder looked "normal" to you, it would be good to have bottles ready to go into action.

That said, the udder can develop milk even without getting large.


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## SandyNubians (Feb 18, 2017)

I agree. 

I have had a couple does fill right when/after labor. So, I know it could happen.

I have a doe due in 5 weeks(confirmed bred for that date by blood test) and she has just a teeny tiny little udder. It's about the size of 1/2 a golf ball, if that. However, she has been like this for her past 2 kidding as well. And while she does fill up right at kidding time, it only gets about the size of a med-sized orange. She produced 6oz twice a day earlier this year at her peak, so her kids do have to be pulled and bottle fed.


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Thanks, y'all!


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

That adorable face!! 

She could be one of those that they say fill up literally right before. I have 2 due first week of November, they're not FF but have started filling some. My FF due 2nd week of Dec has maybe an udder the size of an orange right now. I know I had a doe that filled somewhat the couple days before kidding, but as she was kidding she REALLY filled. Another that was pretty dang small until the day before kidding and then continued after kidding to fill.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

Oh and all your goats are really beautiful! Great looking group!


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Thanks, Jubillee!

Update: Orla is still holding out. I'm going on a trip in 10 days. Any new guesses when she will kid, just for fun?


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## Chelsey (Dec 7, 2018)

She’s gonna kid right when you’re almost home from your trip. You’ll get back and she’ll have wet babies on the ground and look at you like ‘what took you so long!’ Also, whoever is watching/feeding for you will not be able to notice any labor signs even if you give explicit directions! Totally NOT speaking from experience! Lol.


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Well, despite everything the calendar says to the contrary, and despite purposefully NOT giving them date time during July for this very reason, it looks like we are getting Christmas babies! I didn't want a doe due around Christmas time because I thought we would be travelling, but we decided not to go anywhere, so it's actually not a big deal this time around. I just want to know HOW???

Orla's ligaments are drastically softened now and her udder is firm. I checked her half-heartedly 2 days ago, figuring she's due late Jan., early Feb., and her ligaments were solid. Logic told me not to bother checking again today, but went with my gut instead and checked her. Boom. Her ligaments are practically gone. It is bone-chillingly cold. I made her a kidding suite in my garage, because I don't want to go outside in this cold.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Hey...you arent alone..I have Dutchess due on the 21st of Dec. And Cocoa..is due Christmas..
Woohoo..
So...guess we know where we will be Christmas day!:great:


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## SandyNubians (Feb 18, 2017)

What an exciting surprise!

She must have expected you to be preparing to leave! "Don't worry, I won't go until Jan/feb":angel: Then BAM! As soon as you left she would have been ready to pop them out. But you foiled her plans! Haha silly goat, not this time!


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

And, I think that might be ligaments gone now.


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## healthyishappy (Mar 6, 2019)

singinggoatgirl said:


> And, I think that might be ligaments gone now.


:coolmoves::coolmoves::coolmovesdance)(dance)(dance)
Any updates?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things?


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

Healthy baby on the ground! I'm making a birth announcement post right now!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

YAY


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