# How long before she kids? **PICS added**



## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

I have two maiden does that are 1.5 years old. I bought them only a few months ago and was told they may be pregnant. The buck was in the pasture with them sometime in April and March, so I guess I have an 8 week time frame to guess when they'll kid.

One doe looks thin along her topline. I keep itching to increase her food, but am worried about the kids getting too large for her. The other doe is fat and sassy. The doe who looks bony on her topline also has the larger udder development and more swollen vulva. Could she be close to kidding?

The other doe looks like her udder is JUST starting to form.

I'm a newbie goat owner and really confused about when my girls are due. I don't want to be unprepared and I worry I will miss the kidding and something will go wrong. :tears:

I will try and get pics tomorrow. I know that would help!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

*Re: How long before she kids?*

Welcome from NJ :wave:

Photos will be a big help. Be sure to get a photo from the back showing her entire back end with tail up.

That is a big time frame for them to kid. Gestation is about 150 days give or take. If they were bred in early March then they can kid starting now. April they can kid up until end of September.

For most of my first time mama does I see udder development start no more than 1 1/2 months but mine are Nigerian Dwarf and each individual goat is different. They generally really fill in the udder the last day before kidding and it will get all shinny. Discharge is also a indicator of them going to kid soon.

Are these your first goats? Do they have loose goat minerals?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

*Re: How long before she kids?*

Couldn't have said it better...Logan is right.... :thumb: :hi5:


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

*Re: How long before she kids?*

Okay, got pics!

Here is Esther. She appears in good weight to me and her coat is nice. She's the one with the smaller udder and she's not as swollen in her vulva (but her belly looks larger??).


















and here is Midge. She has the larger udder, large vulva, but also looks boney along her topline. She has looked boney like this from day one. I thought it was worms, so I wormed both of them ... but she never improved. 


















They get coastal hay, alfalfa pellets, and Purina goat feed daily. I have a goat block out for them, but they don't touch it much. Someone else informed me yesterday that I should use loose minerals, which the goats like better?

Yes, these are my first goats! My family had three goats when I was a child, but that's been a while.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

They both look to be less than 1 month to kidding. 
Have you looked at both udders well? Watch them and when they look to fill up a bunch kidding is usually within a few days. 

You say that neither has kidded before?
Midge looks to me like she needs a bit more condition but don't up the feed too much right now since this is when the kids do a lot of growing and you don't want oversized kids. 
Does Esther have a extra teat? I may just be seeing something else there but it looks on her left side that there is a extra teat. If it is and if it is nonfunctional you may want to tape it up so the kids don't try an drink there with no luck. 

Loose goat minerals are way better IMO.


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

Thanks! I was guessing they'd be due around the end of the month ... but wasn't sure. Yes, Esther has a 3rd teat :scratch: which I didn't notice until after we brought her home. Could it cause any sort of major problems or is it fairly normal for this?

Yes, both are first timers. I guess the term is first fresheners?

I do worry about Midge. Like I said, she has looked this way since we brought her home. Esther was a tad thin, too, but gained weight very quickly and looked great. Midge has stayed thinner. I thought at first Esther must not being letting Midge eat, but Midge is actually the dominant doe and bosses Esther around at feed time.

Since Midge has had a harder time with her weight, does that mean she might have twins? I'm just wondering why she never gained weight like Esther?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Not sure why she never gained the weight. You said you dewormed them. What wormer did you use? What dose did you do it at? Did you repeat it 3 times?

You say end of the month. If you mean August I think it will be by mid month. 

The third teat can cause a issue if it is non functional like I said. If it does not release milk make sure the kids are feeding from the good teats so they get the nutrition and don't give up. There is a teat tape that is sold that you can use. The issue is hereditary and her kids can carry the gene even if they don't show a teat issue. I am not sure if your doe is registered but she should not have been if she is a dairy breed. Any boy kids should be weathered and not left intact and doe kids should really just be sold as pets with no papers. :hug: Sorry that you got sold this girl. Sometimes people don't realize this is even there and sometimes they don't think it is a big issue. I also was sold a girl with doubble teats on both side and found her a good pet home with a family member where she will never be bred again.


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

I've had them since the beginning of May and have wormed them twice now with Safeguard. Is there another womer I can use that would work better?

I had now idea about the extra teat! :shocked: Neither of these girls are registered. The breeder down the road sold them to us and I don't think she has any registered goats on her property.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Safeguard should be dosed 3 days in a row to be effective....Ivermectin can be dosed orally every 7-10 days for a total of 3 doses if there were no results with the safeguard.
Both are safe for pregnant does.

Also, wormloads can become a big problem during stress...kidding is one of those stressors and most will dose a wormer the day a doe delivers.


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

So I can use Ivermectin now? Or should I wait until the day they deliver? Or both?

Can I use the horse wormer or do they make Ivermectin for goats?

Thanks for all of the help! I really, truly appreciate it.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

BoringGoat said:


> I had now idea about the extra teat! :shocked: Neither of these girls are registered. The breeder down the road sold them to us and I don't think she has any registered goats on her property.


Lots of people raise goats with this issue no problem and some raise their kid just fine. It looks to be out of the way so that is a plus. If you are wanting the milk she may be a wonderful milker for you. Don't worry about it.

Like Liz said I would do the Ivrmectin wormer for her. You can use the horse paste or the cattle injectable given orally. If you have one of those or can get one check back for dosage. Do you know how much your girl weighs?


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

I am guessing they are 40-45 lbs when not pregnant. Does that sound about right for a 1.5 year old pygmy doe?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

That or a bit more. It is better to dose the ivermectin high and not underdose. The dosage isn't what the label says! If you use the horse wormer you take the goats weight or guess high so say 65 lbs and then triple that so 195 then dose for that weight. I round up so dose for 200 lbs of horse. I use the ivermectin gold injectable the dose is 1cc for 33-50 lbs depending on who you ask given orally no needle.


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

I already have some of the horse paste on hand. I will give both girls some tomorrow. Thanks!!


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Do you know about checking ligaments? That is a good way to tell when kidding is coming up. If not, have a look at this link. It would be a good idea to read the whole page.
Hoping for the best! 

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/prenatalcare.html#ligaments


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

Well, no kids yet. However, Midge's udder is getting even bigger and tighter! I keep thinking any hour/day now she will go. Her ligaments appear to almost not be there around her tail head, but she's also sort of thin ... so? 

Neither doe is showing goo or discharge. However, BOTH started licking my hand in the last 2 days. Midge especially and Esther reluctantly.

I spoke with the breeder and she said some of her does started kidding a week ago, so she said mine could go any day. But, again, the buck was out with them for 2 months so it could also be longer. I am positive Midge is due any day and Esther maybe longer?

I'm just SO worried that something will go wrong. :sigh:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It will be OK.... have faith.... it is torture waiting I know ...but they will arrive.... :hug:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

:hug: Hope it goes smoothly for you.


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

Midge had twins!

Midge seems fine, but neither of the kids are nursing well. I gave both a squirt of Nutra Drench and tried to help them nurse. They did get a few sucks each within the first hour.

However, neither seem thrifty. One seems to only gum the teat and the other seems too weak to stand.


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## BoringGoat (Jul 27, 2011)

Another update: babies are doing better. I started a new thread explaining what I have done so far and asking a few questions. Thanks!


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

Excellent! Glad everything worked out  :hug:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hug:


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