# First due Feb 8th



## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I have my sweet Luna who is due Feb 8th, I thought she was due later in the month but found a picture that puts her due on the 8th. 

I have noticed a few changes with her lately, on Tuesday her tail head dropped, yesterday her belly shifted and she does not look like she is within a week of delivery. Luna is still milking and was producing more than 3/4 of a gallon a day, she has dropped to just over 1/2 gal and her udder does not seem full when I milk her anymore (Monday is the last day I'll milk her, unless I see colostrum). 

I then have Luna's daughter Gem due on March 28th (she is quite fat), my last two does are due April 28th.

I'll post pictures of them later (they are on my phone).


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna yesterday







Luna Tuesday







Luna a week or two ago







The little girls from left to right, Faithe, Gem, and Ivey


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Looking good. 

Happy kidding sometime soon.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Your herd is so pretty!

What type of buck(s) are they bred to? Do you have a photo of him/them?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Good luck


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

This is Howie, he is a Nubian. I had planned on breeding Luna to a different buck, but that buck was a dud (he was put in with the girls and ran from them). The little does are all half sisters (same dad).


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

Nice looking herd! Are the little girls Mini-Nubians and a Mini-Lamancha? What breed is Luna?


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna is saanen / Nubian/ toggenburg
The girls father is 1/2 mini lamancha & 1/2 lamancha
Gem is Luna's daughter so she is a big mix of milk goats
Ivey is alpine/ lamancha
Faithe is Nubian/ boar and lamancha
They are such sweet goats, I love them all. 
Ivey is going to my sister's farm hopefully before she kids, Luna is the herd leader and kicks her out of the feed all the time. She allows Gem and Faithe eat but is vicious towards Ivey I even have 3 separate feed stations and no matter what one Ivey is at Luna chases her away. My sister also has Faithe's mother (Molly) and some fainting goats (along with Ivey's nieces). We are hoping that Ivey and Molly get along.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna 6 days until her due date.







I can't really use her udder as an indication yet. I'll stop milking her on Monday (I have a regular milk buyer) to allow her to go into colostrum making mode. 
I'm excited Gem is developing an udder!














Ivey and Faithe should be at the same stage they are both 2 months along (I hope I'm thinking Ivey didn't settle) 
Ivey














Faithe


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All looking good.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna this morning, when I went out to feed I saw her arch her back really weird. She is being so clingy too , she's a love bug as it is now she follows me around her kidding area.







Then my friend brought this guy over froze, he's my bucks brother (same dad) born yesterday mom rejected him over night. She has to work and I am not working today. I have frozen colostrum from a doe who only had a single last spring. This makes me excited for my first set of kids, even though I dam raise them it's nice practice just in case I wind up having a bottle baby.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Get the temp up to minimum of 100 degree's before giving colostrum.

Poor baby, I hate it when they are rejected. 

Praying for the kid to get through this.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Thanks, so far he's doing good. I am warming up the colostrum to at least 100 (but not too hot). When he arrived at 6:20am this morning he couldn't even hold his head up, now he can stand (he's wobbly still) I gave him some molasses on my finger a few times to get his energy up, by 10am he was drinking the colostrum on his own. I don't want to give him too much, he's had about 7oz since he started drinking it. His belly seems full. I weighed him, he's 7.5 lbs. 
I do have a question I don't remember from my last kids, are their teeth fully erupted at birth? His are barely visible. Also his hooves are shorter than his good pads. Is that normal?


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## minibarn (Jul 20, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> Get the temp up to minimum of 100 degree's before giving colostrum.
> 
> Poor baby, I hate it when they are rejected.
> 
> Praying for the kid to get through this.


100 is for the kid's temp. Hope he's doing okay!


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

minibarn said:


> 100 is for the kid's temp. Hope he's doing okay!


Thank you for clarifying that. I can't find my thermometer, so I don't know his temp. I did wait until he felt warm, and was able to stand (even if he was wobbly or leaning against things) before I tried to get him to take colostrum in the bottle. I was dripping a few drops here and there before then, but he really didn't get more than a few drops before he eagerly sucked it down. As of right now he has taken about 9 oz of colostrum, he's peed, and is standing for longer periods of time. I don't think he is out of the woods yet, but he is doing better. When he starts jumping all over and crying more (only yelled out a couple times so far) I'll know we are over the biggest hurdle.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I p-tested Ivey yesterday, and as I have been suspecting she did not settle back in Dec when the buck was in with the girls. Today I hope I can catch a sample from Faithe and p-test her, I think she is but I don't want to miss a season with both of them. Ivey has silent heats and it is very hard to figure out when she is in season, I saw her bred back on Nov 29th along with Faithe. I put Ivey in with Howie and hope that she goes into heat soon.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

P tests don’t really work.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Agree - TheGoatSpot members did extensive testing with p-tests and confirmed with blood tests or kidding. P-tests are completely unreliable for detecting pregnancy in goats.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

SalteyLove said:


> Agree - TheGoatSpot members did extensive testing with p-tests and confirmed with blood tests or kidding. P-tests are completely unreliable for detecting pregnancy in goats.


I can agree to that, Luna tested neg last year then had triplets when she was expected to.
It is in combination of other signs, her vulva does not look puffy like the doe that was bred at the same time, she don't feel heavy when bounced, and even though she has silent heats when I think back she has spent time at the fence next to the buck several times. I'm not basing 100% of it on the p-test, I just used it to add to my suspicions.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna this morning.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad the kid is doing well, good work. 

I recommend getting a thermometer, a digital one works great. It is a must have. A good indicator for how to treat.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Thank you, I'm kid sitting him again today. We are thinking part of the reason mom rejected him is he was premature. Mom is a FF, the kid does not have teeth erupted and has a hard time standing up, he is really wobbly on his feet once he gets there. From what I have read the teeth not erupted is a big indicator that he was early. His owner don't write down due dates and has had 8 or so does kid in the last week.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes, teeth are exposed with a normal term kid at birth.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna this morning, she wasn't interested in her hay, but wanted the grain. Her udder is so full, she don't want me touching it. I'm sure it's because she hasn't been milked since Monday. I'm going to go relive some of the pressure today. She looks like she dropped a little more, she is definitely not acting like herself. 















The little kid that was rejected is doing great, he's getting more active every day. I went out to feed the goats and came in to him hiding behind my couch.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

He is cute, glad he is doing well.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

toth boer goats said:


> He is cute, glad he is doing well.


I am too, I'm going to miss him. His owner will have him from tomorrow on, they are going to try to get him back on mom. I don't know if it will work since he has been off mom since Monday. I guess it's worth a try. 
Now if Luna would just give up hers I would be happy. I am beginning to think the pig that is due 2 days after Luna will farrow before Luna kids.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna this morning, I think she is going to wait until after my pig has her litter (she is due Sat)


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I forgot to mention that the kids owner gave him to me, she said she is much to busy to care for a bottle baby.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Have to ask, is Luna missing a teat?


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

toth boer goats said:


> Have to ask, is Luna missing a teat?


No, I can see why the question from the picture, her left teat points more forward than her right teat. She actually has some nice teats for milking, not too big and not so little that you have to use the thumb and one or two finger milking method. She is also a sweetheart in the stand, I have been using her to teach my boys how to milk, she is so patient with anyone who is milking her. Except right now, I tried to touch them to see how tight she was and I thought she was going to jump the fence.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Thanks for letting me know, yes, she sure hides it. 

Glad she is patient with your kids, good girl there.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna is getting close, I was out cleaning her pen & observing her to see if I might see kids soon (like before the pig soon). She was eating her hay, suddenly stopped went and rubbed herself against the house, then laid down in a weird spot, she then laid there panting and talking to her belly for several minutes before getting back up. 
I don't see mucous yet but this is a change in behavior for her.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Happy kidding.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

Good luck!!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Loved reading through your posts, the kid is adorable! I hope he grows well for you.
Luna looks like a great doe, hopefully she kids soon.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Luna is a faker , she is following doe code to a T. I milked her a little last night, it was milk not colostrum, her bag is still loose this morning. Now I can say I can use her bag as a gauge on when she will go. Her ligs are soft but still there, I know she was with the buck on Sept 10- 13 and I saw him breed her the 11th - 13th. I'm questioning myself here but I think we pulled him out and took him across the property after that because he was trying to get in with the little does. I know he was back in on the 17th but I didn't see him breed her then, we sold our other buck & a wether right after that so he was in with Luna until the 24th when we finished his current pen. I guess I now have a date range from the 9th- 21st. I didn't think she took because she had mucous discharge like she has when she is in heat in late Oct, I changed my mind about a month later when she suddenly developed a belly. She hasn't been with the buck since Sept 24th, so I know the 21st is the latest she will go. 
The pig is going to farrow before she kids, pig is due tomorrow and has started nesting. I'm glad pigs don't have a code, they have them within a day of their due date. 
Luna this morning.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Not a good idea to milk her just before kidding, it opens up her teat orifices, so bacteria can get in there. 

She is sure has you on your toes, doesn't she.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

toth boer goats said:


> Not a good idea to milk her just before kidding, it opens up her teat orifices, so bacteria can get in there.
> 
> She is sure has you on your toes, doesn't she.


She does keep me on my toes!

Thanks, I didn't think about that since I had been milking her daily until this past Monday. She was milked on Monday morning then last night so she only went 2.5 days without being milked.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

She needs to also prepare for her babies with colostrum, when she does kid.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Yes, that is why I stopped milking her Monday to give her time to prepare. Her udder has not refilled from what I drained off of her. She isn't empty by any means but she isn't full and miserable either. 
I hope I only have a few more days and not 11 more days.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I hear ya.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Yesterday







Today







There is no change, I would almost think it was the same picture. 
The pig is nesting so we are thinking piglets in the morning. The pig wins!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

LOL, sure look about the same.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Still no kids or piglets, we are in the middle of a late winter snow storm. We have 3" of snow on the ground, last week we were in the high 60's and now we have snow. 
Luna today, her sides are sunk in so I think we are closer but I don't know how close.















Tomorrow is the day if she had a 5 day heat and was bred again on the 16th. I could have until the 21st, but I think she will go no later than the 16th..... but then again I could be wrong.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Pig won, 10 piglets born today.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Cute.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I woke up to a surprise, a nice big buck! 
I'm not sure if she is done, I was expecting at least twins. She had no signs that she was getting close, her milk hasn't come in yet either.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Opinions, done or not? 
I was expecting at least twins, she was bigger this year over last year. Behavior is undetermined, she is eating hay but will come to me bah and have this look about her.


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## minibarn (Jul 20, 2010)

Has she passed her placenta? If so, she's probly done. I'm not sure about milk coming in but I would question whether maybe her body didn't have enough time to make colostrum since you only quit milking her recently. Is she looking after the kid? Is he nursing?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Is she acting in distress at all?


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I haven't seen placenta, but the kid was clean and dry. She could have passed it before I found him and ate it. She is taking care of the kid, she's a good momma. I haven't seen him nurse, but I squirted a little out and it's thick and yellow like colostrum. 
She doesn't seem to be in distress at all. She was so big that a single is shocking.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If she dropped her afterbirth, she is most likely done.
But if she hasn't, there is still a kid in there for sure. As I do not see anything hanging out.

Before she closes, and if she didn't drop her afterbirth, wash up and go in and check or have a vet out, if you cannot do it.

If she has no other kid in there and you reached way up in there, you can put a afterbirth bolus in her uterus if she has dropped her afterbirth.

The kid needs colostrum right away, thick is colostrum..
Either try to latch the kid onto mom or milk some in a 12 cc syringe(no needle) and feed some to the kid slowly.

Her udder looks like it has milk in there.
So you will have to work at it.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Sorry I hadn't responded before now, its pretty busy around here and my phone was dead. 

I have not seen afterbirth, but that does not mean she dropped it and ate it before I found her this morning. She had a string of goop hanging out later after she peed.

I tried to reach in and feel for anything, and could barely get two fingers in there so I think she closed up, figure she is done. I go do the rounds to check out the little pigs and other farm animals come back to check on her and she is laying on the ground pushing. Not very often and is even falling asleep between pushes, so she's not in distress. I watch her for a bit but had to leave again for a couple hours. When I get back she is up walking around acting like nothing is amiss. 

The kid has nursed, and the milk is thick so there is colostrum, her bag isn't big and huge like it was when she was in full milk. I'm going to watch to make sure the little guy is getting enough to eat. I think I'm going to name him Silver, he has the prettiest silver eyes. 

I'm going to be watching her close for sure until I am sure she is done. I tried bouncing her but cannot pull her stomach up enough to feel anything. I'm headed out now to give her some baking soda in warm water to see if she is bloated. The reason why I am so concerned is how big she has been. She wasn't fat when she was bred but she sure is now if there is only one kid.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Silver, he is a whopping 11.8 lbs! Joey is only a lb bigger than Silver. 
















Here's an updated Joey pic. He's doing great!








Luna is fine this morning other than her vulva is VERY swollen. She is not in distress at all, my husband who is better at bouncing said she feels empty. So I will say she is done, I'm sad I didn't get a little doe from her but it's all good too I didn't want to have to find an unrelated buck for breeding and I'm not sure if I want to add more does this year yet or not.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

One thing you can have done is, get an ultra sound on her, it will pickup any kid left in there and will ease your mind if there is none.

Glad everything is going good with everything else.

It is concerning she was laying down and pushing. I would have a vet look at her.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

It's been super busy around here. My husband and I are in the process of opening a feed store. 
Luna is doing good, she has normal post kid discharge. Her milk hasn't come back to where it was before Silver, but she had triplets last year and was producing for 3 then not one. Silver is growing and doing good, Joey is being a house monster so he has to spend his days outside. I'm going to start leaving him out with Silver all night soon. Here is Joey and Silver playing. 








Gem is developing a cute little udder, she is due March 27th. I felt the knobby knees of a kid last week . 
















Faithe is looking chubby, she should be due around the 25th- 29th of April. 








I was suspecting that Ivey didn't settle, but now she has been with the buck for almost a month with no sign of a heat. She would be due the same time as Faithe.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

They all look great!


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I have been so busy! We opened our feed store last week and with no internet at the store I rarely have time to get on to read the forums when I'm at home. 
Update... Luna and silver are doing great! I bet he is over 25 lbs, he is a bully and quite the character. 
Here is Joey and Silver








Joey is growing great, I'm trying to determine when to wean him. I hear 2 months, or 3 months, or 4 months, I'm not sure which. He's eating hay and grain well so he won't starve. 
So Ivey and Faithe have started to develop an udder, I thought Ivey wasn't pregnant but that little udder is saying otherwise. They are due the end of April, I think Faithe is a couple days ahead of Ivey. 
Here is Faithe.








Here is Ivey 








Gem, is due this week or next (I'm kicking myself for not keeping perfect records) I know she was put with Howie before Halloween, but I can't remember if it was the 21st or the 28th. She was with him for 2 days then removed. She has a nice udder, I've felt the kid low in her belly, she has been having discharge, her vulva is swollen, and she has been biting at her stomach (this is new today). I'm anxiously waiting for her to kid. I'm hoping for twins. 
Here is Gem yesterday.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

Nice, what cute kids! 

I like to wean mine at a minimum of 3 months, especially standard breeds of goats.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All looking good.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Last night Gem earned her keep. She had triplet girls! All are doing well this morning and she is being a very attentive mom.








Faithe has developed a very nice udder, Ivey's is getting bigger but it's much smaller than Faithe's. 
Here is Faithe. 








Here is Ivey. She won't let me get a close up. 








Here is the herd, minus Howie the buck, on Sat.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

Congratulations! What a great surprise! 
Are you planning on leaving them all on Gem or just supplementing them with a bottle?


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

I'm going to see how she does, her mom raised triplets with her and they all did great. I'm hoping to leave them all on her, I'm watching for her milk to come in. Her udder was pretty big last night but smaller this morning. I know she has colostrum, I made her nurse each one for a bit last night. They all have nursed this morning, her bag don't seem to be filling up yet.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

So cute, congrats.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

They are all doing great! Gem is an amazing mom and is letting each one nurse as long as she wants. I weighed them, the black ones are 4lbs each, and the tan is 5 lbs, they are small girls. Together they weigh just a a pound more than what Silver weighed at birth.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Cute, glad they are doing well.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Very cute!!


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Thanks everyone. I'm so busy at the store I don't have time to read posts. But here is an update....
Faithe delivered twins this morning. A buck and a doe. 








Both have the lamancha ears, I think they are adorable. The doe is much smaller than the buck. 
Then miss Ivey is looking close too...








Gems triplets are doing great along with Silver and Joey.








Silver was mad at me for turning him into a wether. 








Joey is so handsome!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cuties!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Really cute.


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

Ivey who I thought wasn't pg for a bit, kidded Thursday night. I had to help her get him out, he's a big kid for a ff. He also had his legs back.








He's a beauty!


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

He is absolutely gorgeous!!


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## MizTam (Feb 18, 2017)

He is gorgeous! I wish he was a doe, I'd keep it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Cute.


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## MtnRidgeFarm (Dec 6, 2017)

Very cute!!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

He is adorable!


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