# Uddering up -- how long a wait?



## Squires

How long can they take to deliver kids after their udders fill? The little doe has bagged up. Slow growth over the past month. She's a first timer. The mature doe never bags up until she's ready to kid. 

I observed my does being bred -- or so I thought. Normally these does kid within 142 days. One of them is up to 150 days, the other is at 148 days, and nothing to show for it. They are Nigerian Dwarf Dairy does. Maybe they were just having recreational sex and didn't "take" until much later? I dunno.

The long-bodied little first-timer looked like she was going to burst or prolapse a month ago, so I gradually increased concentrates and decreased hay. Her udder grew. I had her in a stall for two weeks, and she was not happy, so she and her big sister are now running in and out of the barn at will (well, when it isn't raining) and I'm hoping she will have the sense to go inside her nice stall when she is ready to kid. 

Other than panting in hot weather, they show no distress. Well, a couple weeks ago the rather rotund mature doe sat down like a dog with her belly settled around her, and looked miserable. BUT, nobody seems to be in any hurry. The main sign I can see of coming close to kidding is that the older doe butted a chicken and chased a standard-sized goat around the yard. She tends to get cranky when she's really pregnant. 

Goats are so precious and so frustrating!!! I want my kid-fix! 

my name is Chris and I am a goat kid-aholic!


----------



## TrinityRanch

Being at 148 and 150 days is right on target; I have not seen does who tend to go at 142. After the FF starts to fill up, it can be a month. Veteran does can fill up anywhere from 1 week before to a few hours before. It's possible that they took at a second heat if they had one, but I would be more prepared for this due date. There are so many members on here that are waiting for kids, I hope all the does give in soon!!  Good luck!


----------



## Di

Do you have pics? That is always a good way to pass the time. I'm here with you...I did have 2 kid yesterday...not the 2 I was watching, however.


----------



## Squires

I haven't loaded my camera software onto my newish computer, and am too tired to load the excellent pictures I took yesterday and today. 

My first freshener is getting ready. I think. 

I felt for tendons near the pin bones, and they seemed to still be there, but softening Saturday. When I let her go, she seemed a bit ruffled, and her belly rippled and it looked like that THING from the movie ALIEN tried to kick out from her belly! Upwards, away from me, but it was fascinating! Did not burst out, but would have liked to. I think there are healthy babies in there. 

Sunday I "bumped" her lightly just in front of the udder and pressed up and felt a perfect little bony something -- a friend tried it and also felt it. A baby. She's big enough to have four in there. Watch it turn out to be one baby and a lot of fluid! 

The workmen came to cut down most of an old near-dead Sugar Maple tree on Sunday, so I moved all the critters to the barn and in back of it. I don't think the livestock really cared about the noise, but I wanted to keep them back in case it did disturb them. Goats not particularly bothered by anything, except that they didn't really like the sheep. Eating cheek-by-jowl within a few hours -- at least where grain was concerned. 

Today - Monday - -nothing happening. BTW, I watched "The Does' Secret Code of Honor" on youtube.com, and I think this doe is doing the works! We have a weather report for possible snow and a frost in the morning. This is not abnormal for our area, but is not usual either - -it is May 13th. Often people plant their gardens before now. Watch her give birth tonight! 

I thought I saw hollows at the triangles under the tail on either side. I made sure the two most pregnant Nigerian does were in the main birthing pen to keep each other company, and, they are there. 

I am not going to go out. I am not going to go out. I am too tired. Let's see. This would be a good night for her to have them -- according to "The Does' Secret Code of Honor!"  

I'll check in the morning. Unfortunately, it seems to be morning already. (SIGH)


----------



## Squires

OK, a week ago my first-timer was uddering up like mad. Today she passed a white mucous plug. It was quite noticeable for a few hours, and then was gone. She has been acting a little more "skittish" and "catch-me-not!" than usual. And going off to sunbathe away from the others. But one of her friends will always find her and go lay next to her. Right now she is bedded down in an outdoor "kidding pen" next to her big sister. 

OK - - mucus plug gone -- will it be one day, one week or one month before she actually KIDS!???! :dazed:

I seem to recall her own mother did this to me last year -- stretching out the pre-labor period for about a month. 
:book:


----------



## TrinityRanch

The plug, like you said, can be lost an hour, day, week, month, or several months before kidding!! When our Nubian doe was a first timer, she lost hers 2 months before kidding; this year she lost it during 1st stage labor. I missed your last post completely  When were the first and last days they were in with the buck?


----------



## Squires

I saw them (the Nigerian does) breed with the buck 145 days before May 7th. Apparently the randy little guy was just having recreational sex! Must have worked out on the next heat, because that's about what it looks like now. He was removed about the end of January. 

I keep saying that I will set up my fitting-heads on the milk platform and do blood tests, but am so busy planting right now. 

I have two pregnant does and two pregnant ewes in a pen outside my laundry room window. I walked by and I heard a loud cry for me, and then a lot of loud cries for me. They want their CORN. They don't really need it, but what the heck. I will go check on them now. When I looked out the window, the little pregnant first-timer in question did not get up - -but earlier she was climbing a 600 lb stack of hay like a mountain goat. How do these hugely pregnant little goats do that????!!!!

Will report back later.


----------



## Squires

i went outside to check on my first-freshener, and she was jumping around like a mountain goat again. :leap:

So I did my chores and went back to sit with the does and ewes in the birthing pen and fed them raisins. The little doe is very smart - saw the baggie full of raisins and her face lit up and she came over to ask for some very politely. She is friendly again -- was unfriendly the past few days. Yep -- pre-labor is a highly hormonal time. 

Her bag is pretty full. One ligament is relaxed and the other is not. There are slight signs of goop dribbling but not very fast. ALL of her Pooch/Vulva is rosier than usual (instead of pale) and she seems to be working on pre-labor -- redder vulva, more open but not complete by any means. Huge from side to side. Vague indications of things rumbling around inside. I tried bouncing her and she feels heavy underneath, but can't feel kid or kids today. 

At one point she stretched and I saw a very peculiar bulge on her side -- it was either a rumen or a uterus, but I couldn't tell. It was on the left side, which suggests a rumen. Gosh, I have no idea where the kids are -- either in a small compartment and just twins, or else taking up her entire insides and maybe quintuplets or something, I haven't got a clue. 
:crazy:


----------



## TrinityRanch

Its going to be heartbreaking when your doe gives birth and you can't post pictures of the babies on here!! You will have to describe them to us  Good luck!


----------



## Squires

*She's in labor!/was: uddering up*

The little doe went into labor this afternoon.

:stars:
She wasn't terribly active, and as a first-freshener, I expected her to take about 12 hours, so I didn't feel that I had to sit with her.

I had to "attend" a funeral that was being webcast, so I went in, sat through the funeral, composed myself, and then went to look outside my laundry room window into the kidding pen. She was laying down, tail at an odd angle, passing what looked like a sheet of mucous!

The toes were out, then a nose, and within ten minutes she had given birth to a lovely little doe that looks just like her daddy! A real looker (I will try to fix my software and upload some pics later).

:kidred:
I'm thinking of naming this one after the friend who passed away. What an odd time to choose to give birth!

I'm not sure she is done. I'm better with sheep -- goats don't always make sense to me. She gave birth to a healthy doe kid, a sheet of mucous and some amniotic fluid in a bubble, then about 1 1/2 hours later continued to pass what appeared to be a placenta -- you could see the caruncles where the placenta attached to the uterine wall. But, can't goats pass multiple placentas between kids? Is she done yet? (sheep are a lot less complicated). She still looks huge and last time I looked, the placenta was still coming out slowly, but she seemed to be pressing and panting along, steadilly. No distress, no hurry.

What is the chance that she still has a kid or two inside? She is still quite large. How many hours should I fret before calling the vet or at least fretting? My impression is that first-fresheners can be in labor 6-12 hours without it being a crisis. BUT I would hate to leave any kids in there that need help.

I should know this already, but am feeling a bit numb -- what distress signals should I look for (other than yelling and hollering, which she is not doing)?

Thanks -- not so sure about this one.

PS an hour after I last checked on her, she is still laying down and straining, although not distressed or tired out yet. How long should I let her do this without fussing over her?


----------



## TrinityRanch

Okay, she is still pushing? Has she nursed the doeling? There is a slight chance that there is another kid. Does she want anything to do with the kid? Is there anything else hanging out of her? 

Also, congrats on the baby!!!!! :stars:


----------



## Squires

TrinityRanch said:


> Okay, she is still pushing? Has she nursed the doeling? There is a slight chance that there is another kid. Does she want anything to do with the kid? Is there anything else hanging out of her?
> 
> Also, congrats on the baby!!!!! :stars:


Thanks!

Star Dust - -the young first-freshener -- started to go into labor seriously about 1 PM, the webcast funeral was from 2-3:20 (I was a bit late getting to it, but that's OK). Doe waited for me to "return from the funeral" and immediately presented me with two feet and a nose which looked inquisitive and active already. She gave birth all by herself, and I gave her time to look around -- the baby sneezed and cleared its own air passages and she got all interested and started cleaning it up. Took a little longer for the teat and the kid to connect, but this doe is a natural and the kid was so healthy and active!

My friend died last week, after about six years of chemotherapy -- the treatment was really rough on her, and so it was a relief in some ways that her suffering ended. She was a very special person - -when I heard of her death, all I could think about were good things -- she brightened a lot of people's lives. Funny that this goat should be born around the time of her funeral.

My friend's sister had said to look around me for my friend's presence. I'm not all that spiritual or religious or whatever, but the health and vigor and gentle persistence of that little doe kid reminded me of my friend -- so of COURSE I have to name her after my friend! Just not sure if it should be obvious . . . "Hi there! Good to see you! Your sister was reincarnated as a dwarf goat during the funeral!" (Yikes!). I think the proper words are "I named a very nice dwarf dairy goat in honor of your sister." -- I'm not sure non-goat-people are going to understand. :shrug:

My friend would have loved this kid. Kid is either grey-brown or chocolate chamoisee with extensive white appaloosa-horse blanket on her haunches and a generous scattering of dark moon spots everywhere. Her daddy had some caramel-colored moonspots as an adult -- she may have them too.

One and a half hours later, the doe expelled a very long, generous afterbirth (placenta) with a bunch of big knotty carbuncles -- the sucker-like attachments of the placenta to the womb. This kid was well nourished.

Thing is, this doe has looked like she was carrying quads for the past two months. She is still big. After passing the afterbirth, she looked around as if there should have been a second kid, and still seemed to be pushing a bit. I would not be surprised if she presented me with a second or third kid, but then again, I don't understand goats well, so may just be this one perfect little girl.

I keep looking at that large puffy pooch and expecting three more kids - -but I can't find anything when I bounce her. A week ago I bounced her and felt ONE kid. Is it possible to bounce a goat and miss any kids? I was so happy to find even one.

I was too tired to weigh the kid. Perhaps in the morning.

Star Dust still has a big belly, a bigger udder, and a puffy pooch. I keep thinking there are more kids somewhere . . . and goats have been known to have more than one placenta -- since they do have two horns of the uterus. Or else she's just full of hay. (SIGH). She ate some grain tonight. I'll be milking some of her colostrum tomorrow -- freezing it. Her udder looks full despite constant snacking by the little one.


----------



## TrinityRanch

That is so great that you named her after your friend. My condolences. Cancer is an awful thing  :hug: I'm sure she wouldn't mind having a goat named after her! I know I wouldn't.

If Star Dust isn't too uncomfortable and you cant feel anymore kids, then she is probably done. Keep a good eye on her though  I'm glad the baby is doing great!! She sounds SO cute! Ugh, and I cant even see her!


----------

