# Success of nubians having quads???



## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

As many of know I take belly measurements weekly on my does during pregnancy. my doe that kidded last year with trips is pregnant again, almost a month. I know I am still experimenting with these measurements but she is already gaining faster, so I wondered how common and successful is it for nubians to carry full term quads. Just curious?


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I've had several does have quads before with no problems. I know of several breeders who have quads every year from some of their does, one breeder has even had a doe successfully deliver healthy quints. Carrying the kids to full term is really dependent on many things, but in general goats have no problem carrying quads full term.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Ok great! I have seen alot of nigerians delivering quads and quints but not much on nubians. She has a long way to go but has already gained 4" at three weeks last year she was 2.5" so I guess we will see if she starts to level off or keeps growing at this rate. I will worry less now.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

They certainly can!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree... :thumb: :greengrin:


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## realfarmgirl (Feb 26, 2011)

my nubian's dam consistently carries three or more kids to term - however, after three, her success rates drop. last year she had a total of seven kids, but they were premies, and only one of the kids lived in the end (three were dead on delivery, three more died later) - not to freak you out -

Nubians are noted for their ability to multi-birth, so with four you should be just fine!


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

Real farm girl 7 is crazy sorry they didn't all make it.


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## Tayet (Feb 9, 2012)

A few years ago my pygmy goat had quads and two lived. One was underdeveloped and one was a weak baby and didn't live very long. The other two lived and were healthy, then sold later on.


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

If your doe has good feed and minerals and is otherwise healthy, she shouldn't have trouble with quads. Can you get someone to do ultrasound on her? There are two types -- one just confirms that there is a pregnancy, the other can visualize HOW MANY fetuses are in there. You want that type of ultrasound to help you figure out how to feed her. Sometimes they just have a lot of water. You don't want to overfeed for one fetus, but you don't want to underfeed for four.

If you want more kids, you can try "flushing" before breeding. You let the doe get a bit lean, and then you increase the quantity or quality of feed in the month before breeding her to the buck. This causes a "flush" of extra eggs to become available. Keep up the extra calories or quality of feed for another month after breeding -- these first 30 days of pregnancy are important because the embryos have to attach to the uterine membranes during this time. Make sure that she has good nutrition -- but not excessive calories -- for the middle of the pregnancy. She should be in good, but not fat, condition as she comes into kidding. 

I've heard that it is a good idea to do ultrasound and figure out who has multiple fetuses to support, and who has just singles or twins. Multiple fetuses need more feed to grow out properly.

I had a doe who had quads one year and looked like she was going to have octuplets the next! Turned out she had two big kids -- hybrid vigor from an out-crossing breeding. Because she was eating more, the kids may have been a bit bigger than they needed to be and it was not the easiest kidding. Too much feed in the last trimester makes the kids bigger, or the mother fatter, or both - -and these can contribute to difficulties in kidding.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Last weeks measurements she didnt gain any inches and last night she lost an inch. So I will see on wednesdays measurements but she may have lost them or some. She hasnt come back into heat so that is good. She may just be leveling off.
I tried to have an ultrasound done last year but all he could tell me was that the amniotic fluid was good and he saw one fetus before his machine went down. He said it was for horses and may not go deep enough for goats to see all the babies. We had triplets and all were good sized babies.


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## winky (Jun 19, 2011)

realfarmgirl said:


> my nubian's dam consistently carries three or more kids to term - however, after three, her success rates drop. last year she had a total of seven kids, but they were premies, and only one of the kids lived in the end (three were dead on delivery, three more died later) - not to freak you out -
> 
> Nubians are noted for their ability to multi-birth, so with four you should be just fine!


Wow :shocked: Was this all in the same gestation? I didn't know goats could have so many. I thought the world record was 6, or maybe that's six who all survived :shrug:


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## realfarmgirl (Feb 26, 2011)

winky - yes, all in one gestation!


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2012)

I take it you are getting the measurements at the same time everyday.
I had about 30 Nubians when I first started out. None had more than 3 which was good since these weren't big Does. The most any of my goats has had is 5 and live. That goat also raised 4 of them no problem, twice now. And I thought she was going to do it again and only had 2. The room is crowded in a goat with quads or quints and I have had to help a goat have multiples when they get jammed up , the first one with its head back.
Those kids are in there like 2x6 boards. stacked like a deck of cards. As long as everything comes out in order there isn't a problem. But I really think a goat can carry X number of lbs of kids and it is split among the number of kids and the goat will look the same weather it has 2-10 lb or 4-5 lb kids in it. That's what I am finding in my herd, average litter weight is 20 lb at birth. Of course a single dosen't weigh that much, but up to 13 lb.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I take measurements every Wednesday during a.m. feeding to be consistent. Occasionally I will do a mid week for curiousity sake but I don't record it. One thing that I have discovered that I didn't think of til this year was the beginning condition of the goat at conception. My doe that I had kept measurements on last year has always been sleek and thin. The other one that is her second freshening was more average sized and the doeling was a little pudgy. So The doeling didn't make a whole lot of gains in the beginning I think because of the extra weight she was carrying. The average sized doe is now starting to really show gains, of course she is in her last two months. The sleek one will show gains immediately because she has no extra fat to hide the babies behind. So I am now looking at the gains from the 6-12 week period and gauging the difference from what I know my doe gained last year in that time frame. At this point I believe that the average sized one who is due to kid first will have twins. She had triplets last year as a ff but one didn't make it. This is my first pregnancy with her. The others have not made it that far into their pregnancies to gauge a prediction at this point. I don't know this may all be for nothing but it has been interesting to try and figure it out.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2012)

Measurments are going to be pretty inaccurate as their ruman changes size minute by minute, and fetus dont start taking up room until 100days or later  Quads and quints are pretty common under good management however


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## winky (Jun 19, 2011)

J-Basqo Nubians said:


> Measurments are going to be pretty inaccurate as their ruman changes size minute by minute, and fetus dont start taking up room until 100days or later  Quads and quints are pretty common under good management however [/quote
> 
> Are quads and quints common for Nubians too? What about Miniature Nubians?


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2012)

Yes, I was referring to nubians. I have never raised mini Nubians , but i imagine since since.its common in Nubians and nigerians, its not out if the question for mini Nubians .


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## winky (Jun 19, 2011)

Wow. That's exciting! My vet just got some new digital x-ray equipment that she wants to try out on goats so I think I'll have her come out this weekend and take some pictures of my preggo mini-nubians and we'll do some skull counting. One of my does is already getting wide and she's only at day 70.


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