# Pregnant yearling



## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

*Pregnant yearling due to kid...please help!!!!*

This is our first year kidding goats on our farm and we don't exactly know too much about what we are doing...one of our yearlings (we hadn't thought she'd gotten bred, but apparently did) is due to kid on the june 24th, but looks like she might explode at any moment. When she walks she sort of hobbles with her legs bowed, and her back end is very swollen. I can almost not feel her tail ligaments and her spine seems to be protruding quite a bit. She was outside for a while today and while the others were grazing or sleeping, she was standing and staring off into space, or laying down and getting back up. She seems very stiff and like she can't seem to relax. Please help!! I have some pictures of her if itd be helpful. Thank you!


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Sounds like she might go soon. 6 days early is probably fine.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Alright thank you!! I just went and checked her again and her tail ligaments are even looser... Is it possible we could have them by tomorrow?


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## GoateeFarms50 (Mar 20, 2013)

How big is her udder? Does it look pretty full? Also, is there any discharge? And pictures won't hurt, if anything help.

If her pooch is swollen, along with the loose ligaments and separation from herd, I would say in the next 12 hours to two days... but that is just my opinion of course.

I've only been in goats for two and a half years, but I've learned mostly about kidding in those years. So I do know a thing or two...


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

I wouldn't say her udder is "full" , but I've noticed that it seems to be filling up today. She's just yearling and her udder has developed.
I haven't seen any discharge, but I've read that they can have that even a month before kidding, (is that true?) and around then I was away for a few days and they were kept inside so the person caring for them might not have noticed it if it were there....I'll get some pics up as soon as I can... Thank u!


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

In the evening my ff had a large but not filled udder, and loose ligs. No discharge, was acting normal...the next morning she kidded a little doe. My guess is that you'll have kids by tomorrow morning, if not earlier. Sometimes goats don't show any signs of labor, then just pop out a kid unexpectedly.

Good luck!!


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Alrighty then....I'm gonna get up a few times during the night just to check on her, b/c she is a ff, but atleast I have an idea of when she'll go...it's sorta a race against time at this point b/c I have a 4 hour appointment tomorrow... :roll: 
Thank u all for all your help :-D


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

What breed is she? Being a first timer, she may be uncomfortable from being so close to her due date - body is changing. I'd keep an eye on her udder, her ligs, and her overall personality. Our first timers tend to act 'different.' 
We've had them be extra loving, go off by themselves and avoid the others, we've had them where they wouldn't even leave the barn to go with the others. Then we had one this year that was super touchy, she didn't want anyone to touch her at all, she'd act like you were the hands of death, of course once she was pushing the baby out she was fine and thought I had her baby at one point when it was still inside lol <I was holding a clean towel!>.

Some don't have the discharge. We have a doe that I can't recall ever seeing discharge until she's actively pushing.


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## GoateeFarms50 (Mar 20, 2013)

Yes, it is true that they can have discharge a month (sometimes even two) before kidding. This is the 'plug'. It's usually a white colored discharge. Some goats will get an amber goo, or some of my does will get a whiter colored discharge before birth. My doe Ivy did not have any discharge though before/during birth, so really it all depends on the goat; every goat is different. For me, the ligaments was a main factor they were going to have kids soon (usually when the ligaments disappear, that means they have about 12 hours left). But even then I didn't know exactly when they disappeared, so I had to recall the last time I felt them, and from there set a time frame. This gives me a sure way to tell when they are going to have kids.

But like I stated before, all goats are different, so it can be really hard to tell. For example, I had a doe who filled her udder really big, and kidded the next morning. A completly different doe, had a small, almost deflated udder, and kidded later that day.

So my advice is to keep an eye on her, and hopefully, your doe will have an easy birth.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

She is a Nubian....a real sweetheart too  I went and checked her this morning and her ligs are all but gone, and her udder is getting really full. She's usually pretty quiet, but around everyone else, doing what they're doing. Lately though she just lies down or stays standing and stares off into space, sometimes she'll stay like that for hours. I wouldn't say she separating herself from the herd, (the other two wont let her, they're with her constantly!) but shes kinda keeping to herself. Sometimes her eyes look like she's frightened.
I'm glad to hear that about the discharge, I was a little worried about not seeing any


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## GoateeFarms50 (Mar 20, 2013)

Nice, I have three 50% Nubian mixes, and well, they are the opposite of sweet  I'm thinking you will have kids soon. If she likes to be comforted, then I guess that's all you can do right now and continue to check on her. Update on when she has the babies


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Sounds to be soon.

Are her eye's dancing?

Is she eating, drinking OK?


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

If by are her eyes dancing u mean she looks really preoccupied and seems to have an inward look about her, with a kind of luminous expression on her face, then yes. She seems to be eating and drinking alright, however even though she's outside she doesn't graze just stands still and chews her cud. (but perhaps that's because she's so full it's difficult to walk) also, her tail ligs have completely disappeared....her udder is full, and she is leaking a bit.


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Leaking milk? Babies on the way!


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Oh boy!!! :smile: is it possible she could have them in the next 12 hours?


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

More than likely  . I hope to see baby pics soon!


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Well, she just kidded, not three hours ago. I went in to check on her and there were two little babies lying on the floor. The mother was just standing there like what just happened!?! One of the kids, a boy, was badly malformed, all his bones and muscles were attached and he couldn't breathe, so we had to put him to sleep :-( the other one, a pretty doe,is very nice, but her mom won't let her nurse. I gave her probably about an 1/8 cup of colostrum I managed to get out of her mother but she seems too exhausted to take more...did she get enough for now and how often should I be feeding her?


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Needs more. Hold mom still and help her find the teat.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

I hav her inside....I can't get mom back out and up for the moment, and baby won't have it either...I still have a bit more colostrum inside but once I run I I found a substitute recipe...should I whip that up and give it to her?


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## mayia97420 (Apr 22, 2014)

The best thing for her is mom's milk - milk out and feed that to her- you can give her a little at a time but try to get at least 2 ounces in her- keep her warm - she can't digest the milk if she gets cold


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Alright...I just managed to get another1/8 cup into her...next feeding I'll try and get some fresh stuff


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Whimsy said:


> I hav her inside....I can't get mom back out and up for the moment, and baby won't have it either...I still have a bit more colostrum inside but once I run I I found a substitute recipe...should I whip that up and give it to her?


Substitutes are a last-ditch effort if NO colostrum is available. It has nutrients but none of the antibodies that they need from mom.

Also, are you saying that mom is not willing to stand? That's a bad sign.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

No she's standing, but when the kid tried to nurse shed shy away and nudge the kid away with her foot...we just went out and after two hard hours got lulu (the dam) to lay down so the kid would nurse...and she did for atleast 20 minutes...she is outside with lulu now, and seems to be doing fine. I suppose earlier I should've clarified lulu didn't refuse her kid, just didn't want her to nurse. She was cleaning her off and everything. I think they'll be alright now.
Lulu still seems very large, almost like she hasnt kidded at all, and she just got rid of her afterbirth not too long ago...is it normal for them to look so large even after kidding?


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

It can take a while for things to shift back into place.

Make sure you hold her often for the kid to nurse - she should be standing for it, not laying down. The head needs to be up for the milk to go down correctly.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Alright  I think she has enough in her now for her to make it through the night, and in the morning I'll b able to work with them a bit better. Thanks for the help


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree.

Treat momma for milk fever in case. If the delivery wasn't a hard one, she may have milk fever.

Give her some warm molasses water, tums, Alfalfa and then go to the feed store and get the calcium stuff for milk fever and give that to her.

Has she dropped her afterbirth?

Milk out momma, enough to make her comfortable and try to get her up. Tie her snug to a post or have someone hold her and either hold her back leg up or tie it up and teach the kid the teat and momma she has a baby to care for.
Do this every 2 hours or so. If you have to feed the kid by a syringe(no needle) then feed it that way very slowly. 

If you cannot get momma up for nothing, milk fever may be the issue. Or pinched nerve. But it is best to treat her in case for milk fever.

Make sure she eats and drinks.

You can take her temp in case too to see where she is at. Depending on if she has a high temp or normal, we can work from there. If she has a fever or not.

Fortified vit B complex shot may help with energy and appetite.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

She seems quite fine now...I put her on the milk stand and she let the kid nurse for atleast a half hour...she's a ff, so maybe she wasn't quite sure what the heck we were doing to her udder....she doesn't have milk fever though, she's behaving fine. Is there anything else I should do for them?


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

You can still give the molasses water and b complex for energy, along with alfalfa to help her milk production. Make sure her udder doesn't get too tight, and that the baby drinks off of both sides.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If she is allowing the kid to nurse that long, which is a super long time. So be careful.
I would just make sure the kid goes to the teat and nurses without being in the milk stand. If she needs held still, I would do that.
She sounds to be understanding now what has happened and she needs to care for her kid now. Good to hear.

Also great, she is doing better now and the shock of the kidding is over. Good work and congrats.


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## Whimsy (Jun 18, 2014)

Alright...great! Thanks so much


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Your very welcome.


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