# Big Stomach on non-pregnant doe?



## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

I am getting a doe and her doeling. The mother is in milk and still nursing her kid. The problem is that she is really really fat on both sides of her stomach, and has been ever since she was not even pregnant. She is hard to breed and I am thinking that may contribute. What do you all think that could be? Out of all the things I have read on here and everywhere else, I have not once heard of this. She looks like she is pregnant with triplets when she is really not even pregnant. Her stomach is very squishy, not hard like she has bloat or a big rumen.


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## Curious (Feb 6, 2013)

Is she overweight at all? I have a doe that always looks like shes 5 months pregnant and ready to pop, but she just has tons of room for food in her stomach. Her dam was the same way. Maybe that's what it is?


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## Axykatt (Feb 1, 2013)

What breed is she? By the end of every day my pygmy doe looks almost as big as when she was 5 months pregnant. This is the result of short body with a big rumen.


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## WalshKidsGoats (Nov 27, 2012)

She may just have a very healthy rumen. Is it like that before you feed her in the morning too?

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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

It is just super squishy as if it is filled with liquid. It is like that all the time from what I understand. She was like that when she was pregnant with twins, too.

She is a Nigerian Dwarf. I just don't know. When you see her in real life it is kind of like, "Oh my gosh, why does she look like that???".


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## Curious (Feb 6, 2013)

Does she ever act in pain or seem sluggish? I would think if it was something serious she would let you know. My girls tummy feels squishy when I let her out, and both sides are always large so that she looks pregnant. My friends Nigies also always look pregnant because of their stocky frame and short bodies. This sounds like your girl. Pics?


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Hmmm... okay. If I looked at her from the top she would be about 44 inches wide from left to right. That is my guess. She is not here at the moment, I am just basing this off of when I had seen her in the past. She does not act like anything is wrong as far as I know.


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## Curious (Feb 6, 2013)

My friend's girls look like they are wider than they are tall, as they are fed free choice hay. Does she get free choice hay? Could you tell if she was overweight? That'll definitely make it harder to conceive for a goat and make them look fat. Also, is it at all possible that she was bred back unknowingly?


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

I have a Nigerian that looks like that. She is super wide all the time, her tummy is squishy, and she seems perfectly healthy. She kidded quads this spring and when she was pregnant she was wider, but barely! I thought it would go down lots afterwards but it didn't. The breeder we bought from said she is just built like that. She said its nothing to worry about. This is her 3rd freshening I think and she's done quite well with each. I'd like to know if it is something to worry about though...Fortunately it sounds like it is something normal for some of them.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

How do you tell if a goat is overweight? Like, what parts of the body do you look at, when do you start to worry??


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Well, I suppose I shouldn't worry. She didn't seem overweight to me. Maybe she is and I just didn't notice it. She was about 44 inches.


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## Axykatt (Feb 1, 2013)

You can tell if your goat is overweight by checking along her spine and her pin bones. The individual bones should be easy to feel with medium pressure. If you have to press hard to feel her spine and pin bones she is fat.


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## Curious (Feb 6, 2013)

Run your hand down their spine, you should feel the vertebrae underneath a layer or tissue, it should not feel like your knuckles when in a fist, and it shouldn't be hard to find them. Feel their ribs, you should be able to feel a thin. layer of subcutaneous fat and tissue over them. If you can see them or they feel bony, they are thin, if you have to hunt for them, they are fat. Where their elbow meets, you should be able to pinch about a 1/4 in. of tissue and fat. If you pinch skin, or they have more than a 1/2 in, they are under- or over-weight respectively. Also, it you feel the base of their tail and on top of the hips, if it's seriously squishy, chances are they're carrying around a few extra pounds. I also found this site to be very helpful. http://www.luresext.edu/goats/research/bcshowto.html


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Thanks for that info, very helpful!


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I have a Nigerian Doe who is the same way. She has a HUGE rumen. She looks like she's five months pregnant with quints. 
When she lays down it's larger. Though she is a bit overweight. She's a food hog too. Otherwise she seems in good health, so I am not too worried about her.


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Thanks everyone! I contacted the owner that has her right now. She said that she was just obese but doesn't weigh that much now. How old can you breed a doe? She is 7 or 8. Remind me how long they live for... if I remember correctly it was 12 at the most.


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## Curious (Feb 6, 2013)

lanafana said:


> Thanks for that info, very helpful!


You're welcome!



OwnedByTheGoats said:


> Thanks everyone! I contacted the owner that has her right now. She said that she was just obese but doesn't weigh that much now. How old can you breed a doe? She is 7 or 8. Remind me how long they live for... if I remember correctly it was 12 at the most.


Some people retire them at 7, some at 10, some just keep breeding if the doe seems up healthy and up for it. It's up to the individual, really. I personally would retire them at 10 tops just because the main cause of death for does over 7 is pregnancy related.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

You can safely breed a doe till she is 12.. But I think ten is a better number. They can live till 15-20 according to FiasCo Farm.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

OwnedByTheGoats said:


> Hmmm... okay. If I looked at her from the top she would be about 44 inches wide from left to right. That is my guess. She is not here at the moment, I am just basing this off of when I had seen her in the past. She does not act like anything is wrong as far as I know.


A *Forty-four inch wide Nigerian Dwarf?*

Forty four inches is three and three quarter *FEET*. That's wider than the average dinner table is tall. Are you sure?


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## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

Uh oh.... exageration police! LOL, yeah that is not my guess. I would think about 2 feet wide.


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