# What do I need to know - She's already pregnant...



## elevan (Oct 6, 2010)

Hi, I already had a doe and a buck (pygmies) that I intended to breed later on...then I took in 2 more does and a wether from a friend.

She told me that the one doe may be bred but she wasn't sure.

Well...now it is quite obvious that she is - she's huge!!

I have no idea how far along she is and am sure that I don't have everything that I should have on hand when the time comes.

Any feedback you can give would be great!

Thank you,
Emily


----------



## cmjust0 (Oct 6, 2010)

Just because she's huge doesn't mean she's preggers.  We expected trips or quads out of a "huge" doe this past spring, and she had a single buckling.

I wanted to name him "Anticipointment" but it didn't stick.  :/

We've had other does who haven't looked very big at all, yet have delivered good-sized trips..  All depends on the doe, really..

To be sure, you could either take her to a vet for an x-ray or possibly an ultrasound, or consider doing a "BioPRYN" test from a company called Biotracking.  

As for supplies, track down a bottle of 7% iodine.  It might take a while to find it, and when you do, be prepared for a grilling by the shop owner.  It's a "restricted" item now, thanks to meth heads, so they'll make copies of your driver's license and all that jazz..  What you need it for is to dip umbilical cords -- and the 1% "gentle" stuff you can get at TSC may not cut the mustard..  I had an umbi this year that would....not....dry....up without the 7%.  Situations like that invite infection, which is bad news for kiddo.



Otherwise...I dunno...a good stout flashlight, rubber gloves, towels, puppy pads...a baby monitor to listen for labor pains, perhaps...a comfy barn chair...patience...courage...a chart showing common malpositions (breech, upside down, legs hung back, etc) and how to remedy...treats for the doe (raisins work)...stuff like that.


----------



## elevan (Oct 6, 2010)

Thanks.  We've had Lilly about a month now and she has definitely grown in girth during that time...so let's just say I'm 85% positive that she's preggers.

I prefer to research each stage of a farm project before I put it into action, but unfortunately this goat pregnancy will be a first for me with no pre-planning because I adopted her already in "the family way"...

I just want to be as prepared as possible, even though I have no idea when it's going to happen...


----------



## TigerLilly (Oct 6, 2010)

I'm also still waiting to find out if mine is going to have any kids.
Mine is supposed to be due at the end of the month.
Can anyone give us some ideas of what to look for when it's 'time?'
Should I separate her from the rest of the herd or just leave things the way they are? Will she go off her feed soon before she kids?
So many questions, so little time...
Thanks!


----------



## Emmetts Dairy (Oct 7, 2010)

http://jekuthiel.com/pggoats.html


I found this...Its a pretty good outline of what to look for.  I know nothing about this farm and or their practices, mind you.  But it appears to be somewhat accurate and gives a decent general outline of expectations.  

If you have a vet I would get an ultrasound or whatever he recommends so if possible you can give any vaccinations needed in the proper time frame.  It will also give you a better idea as to when she may deliver.

All goats are individuals...so keep that in mine.  Good luck.  Best advice is to just be prepared if something goes wrong and you gotta jump in.   Talk to people, read get all the info you can.  And yes, raisins are the best to have on hand for her after delivery and add molasses to her water!!!  Keep a pair of sterile gloves on hand incase you gotta go in.  They have birthing gloves that are almost full arms length...get them..cheap enough...dont want to risk any infections if you gotta go in for some reason.

They pretty much handle the rest!!  Very natural and beautiful...enjoy it!


----------



## glenolam (Oct 7, 2010)

Here's a good kidding supply thread. 

You can use the search feature on this forum to look for specific info, but the thread above gives a pretty good list to start at.

A lot of the stuff may not even have to be used, but sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.

Do you have any pictures of her?


----------



## elevan (Oct 7, 2010)

Thanks for all the info and support.

Ok, I have a new concern with Lilly...

She just started peeing reddish brown...do I need to be concerned?
I cannot find a vet near me that "does goats"!  Please help!

Ok, so I need to figure out how to upload a pic...

Got it...here she is:


----------



## cmjust0 (Oct 7, 2010)

A couple of things come to mind..  Onset of labor is one, if you're absolutely sure she's bred.  It wouldn't have been pee, though...amniotic fluid, more likely.  Is she displaying any other peculiar signs like laying down and getting up a lot, pawing at the ground, looking a bit "starry eyed," etc?

If it's not labor, I'd probably check her temperature to see if she's perhaps got a urinary tract infection or something like that..  Normal temperature is 101-102.5, give or take.

Have you given her any b-complex lately?  Sometimes that will cause them to have really dark colored urine..


----------



## rebelINny (Oct 11, 2010)

We delivered 11 goat kids this past year and it was our first kidding year. Here is what I found EXTREMELY necessary to have. Paper towel for wiping off the goop around the kids mouths/noses if mom doesn't do it (I did anyway just to make sure they could breathe immediately), old towels for drying the kids off quick (especially if its still cool out), something like warm oatmeal with molasses or raisins for mom for a pick-her up.  These were absolutely necessary things with of course the number of a vet that could assist or another experienced goat keeper, a goat book on birthing, and just in case you have a doe going way late and you have to induce then you need some lutalyse. We had a doe go 7 days late and we knew she was small and we couldn't let her go any longer. Good thing we did or she would have died if the kid had gotten any bigger. I really had to work getting her head out. One thing to remember, if it seems the head is big for the doe and the widest part of the head isn't coming out, goop a couple of your fingers up with her fluids and just run your finger back and forth on the top of her vulva to "stretch it", not hard just gently and during contractions. I did this with our late doe and was on the phone with the vet the whole time and started doing that and when I did two contractions later out popped the kids head! Make sure you have oxetetracycline on hand if you do have to "go in" as prevention against infection and some iodine in case a goat tears and you need to keep it clean. Hope this helps. These were my things I used this past year and what happened in my herd. I was lucky to have ALL my does kid in broad daylight!!!! I know I wouldv'e lost a couple if I hadn't been there.


----------



## Chirpy (Oct 11, 2010)

Spend some time reading "fiascofarm.com"  (sorry, can't get the link to work).   There's a lot of great info on there... including kidding.

Good luck and have fun!


----------

