# Why do they wait so long before they show?



## Mini-M Ranch (Jan 8, 2010)

I got my Mini-Nubians in September, and the breeder told me that one of my girls could *possibly* be bred because she had a very randy buck that jumped the fence three days in a row in August.  I always had a vague assumption that she could be pregnant, but she never gave any indication that she was.  She even let our buck mate her when I put them together in November.  I was sure she would be due in April, like my other two girls.

So, here in WV, this week the weather has been pretty arctic, so I have been carrying hot water to the goats and chickens several times a day.  Last week, I noticed that she seemed "plumper" but chalked it up to winter fur and weight gain because I upped their grain ration from 1/3 cup twice a day to 1/2 cup twice a day.  When I went out yesterday, she was clearly WIIIDDDEEEEERRRRR and...AND...she's getting an udder.  AN UDDER! I'm udderly unprepared for this.

I spoke with the breeder and she gave me the dates of January 17-19.  I called the vet and got an appointment for her to get checked out, but I can't get her in until Wednesday morning, which would be day 145ish.  I hope she doesn't go before then. 

I plan to milk her, I've had her on stanchion.  She isn't crazy about it, but she is pretty tolerant. I have nothing else for milking.  I don't even have a pail!  GRRR!  This could have been so much nicer if she had just told me she was pregnant in November!


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## Roll farms (Jan 8, 2010)

I've bought my stainless / seamless milk buckets at TSC in the dog bowl department, for wayyyy less than some dairy supplies charge.


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## freemotion (Jan 8, 2010)

I use canning jars to milk into and a coffee filter to strain it...the type that look like a fine gold fabric and you wash and re-use them.  The size that is made for making one mug of coffee...I put it inside a funnel and put that on a glass bottle for the milk.

Check her ligaments.  That is an easy way to know when she is withing twelve hours or so from delivering.


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## username taken (Jan 9, 2010)

Relax. 

I use a plastic (gasp!) yes plastic mixing jug to milk into. Nothing says you have to have stainless steel. 

I wouldnt transport her into the vet when she is this close. Will just stress her out unneccessarily. 

Relax, breathe, she will be fine.


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## Roll farms (Jan 9, 2010)

FWIW, every milk goat book I own (7 of them) state, to paraphrase, "Use glass or stainless utensils, jars, and buckets only, plastic can effect the taste of the milk.

Also for sanitation reasons...microscopic scratches and pits in the plastic can harbor bacteria...that's why they stress *seamless* SS buckets, so there's not rim for bacteria to get into.

I even did a taste test w/ ours, and my husband swore he could tell which one (he was blindfolded) was stored in plastic for 2 days in our fridge.  (I couldn't, but my taster's off b/c of sinus problems.)

Not saying you can't use plastic if you choose, but UT said "Nothing says you have to use Stainless Steel"....and all my books DO say that.

We get 2-7 gallons per day (depending on how many does are fresh) and milk 2-handed, in the interest of getting done as quickly as possible...And there's no way I'm a sure enough aim at 6 am to hit a qt jar with both barrels w/out making a mess on the milk stand. 

But if I were only milking 1 doe, I think the mesh strainer / quart jar suggestion is great.


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## Ariel301 (Jan 9, 2010)

I use a stainless steel mixing bowl instead of a bucket. We already had it, so why buy something else? I started with a plastic bucket, but my cranky old 'grandma' doe made a game of kicking it and stepping in it, and the bowl is a smaller target that she can't see well enough to hit. 

I know plastic is less sanitary, but I don't think it affects the taste. I store milk both in plastic containers and in glass jars and it tastes the same to me. 

Ahh, bucks jumping the fence...I know that one. We've got a mini-LaMancha doeling that happened to, our big Alpine buck got her and we don't know when or how. We're not even sure when she is due, thought it was going to be mid-December, and nothing. Thought early Januaury...nothing. It's frustrating! I think she plans to pretend to be about to go into labor when I look at her before bedtime, just so I will stay out in the shed petting her all night!


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## cmjust0 (Jan 11, 2010)

We milked into a plastic bucket while we were feeding bottle babies and freezing the rest for later..  I used the meantime to look for seamless, stainless steel buckets to avoid having to buy a 'real' milk pail.

Never found one -- not even in the dog section of TSC!  I remember finding stainless buckets there, and I can't remember now, but there was something about them where I went  "Close, but not quite."  A seam somewhere...rivets, maybe?  I remember seeing a place for bacteria to hide in the one I looked at, but for the life of me, I can't remember now...

Anyway, we bought a stainless 'real' milk pail and lid with the milk slot, plus jar-sized strainers and all that other fun stuff from Hoegger.  Milk stays cleaner while milking, the strainer works great, always a fresh clean taste and keeps a pretty good while.  Really can't complain, aside from the cost...and I can always complain about cost!  Just ask my wife, she'll tell ya.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 11, 2010)

My doe isn't due until March 5 and she's already a wide load!  

And I think milking into plastic is fine, there are tons of plastic milk cans out there!   If plastic was that bad, they wouldn't make them.  I need to go ahead and buy something to use for milking.  I'm avoiding it for cost reasons, but I can't run from it for much longer!


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## ksalvagno (Jan 11, 2010)

I think you have to decide what is best for you. Obviously there are people out there who milk into plastic jugs and are just fine. I made the choice of buying the stainless steel bucket and found some glass milk containers at a garage sale. I was warned by another breeder near me not to use plastic for human consumption but fine for bottle feeding goat kids.


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## Mini-M Ranch (Jan 11, 2010)

Aw, thanks for the suggestions, guys. I can't take the not knowing of it all, so, I am taking her to the vet Wednesday morning. Hopefully he will be able to give us some kind of time frame. These are our first goats, so I feel like I need a little hand-holding...lol

As far as the stainless steel/plastic debate goes, as we intend to consume the milk raw, I think I might prefer stainless steel. i will check out Hoegger.

In other news, I think i am thinking about this all too much. Had a dream last night that our doe kidded twins.  One looked like a white chimpanzee and the other was a troll about the size of a squirrel! lol


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## Goat of Many Colors (Jan 11, 2010)

What is bad about plastic is that it scratches easily and no amount of cleaning will get rid of the bacteria in those hiding places. Most plastic jugs are not smooth and has a zillion areas for bacteria to hide.  This can make your milk have an off taste, spoil quicker and even make you sick.  

It is well worth the investment to buy a stainless steel milk pail.  With care it will last a life time.  Always store your milk products in well washed glass containers.  I use mason jars that are washed and sterilized in the dishwasher.  You can also hand wash them and let them sit in a sink of hot water with some plain bleach for a few minutes.  Air drying is always best.


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## clarkai (Jan 12, 2010)

I've used a stainless steal mixing bowl and I've also used heavy glass bowls. I have Nigerians, and I don't know about you, but I couldn't fit the milking pail under them if I tried- there just isn't enough clearance! Perhaps they make shorter milking pails though, it is an important factor to consider.


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## chubbydog811 (Jan 12, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said 





> If plastic was that bad, they wouldn't make them.


I'm not picking on you  ...Just want to say, if we went by that statement, we would all be dead or dying. 
It's all about the money, and how they advertise to make people feel better about buying the things that they produce. Just because it is made, doesnt mean it is the greatest thing to use. 
Just because they make McDonalds food, doesnt mean we should eat it.

Again, not picking a fight, just wanted to get that out there.

Agreed that it is a personal choice of how you do things. I just bought stainless seamless equipment from Hoegger Goat Supply. 
They were the cheapest and their quality wasnt too bad either.
I got a small strainer, filters, pail, and a few other things for under $60. 

I would prefer using the seamless stainless, just because I dont want to have to waste more money on plastic equipment every time my goat throws a fit and breaks the bucket


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## TTs Chicks (Jan 12, 2010)

Mini-M Ranch said:
			
		

> In other news, I think i am thinking about this all too much. Had a dream last night that our doe kidded twins.  One looked like a white chimpanzee and the other was a troll about the size of a squirrel! lol


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## dkluzier (Jan 13, 2010)

oh my the dreams that we dream!!  LOL!!


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 13, 2010)

chubbydog811 said:
			
		

> aggieterpkatie said
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I'm talking about the poly milking buckets .  They're used all the time in the dairy industry. If the worry is making milk taste "off", I wouldn't worry about it because they're not really meant for long term storage anyways, just milking.  And they're made specifically for milk use, so they're easily cleaned and durable.  In all the years I've used them, I've never scratched one inside and never had any problems from sanitizing them. 

These are not your regular plastic buckets, and you'd have to have one hell of a goat to break them!  

But hey, different strokes for different folks!


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## Mini-M Ranch (Jan 13, 2010)

I forgot to mention that the troll had green hair, of course. lol.  Took preggers to the vet today.  Vet said he doesn't think there will be any trolls, but there are at least two, possibly three or FOUR kids.  Yowza!


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## Roll farms (Jan 13, 2010)

Congratulations!


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## doublebow (Jan 18, 2010)

Oh wow! Congratulations! That's a great dream! My daughter dreamed our goat had a cross between kittens and goats and they were purple and orange!


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## Mini-M Ranch (Jan 18, 2010)

Still no kids from her...and her udder is still pretty high, so I am thinking we might have to wait some more, which is ok, since I have some supplies coming from Hoegger on the 20th (gloves, lube, 7% iodine, etc), so I hope she waits until after then to kid.

She has been wormed and given her CD/T, but since we were not sure until very recently that she was pregnant and since it has been SO COLD here, we did not kid clip her yet.  Everything I have read says not to shear or trim hooves or the like for the last month of pregnancy...so, do I go ahead and clip her or wait until after?  I've never sheared one before, so it might take me a while.  I don't want to stress her out anymore than she already has been.


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## Roll farms (Jan 18, 2010)

I try to do it before hand if possible, it really, REALLY helps keep the 'after kidding yuck' to a minimum...especially when it's cold and you don't want to have to wash their bums....  BUT...if I had a doe that was seriously stressed out by the process, I might hold off.
Just shaving the udder / tail / butt area really shouldn't make TOO much of a difference, temp-wise.


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