# Any way to preg check a goat?



## SDBoerGoats (Mar 13, 2012)

Does anyone know of any way to preg check a goat other than just watching to see if she comes back in heat? We bought a 5 year old doe last fall. The one thing I didn't care for is, she has a huge belly all the time. Looks like she is pregnant with quads! But she was open when we got her. The lady was very vague about any kids she had had. Said she only had her on loan for weed eating. MY SIL jumped on the chance to get her, I was leary about the big belly and the fact the lady said she hadn't had kids that year. 
Anyway, she comes in heat in September and we left her in with the buck 2 months. With her huge belly it was hard to tell if she was pg or not. Turns out she wasn't. We put her back in with the buck in December. She was back in heat in January. We hand bred her this time, so we saw for sure he covered her. I didn't see her come back in heat but we have since moved the bucks up to the front of the ranch because all the does were kidding and we needed space for the moms and babies. 
And has anyone ever seen a goat that has a huge belly on both sides that never goes down? What would cause this? It's soft when you press on it. She's happy, healthy and fat. But getting pregnant seems to be a problem and I still don't know if she is pg now. She would be about 3 months along now if she took this time.


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## jodief100 (Mar 13, 2012)

Ultrasound from your vet or Bio Tracking.  That is a blood test you send in.  

http://www.biotracking.com/


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 13, 2012)

I called my vet and he said he doesn't have an ultrasound that would work on goats.   I asked him about blood tests and he said there weren't any for goats! Hmmm. I do think he needs to get out more! I will check this out. Thanks!


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 13, 2012)

I checked out their site and see they also test for CAE but they don't test for CL. We are getting ready to test our herd and would like to get both tests done. Anyone know of a lab that does both?


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## Renegade (Mar 13, 2012)

SD
If you ask Bio-Tracking to do the CL test they will send it to the university. Give them a call and they'll give you a price. They are the nicest people in the world and will do everything they can to help.

Donna


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks Donna!  I have a good friend who is a vet tech and she can help me with the blood drawing. That way I can get a preg test and my herd tested all at the same time.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Mar 13, 2012)

It may be that she is overly fat and won't get pregnant because of it.  Sows, does, ewes, etc that are older, haven't been bred in a few years and are on the chunky side, often have fertility problems.  I'd do a blood draw and get her mineral/hormone levels checked.   

 Also can you post photos of her to see if she is FAT or just has a large rumen?


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 13, 2012)

Chic, I'll see if I can get some pics today and figure out how to post them. It's a large rumen I believe. When we got her she was thin but not skinny and had the huge belly. She's gained weight now but her stomach is still the same, just huge.


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## Queen Mum (Mar 13, 2012)

Some goats just have big bellies.  It seems to be genetic. I was living on a farm that had two does that were naturally big like that.  Not sure why.  But the mother and her daughter were like that.  They ate a normal amount and were always big.  When they were pregnant they looked like they did when they were not pregnant.  They never got any bigger.  After they kidded was the ONLY time they ever looked NORMAL.


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 14, 2012)

OK, I got one pic this morning from the top. This is how her belly looks all the time. I don't know if I posted the pic right, I just put in the image code.


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