Accidental pregnancy

[Blaithinokeeffe]

Hi guys, I have a Pygmy goat that I got 4 months ago when she was 6 months old (now 10 months )

I have just been advised that she is pregnant , I’ve never bred goats before and was not expecting her to be pregnant.
issue is I have no idea how far along she is and when she could be due or how many she is having.
could anyone advise me based on some pictures of her?

 

[farmerjan]

Hi and welcome to BYH.....

Okay couple questions... Do you have a male there now? If not then it is pretty easy... she has to be at least 4 months if you got her , 4 months ago... They carry about 5 months... so within a month of kidding.
6 months old is not too young for them to cycle... but it is too young to breed on purpose... however, they do not do what you want all the time.....

No way to tell how many... with her young age it would be better if twins and smaller than one big one. Now there are MANY goat people on here that know more than me about goats... although they are similar to sheep in many ways...
If you are feeding grain.... STOP...... maybe a smidgeon once a week....... the more grain, the more the kid will grow inside... it is not going to hurt her to not get grain if she is getting good hay..... you do not want the kid to grow bigger and bigger....

Now for the goat people.... @Mini Horses , @frustratedearthmother for starters....

 

[Mini Horses]

Agree. If graining, rather than stop and mess up rumen, go to 1/4 of current feed--just a handful-- increase back up slowly once kidded. She'll need the nutrition for milk.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Do you know what breed of buck she is bred to? Hopefully, one more her size than a larger buck.

Looking at her pics she doesn't look overly large for a doe that should be at least 4 months bred. Her udder doesn't look that full so she may have several weeks to go. Be aware that does like to fool us and go without any signals ahead of time - OR - they'll have ALL the signs and still hold out just to make you crazy, lol.

You can get pretty good at predicting upcoming birth by learning to feel for ligaments. There are lots of tutorials online.

Ligament Test to Predict Kidding

Time for another Twin Willows tutorial!! Our Spring kidding season starts this week, so I thought it appropriate to talk about predicting labor and kidding. Kat Von D is due this coming week. I...

www.twinwillowsfarm.net

I don't know how or what you are feeding, but as others have mentioned - limit her grain. However, in the last month she does need high quality feed to prevent pregnancy toxemia - just not a lot of it. Also agree to increase the grain gradually after she kids. Lactation takes a lot of calories.

Good luck!

 

[Blaithinokeeffe]

Thanks for the help everyone, unfortunately I believe she was bred back to her father or grandfather as the man I bought her of mentioned having her father and grandfather still. I’ve tried making contact with the man to confirm but no reply unfortunately.
I’ve taken her to the vets today to be scanned and she is confirmed pregnant but vets are unable to tell me how many due to policy.
I cut her grain down to a handful every few days in mid January when I first had pregnancy concerns, hopefully this was the right thing to do.

 

[Farmercharliesblog]

The title sucked me in! I have no way of helping you but I am hoping for updates!

 

[Ridgetop]

If you have had her for 4 months, she will kid within the next month. Gestation for goats is 5 months give or take a couple days. If her father and grandfather were Pygmies then not to worry that she was exposed to a normal sized buck.

Follow the advice given by the above people about cutting the feed so her kids will be smaller to avoid bithing problems, and hope for the best. Being bred by her father or grandfather will not be a problem since that happens in the wild.