Updated 3/29/12 Melissa Farm Picture Journal *New Pictures Pg 10*

[20kidsonhill]

Congrats, they are looking great.

 

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

Anybody have any idea on what to look for when Millie is ready to kid? Does she look like we are close? I haven't seen any mucous or anything. I first felt her small FF udder 12/24/11. She's not very big, her udder is not tight, her privates have gotten really big and pink. What other changes will happen?

I've tried looking for the tail ligaments and I just don't know what I'm feeling in there.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

My ffs usually start building mammary tissue about 6 weeks out and do so slowly. I would guess you have at least two weeks to wait. Keep an eye out for very sudden, rapid filling and for everything around her tail head to look loosey goosey.

 

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

Still no progress on that udder. She looks to be filling out toward the back? I'm getting impatient, so I probably will have the first goat on record to bag up when they GOT pregnant, lol.

I have a new baby though. He is the sweetest little thing. He has a wonderful disposition and settles right down when I put his heat lamp on in the outside house in his pen. He will be my future herdsire and has some wonderful genetic behind him. I hope he will have some company in the next few days.

Presenting Dawson....

Thanks Nicki at http://www.smithurmonds.com/ for such a great buckling.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Oh my, who is that gorgeous fella?!

He looks great and I am so pleased you're happy with him. I thought you would be!

 

[Mamaboid]

What a handsome little guy. And I really like his name.

 

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

Here are some pictures from this morning. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since I noticed her building an udder. I finally figured out those tail ligaments and they are still there.

What do you guys think? A couple more weeks? On the body pictures I tried to show the hollows around her upper belly near the spine.

 

[20kidsonhill]

What do you mean by, Still no prgress on that udder? the doe you have pictured has a nice udder. Am i confussed? I would say the doe in the picture has less than 2 weeks.

 

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

So you think it's bigger. It's hard for me to tell. I look "longingly" at it everyday, waiting and waiting for a change, a discharge, ligaments gone. I'm going crazy!!!! I need babies already! I've owned these girls for well over a year now and they were my first goats and this will be my first ever kidding. Can you tell I've gone over the deep end?

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

She doesn't look close to me... but that said it's entirely possible that that is how she will look right up until 24 hours before she kids when she fills completely. All I can say is that you will know it when you see it. All of the sudden her udder will fill and you'll go "oh my! It didn't look like that yesterday..." Checking on her daily, feeling her ligs every day- it will give you something to compare her progress with.

Her ligs will be a better gauge than her udder. Lots of does will slowly loosen up in the week or two before kidding, but not all. You'll start to see changes in the slope of the rump and angulation of the rear legs. The tail will get all loosey goosey. It takes a few kiddings to be able to read the signs well and even then they throw us for a loop!! Get your kidding stall all ready to go, your supply kit by the front door, and your baby monitor set up. These early signs are frustrating, but you'll know when she is close.