What to do if due date is unknown?? update/new questions in bold

[TGreenhut]

A couple months ago I bought a bred nubian doe. Upon purchasing her I asked the seller what her due date was. He told me he didn't know off the top of his head but to email him and he'd find out. So when I got home I emailed him and his response was "Well, she should be due in March." That is so vague!

The reason for this post is I need answers to my following questions:

1. I normally give CD&T vaccinations, and BoSe shots at certain points of their pregnancy. For example, I sometimes give CD&T and BoSe at 4-5 weeks before she is due. I also need to worm her soon (she is showing signs of needing it) and I'm trying to find the most effective/SAFE time to do it (which right now I think is a 50 days before due).. If I don't know my doe's due date, when I'm finding the date to do these things, what should I "estimate" the due date as? March 1st maybe???

2. I know basic signs of kidding such as, "vanishing" ligaments, nesting, licking at stomach, laying down alot, vaginal discharge, growth in udders.... Do you know any other signs?

I just contacted the breeder again to see if he could give me a more specific date. He now told me that he put her in with the buck on September 1st and they were together until October 18th! Now what should I estimate her due date as? If you were given these dates, when would you give CD&T vaccination, BoSe, and worm her?

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

The breeder probably pen breeds- it's not uncommon for folks to be unsure about exact due dates. Does tend to start building mammary tissue approximately 30 days out- some sooner, some later. 30 days pre-kidding is when you'd want to do C/D&T boosters and BoSe, so if you dose her when you see an udder begin to form you should be fine on the timing.

 

[TGreenhut]

The breeder probably pen breeds- it's not uncommon for folks to be unsure about exact due dates. Does tend to start building mammary tissue approximately 30 days out- some sooner, some later. 30 days pre-kidding is when you'd want to do C/D&T boosters and BoSe, so if you dose her when you see an udder begin to form you should be fine on the timing.

I don't have experience with what that looks like. She has had a couple kids before we bought her, so her udders seem big anyways. With the new dates I posted above, she could be due as early as the 28 (28 days from now!) so if I post pictures will you be able to tell me if she'll probably due sooner rather than later?

Thanks!

 

[20kidsonhill]

post, some pictures, couldn't hurt. Mine are due starting Jan. 28th, but keep in mind there can be a big range in udder development in does.

Can you feel an udder developing? At this point, All my does that are due beginning of february have a noticable udder developig, especially when you feel it. Many of them I can visually see an udder filling.

I would go with earliest possible due date, with the vaccine and bo-se. And do a fecal on her so you don't have to worm her if she doesn't need it. Then if she hasn't kidded in 30days after giving her the bo-se, give her another dose, or half a dose.

Good luck.

 

[TGreenhut]

post, some pictures, couldn't hurt. Mine are due starting Jan. 28th, but keep in mind there can be a big range in udder development in does.

Can you feel an udder developing? At this point, All my does that are due beginning of february have a noticable udder developig, especially when you feel it. Many of them I can visually see an udder filling.

I would go with earliest possible due date, with the vaccine and bo-se. And do a fecal on her so you don't have to worm her if she doesn't need it. Then if she hasn't kidded in 30days after giving her the bo-se, give her another dose, or half a dose.

Good luck.

I can feel a little bit of udder development, I think. I'm working on getting some pictures.

The earliest possible date is Jan 28. so does that mean i should give her the vaccine and BoSe now? I have CD&T vaccine but I don't have any BoSe. Where do I get BoSe? I have selenium and vitamin E gel, but I heard that doesn't work as well.

I'm not sure that I can do a fecal on her because we have no vet around here that does anything for goats...

 

[20kidsonhill]

post, some pictures, couldn't hurt. Mine are due starting Jan. 28th, but keep in mind there can be a big range in udder development in does.

Can you feel an udder developing? At this point, All my does that are due beginning of february have a noticable udder developig, especially when you feel it. Many of them I can visually see an udder filling.

I would go with earliest possible due date, with the vaccine and bo-se. And do a fecal on her so you don't have to worm her if she doesn't need it. Then if she hasn't kidded in 30days after giving her the bo-se, give her another dose, or half a dose.

Good luck.

I can feel a little bit of udder development, I think. I'm working on getting some pictures.

The earliest possible date is Jan 28. so does that mean i should give her the vaccine and BoSe now? I have CD&T vaccine but I don't have any BoSe. Where do I get BoSe? I have selenium and vitamin E gel, but I heard that doesn't work as well.

I'm not sure that I can do a fecal on her because we have no vet around here that does anything for goats...

Bo-se is perscription, so that may be a problem for you. I would do the vaccination in the next few days. If you can't get bo-se, consdier getting Red cell at the feed store. and drenching her or top dressing her feed for a couple weeks with 10 to 15 cc of red-cell a day. It is fairly high in copper and selenium. Actually so high, that if you get carried away you can cause an overdose.

I have never used the selenium gel, but I haven't heard to many great things about it. I have on the other hand used plenty of Bo-se and personally wouldn't want to raise goats with out it. but I haven't always used it, and we managed just fine. It can however really help with the strength of a newborns legs and how quickly they get up and start nursing.

 

[Queen Mum]

You can mash up Selenium tablets (4 - 200 mg. tablets) that you buy at the health food store and melt a bunch of Vitamin E capsules and just feed them to her in her feed mixed with some Molasses. Do that once now and once again in 14 days and she will get just as much Selenium as if she got a shot. (Remember, animals normally get it through their food in areas where Selenium exists in the soil.)

Don't give her more than that, because you don't want to overdose her on the Selenium.

Give the CD/T shot now. 2.5 CC. SubQ. (under the skin) (BTW, the CD/T shot may leave a "knot" or "lump" at the injection site for about a month. That is NORMAL. But you can minimize it by cleaning the area well before giving the shot, and by using a very warm cloth and massaging the area well after giving the shot.)

 

[TGreenhut]

You can mash up Selenium tablets (4 - 200 mg. tablets) that you buy at the health food store and melt a bunch of Vitamin E capsules and just feed them to her in her feed mixed with some Molasses. Do that once now and once again in 14 days and she will get just as much Selenium as if she got a shot. (Remember, animals normally get it through their food in areas where Selenium exists in the soil.)

Don't give her more than that, because you don't want to overdose her on the Selenium.

Give the CD/T shot now. 2.5 CC. SubQ. (under the skin) (BTW, the CD/T shot may leave a "knot" or "lump" at the injection site for about a month. That is NORMAL. But you can minimize it by cleaning the area well before giving the shot, and by using a very warm cloth and massaging the area well after giving the shot.)

Do you think mashing up pills is more effective than just giving her the gel that I already have? And if I were to do the pills, how much exactly is "a bunch of" vitamin E tablets?

 

[Queen Mum]

Oh, I didn't see that you have the gel already. Just give her that. It should be just as effective. It's not as fast acting as a shot, but it does work just as well. The issue people have with it is that they often don't give enough. Or they don't look at the expiration date. (if it's old and expired it looses potency)

 

[TGreenhut]

Oh, I didn't see that you have the gel already. Just give her that. It should be just as effective. It's not as fast acting as a shot, but it does work just as well. The issue people have with it is that they often don't give enough. Or they don't look at the expiration date. (if it's old and expired it looses potency)

Oh ok! Thank you!