Is she close?

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hbgoebel

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Hi everyone. I posted a while ago. Ive been waiting since Aug 28 (supposed due date) for these babies. Do you guys think my Gazelle is ready soon to kid?
She has really started dropping. This is her 4th kidding. I'm just not sure if she waits to last minute to fill up her udder. Any feedback would be great.
 
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hbgoebel

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We got the goat from friends. They thought they had seen the breeding done and apparently that didn't take the first time. No idea on due date
 

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B&B Happy goats

B&B Happy goats

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hbgoebel said:
Hi everyone. I posted a while ago. Ive been waiting since Aug 28 (supposed due date) for these babies. Do you guys think my Gazelle is ready soon to kid?
She has really started dropping. This is her 4th kidding. I'm just not sure if she waits to last minute to fill up her udder. Any feedback would be great.
Click to expand...
Doe code lol, you'll know when you find kids running around.....if she is pregnant she should do just fine as she has had kids before...patience is the key, perhaps she will give you a Christmas surprise :love
 
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hbgoebel

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Yep, I've been out in the goat barn with her everyday for the last 3 1/2 months. This is my first goat and kidding. Definitely have learned alot about goats 😅
 
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hbgoebel

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Can you ever tell by her sides or her tail? If she's close? I thought I figured out the ligaments and after 3 months gave up.
 
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hbgoebel

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rachels.haven said:
When was the last day she was with a buck?
Click to expand...
Last day was her supposed due date, when they brought her over. August 28. Ive done the calendar. January 25 could be the last date possible. Im going to scream if we have to wait that long LOL!!!! My friend is really confused. She said when she brought her over she saw babies moving on both sides. I know that's my possible
 
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hbgoebel

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hbgoebel said:
Last day was her supposed due date, when they brought her over. August 28. Ive done the calendar. January 25 could be the last date possible. Im going to scream if we have to wait that long LOL!!!! My friend is really confused. She said when she brought her over she saw babies moving on both sides. I know that's not possible. Because the latest she would have been was only 5 1/2 weeks pregnant.
Click to expand...
 
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She doesn't look pregnant to me. Both her vulva and udder look like she is open (not bred). You are correct in thinking that 5 weeks pregnant is much too early to see any movement from kids. Wishful thinking doesn't make it so. There is even movement in the rumen when the doe is not pregnant which can look like pregnancy movement and fool you. Usually you will only see the kids moving during the final week or two of pregnancy and often only if there are 3 or 4 kids when space is at a premium.

In a doe that will be having her 4th kidding, I would definitely expect to see much larger body development and a slightly redder and puffier vulva. The udder is not always a sign since many does do not engorge, but will come into their milk at the last minute. Their udders will then increase in size as they make more milk for the growing kids, coming into maximum production about a month into their lactations. If you are milking 2 x daily you can keep up maximum production for 8 months at which time, as the breeding season approaches some does will start to decrease production naturally as they prepare to breed again. If you are milking for house milk you will be feeding grain at a 1 lb. grain:1 lb. milk ratio. This provides enough nutrition to continue to milk at maximum capacity until 2 months before the kidding date. At this time you will want to dry the doe off to allow her to finish growing the unborn kids and gain strength for anther season of milk production.

Where are you located? If you are in the continental US, and she was exposed March through July,
she was probably not in season and the buck would not have been rut at the time she was exposed to be bred. If she was due August 25 she would have to have been bred around the end of March which is too late for Nubians to have been in season and the bucks to be in rut.

Nubians come in season and the bucks in rut around August at the earliest, continuing through December/January. Because rutting season (breeding season) is determined by daylight length, an eastern exposure on a hillside will encourage them to come in earlier. However, nothing except hormonal implants will get them to breed out of season. Swiss breeds have a much shorter rutting and breeding season, starting late September and ending in November/December.

Did the friend that bred her actually see her get bred? Since she seems to have been trying to breed her at a time of year when it would be impossible for her to conceive, it sounds like she just hoped for the best. Goats and sheep of most breeds are seasonal breeders. They will not breed all year round. Certain breeds will. but not Nubians, or standard dairy breeds.

Does your friend that bred this doe still have the buck? I would rush her over there and hope that she will come in season when exposed to him now. If you are lucky you might catch her at the end of rutting season and you can then hope for end of May kids. Otherwise, if she doesn't produce kids by the end of January you will have missed an entire breeding season. Expose her to the buck in August and leave her (if you are doing pen breeding) for at least 2 months. For a better chance at kids expose her in September and keep her there for 2 months.

I hope this helps. In spite of her appearance, I will cross my fingers for you since losing an entire breeding season is sad. :fl It has happened to all of us though that an animal will just "not take" so just breed her again next year.
 
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