1st Time Breeding! Dos and Donts Please?!

[4HGoatGirl]

We just picked up our doe from her breeding. Owner of the buck said it was successful and there was a lot of action. She's home with her fellow does. This is my first time with a pregnant goat. What are the dos and donts? She has free access to an acre of pasture and gets hay every morning. Is there anything I shouldn't feed her? Anything to watch out for? Like I said, this is my first time so tell me EVERYTHING you know!!!!

 

[luvmypets]

Ok well first off congrats on your first pregnant doe! Although I do not own goats I own sheep which although they have many differences from my observations they are similar in how they experience pregnancy.

First thing first is just a few basic questions
How old is she?
Her Breed? Bucks breed?
How do you worm her?
What kind of shelter does she have?
Do you know when she is due?
Is she up-to-date on all her shots?

Alright I know I am missing a bunch but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I will list things I do for my ewes throughout their pregnancy to make sure that they stay healthy.

The first thing I would do is make sure your doe is getting proper nutrtion. If for some reason she isnt she could get pregnancy toxemia which is very scary and could be fatal. She could also go into shock or not be able to produce milk for her kid. I know this because two years ago I underfed my ewe and although she lambed fine she struggled for months to support her lamb. She lost large portions of wool and looked scraggly all summer.
For my ewes entire pregnancy I monitor their body scores. I make sure they stay in a healthy weight range and that they do not get overly skinny or fat as this can lead to birthing difficulties. Make sure she is fed a high quality hay and I would reccomend giving her grain once she starts producing large amounts of milk. I would also reccomend getting a loose mineral mixture that she has access to at all times. You can buy these at tractor supply and most other feed stores. You definitly do not want to have mineral deficiencies with her kid/kids.

Also make sure she is being wormed as needed. Check her lower eyelid color often. If it is in a bright pink range you are in the safe zone. If her color is pale or white she needs to be wormed. I would also consider learning how to do your own fecals. It does involve looking at poop but it helps give you an exact idea on what types of worms you may be dealing with. Make sure you check the label of the wormer as certain wormers can be very bad for pregnant animals.

The last thing is if something seems off keep an eye on her. Sometimes(like people) animals have off days. However she could be sick and you may need a vet.

Again I am by no means an expert but this is what I do for my girls so I hope this helps.


Feel free to correct me on anything lol
@Goat Whisperer @Southern by choice @OneFineAcre @babsbag

 

[Eteda]

my house is really close to my barn about 40 feet or so. I bought a 5 dollar baby monitor from a second hand store and put it in the lambing area. I can hear a drop of water hit the surface of their water bucket 30 feet on the other side of the barn. it works well unless it is raining or there's a lot of moisture in the air. when the mom to be starts pawing or pushing it wakes me up. I usually sleep dressed and have a lambing bag already packed to go. In my bag I have two or three nasal cleaners (bulb syringes).
I have a two 2 oz baby bottles with nipples for feeding moms colostrum. dental floss and a small pair of nasal scissors.(blunted ends) for tying umbilical cords. Iodine and a pepto cup for dipping navel cords. goat\sheep drench for moms and babies. gloves, two small ropes with clips on the ends and a collar. two or three flashlights. one dim for checking on the girls in the night and a bright one to get a better look with if needed. 7 or 8 cheap or old washcloths and two pair of knit gloves and ky gel which I refill from the gallon in the house, and a small rope for pulling slippery uncooperative lambs.
spend a lot of time with your animal and you will know when something is up.
coordinate with your vet to get her shots and worming to be timed correctly according to her kidding date. trim her feet about 3 weeks befor she is due if they need it. this is when I worm and give the second vaccination prior to lambing. she may be to heavy to get up on a stand, trim her standing on the ground is safer for her. if she dose not lead or tie teach her. If you have any friends or neighbors that have animals due to birth ask if you can be their. learning what is normal or ok is helpful in knowing what is not. you can order a goat management wheel from Pipestonesheep.com . it will tell you when to give shots and start late gestation rations etc. according to her breeding date and give you a guideline. get a tube of CMPK( cow section) and the gun to administer it or buy the liquid. Get one or two doses of propyleenglycol on hand from the vet or farm supply stores sell it by the gallon. These are things you should always have on hand anyway. pick up a thermometer if you don't have one. I like the yellow and white one best that walmart sells.

 

[4HGoatGirl]

@luvmypets,
She is 2 years old
She is a Nigerian dwarf/Mini Alpine
The Buck was a Nigerian Dwarf
She will be due around February 11
She is Up to date on all shots
As far as shelter goes, they have dog igloos, a corral with a little shelter and a Huge dog run that has a roof (in the corral as well). Great for rain, not as great for wind protection. We intend to wind proof it before winter though.

We would put her in the corral whe she is near her due date as it is close to the house so we could easily keep an eye on her.

@Eteda thanks for the great info! I will definitely put together that kit. Thanks!

 

[Eteda]

luvmypets, I can see it now, goat in labor hiding in the igloo dog house and you half in laying on your belly trying to convince her to move to the nice, big, warm, dry, fancy well bedded, shelter you built for her! LOL