How to know if they are pregnant ...

[EM Squared Farms]

Tummy typing test - get doe on stanchion(or stand over her facing her rear), place hands on her underbelly, right in front of her udder, and start typing on her belly as if you were using an old style typewriter. If the area feels "squishy", she is not pregnant... If the area feels firm, she is pregnant. {you can know the difference by doing this same test on a doe that you KNOW is not pregnant and one that you know IS pregnant}.

Trust me, the difference in feel to that area is unmistakeable. This has proven 100% accurate with my does. Like I mentioned, you just need to feel an open doe's abdomen and a confirmed pregnant doe's abdomen to know the difference.

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll go out and test that on my Nigerian Dwarfs.

I asked my more experienced friend that has Alpines (now a Nubian and Boer too) and she said by 3 months you can start to tell b/c of their udders (will start to get full with milk ? new mothers don't show as quick as older mother does). Mine just got pregnant last month and I've been increasing their feed rations slowly (weekly increments) until it's doubled (after 4 weeks). I guess it's been almost 3 weeks since the month they were getting pregnant. I know I watched one get mated with (first thing in the morning after I let them out of the barn).

I'll let you know what I find out. They always seem to be so fat on their sides. But then that goes away in the morning (they look less fat then they did the day before). Is that where their food goes to ? Their stomachs on their sides ?

Thanks,

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Just checked all of my goats !

All 4 of them seem "firm".

One really didn't like me feeling under her belly. Usually I always just pet them from their top side. On top of their head, under the neck, along the top of their back to their tail....

I guess I better start petting them around their sides and belly to get them used to eventually being milked !

I wonder if it tickles them ? She would arch her back and lift her belly up and try and walk away. All the other didn't seem to mind at all.

So, I'm very hopeful.

Thanks again !!

 

[WHFarms]

I hope you get to see babies soon! I'm going to try to "type" her this weekend, I'm thinking she's not going to be as excited about it as I am, but I have the idea to give her a treat bucket as I'm working out the fingers! I guess I can just wait and see, I haven't seen her let the buck mount her for at least a month so I'm guessing she's either just bred or just sick of him ... but of course that means a winter baby, so i'm busy planning which stall she'll go in by which horse isn't scared of her

 

[kstaven]

Just checked all of my goats !

All 4 of them seem "firm".

One really didn't like me feeling under her belly. Usually I always just pet them from their top side. On top of their head, under the neck, along the top of their back to their tail....

I guess I better start petting them around their sides and belly to get them used to eventually being milked !

I wonder if it tickles them ? She would arch her back and lift her belly up and try and walk away. All the other didn't seem to mind at all.

So, I'm very hopeful.

Thanks again !!

Some favorite food in a bucket in front of the goat you are working with makes life easier and they come around faster.

 

[arabianequine]

arabianequine do they have an udder developing? My recently acquired does were put in with a buck the start of May and I'm expecting kids from October on. If they became pregnant right before you bought them they could still surprise you.

I tried the tummy typing with my does, had to stand at the side though as they are waaaaay to wild to stand over them. They aren't squishy, I guess they are firm but oh my I wish I had a breeding date. I didn't think they had udders developing yet but I noticed today for the first time ever I can see their teats from behind them and they look bigger than they did. I assume this is the start of development? I'd be really happy if it is. I want to see babies!

No udder at all, 2 look normal in the stomach and one is just fat I guess....lol. Just proves how skinny they were if this is normal, which is pretty sad but not surprising they had several issues health wise. I got them here May 1st and its been to long now I think 5months and 3 weeks. I did have them in with my buck one day but it was like May 1st to the 2nd.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

arabianequine do they have an udder developing? My recently acquired does were put in with a buck the start of May and I'm expecting kids from October on. If they became pregnant right before you bought them they could still surprise you.

I tried the tummy typing with my does, had to stand at the side though as they are waaaaay to wild to stand over them. They aren't squishy, I guess they are firm but oh my I wish I had a breeding date. I didn't think they had udders developing yet but I noticed today for the first time ever I can see their teats from behind them and they look bigger than they did. I assume this is the start of development? I'd be really happy if it is. I want to see babies!

No udder at all, 2 look normal in the stomach and one is just fat I guess....lol. Just proves how skinny they were if this is normal, which is pretty sad but not surprising they had several issues health wise. I got them here May 1st and its been to long now I think 5months and 3 weeks. I did have them in with my buck one day but it was like May 1st to the 2nd.

If they successfully bred on May 1st through the 2nd, then they would be due anywhere from September 28 through October 4 or 5... although, a fair number of does have gone a week or two beyond this year.
It isn't unheard of for a doe to not "bag up" until the day before or even after kidding... udder development isn't the best indicator. By now you should be able to feel kid movement on their right sides(down in the pocket at top of barrel or lower belly behind their right rear leg to under belly. Sometimes it take a couple little deep massaging pushes at one location or the other before you feel a kick, a little bum or head brush by your hand. (For me it works best to have them on the milk stand, and have one hand at the pocket at the top & the other at the underbelly area, so I can feel if when I lift up on the underbelly there is kid movement above in the pocket)

 

[arabianequine]

arabianequine do they have an udder developing? My recently acquired does were put in with a buck the start of May and I'm expecting kids from October on. If they became pregnant right before you bought them they could still surprise you.

I tried the tummy typing with my does, had to stand at the side though as they are waaaaay to wild to stand over them. They aren't squishy, I guess they are firm but oh my I wish I had a breeding date. I didn't think they had udders developing yet but I noticed today for the first time ever I can see their teats from behind them and they look bigger than they did. I assume this is the start of development? I'd be really happy if it is. I want to see babies!

No udder at all, 2 look normal in the stomach and one is just fat I guess....lol. Just proves how skinny they were if this is normal, which is pretty sad but not surprising they had several issues health wise. I got them here May 1st and its been to long now I think 5months and 3 weeks. I did have them in with my buck one day but it was like May 1st to the 2nd.

If they successfully bred on May 1st through the 2nd, then they would be due anywhere from September 28 through October 4 or 5... although, a fair number of does have gone a week or two beyond this year.
It isn't unheard of for a doe to not "bag up" until the day before or even after kidding... udder development isn't the best indicator. By now you should be able to feel kid movement on their right sides(down in the pocket at top of barrel or lower belly behind their right rear leg to under belly. Sometimes it take a couple little deep massaging pushes at one location or the other before you feel a kick, a little bum or head brush by your hand. (For me it works best to have them on the milk stand, and have one hand at the pocket at the top & the other at the underbelly area, so I can feel if when I lift up on the underbelly there is kid movement above in the pocket)

I guess that is true on the dates but I really highly doubt it from my buck anyways. He is a year and half now. I don't think he has bred before. I guess I will see but I gave up long ago with these does being pregnant. Thank you though for the reminder on the dates.....I will keep and eye on them.

I thought I felt moving and kids a couple months back....but I may just be feeling things.

I really hope not cause I want to breed them this late fall and that would be too soon to bred them again to get the does back on track.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

kids can start being felt through palpating at around the 3 month mark, so you said you thought you felt movement a couple months ago... it very well could have been kids moving around.... as long as it was on the underbelly or right side... if it was the left side, then you felt her rumen moving
Try feeling now. Feel just in front of her udder(if firm, she is pregnant, if squishy, not pregnant), check her ligs(if they are soft and pliable, expect kidding soon), check her underbelly & right side for kid movement, however subtle it may be... I find having one hand on the underbelly and one hand on the right side cavity, lifting up slightly and pressing in slightly and moving you hand on the underbelly in small circular motions this will often get the kids to at least move a leg or their head enough for you to feel something brush by one of you hands.

Also, definitely post up if she does kid!

 

[RareBreedFancier]

So rumen on the left, kids on the right or underneath. Cool!

I tried firm massaging a few times and thought I felt 'something' but wasn't sure what I was feeling for. I also tried the bumping technique I read about here and thought I felt something moving around underneath but I thought it might just be their guts jiggling around.
Guess I just have to wait patiently for the kids to appear.

 

[arabianequine]

So rumen on the left, kids on the right or underneath. Cool!

I tried firm massaging a few times and thought I felt 'something' but wasn't sure what I was feeling for. I also tried the bumping technique I read about here and thought I felt something moving around underneath but I thought it might just be their guts jiggling around.
Guess I just have to wait patiently for the kids to appear.

Me too but I just really don't know....I will just wait too not much option otherwise.

I think the bigger boer doe I have is pregnant but Ive been wrong before I guess. I will see if I can get pics of her again tomorrow. I don't think I have post any in sometime.

Oh and if she kids you will know about it I will be ecstatic.