Possbly pregnant doeling. Help!

Does that have multiple babies do tend to have smaller babies than does that only carry one. I vote for the vet check to be certain and be on hand when she delivers if at all possible. Also don't overload her with feed (grain) which will tend to make the babies larger at birthing time.
 
meme said:
Most people won't breed Nigies until they are at least 2 years old, due to their tendancy to have difficult births.
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Where in the world did you hear this? No disrespect intended, but that is simply not true.

I don't know any ND breeders who wait until they are two years old to breed.. and I know quite a few breeders. And, on the contrary, they are known for being exceptionally easy kidders.

We breed all of ours around 1 year old. In fact, if you wait until they are 1-1/2 they tend to get over conditioned.

We had an accidental breeding this fall, and our 8 month old Taffy was bred. She had a large single doeling, and had no problems kidding.
 
OneFineAcre said:
meme said:
Most people won't breed Nigies until they are at least 2 years old, due to their tendancy to have difficult births.
Click to expand...
Where in the world did you hear this? No disrespect intended, but that is simply not true.

I don't know any ND breeders who wait until they are two years old to breed.. and I know quite a few breeders. And, on the contrary, they are known for being exceptionally easy kidders.

We breed all of ours around 1 year old. In fact, if you wait until they are 1-1/2 they tend to get over conditioned.

We had an accidental breeding this fall, and our 8 month old Taffy was bred. She had a large single doeling, and had no problems kidding.
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That is what a breeder I met at a show recently was telling me she does with her nigerians. I have also just seen many online discussions where this advice has been given. Maybe most was too strong of a word?

I myself am very conservative about breeding age when it comes to my nubian and alpine does. We bred our Nubian when she was one year and 9 months and my alpine 15 days before her second birthday. That way I feel confident they are fully mature and that kidding can go as smoothly as possible. I also don't want to risk the growing kids taking nutrients that the doe needs or having a doe who is just not mentally mature enough to handle it. But I also know some people who breed right when a doe hits 70 pounds and swear by it. I suppose it is just a mater of opinion. :)
 
x2 Nigerians are reputed to be very easy kidders, rarely having problems. I, and most of the people I know breed at one year old even though it says in more than one book that they can be bred at 7 months safely.
 
I have nigies and big goats....

I have heard what MEME has too. Honestly it always puzzles me. :hu

Of all the Nigie owners and breeders I know I know of two that has had kidding troubles. One, was because the buck used was not a true Nigie but was huge and produced 7 lb kids... the buck of that person is now in my freezer. The Second one- Is a breeder that waits til 2 years, and she has had kidding problems.

None of my goats have had a problem and successfully nurse triplets with no intervention.

Nigies tend to mature, IMO, much faster than the larger goats. Doelings have already gone into their first heat BY 12 weeks, the bucklings need be seperated early.. no later than 8 weeks, they can reproduce. They wean sooner, mine at 6wks are fully weaned... that doesn't mean they won't nibble but they can go to their new homes at 6-8 wks... I wait the 8wks. Our larger goats wean at 90 or more days. The Nigies tend to get to their desired size earlier also. I have had one fully ready at 9-10 months, others at 12-15 months. My Lamancha needed to wait to get her size right. Nigies are also year round breeders as opposed to seasonal breeders. I am sure this has something to do with it. Most Nigies bounce back very quickly. Probably because their kids are tiny and they can get back into "shape" easier. I have never had a nigie lose condition after birthing either, but of course internally I know they still need time to recuperate.

It may be just a "fluke" but the people I know that have Nigies have the least amount of parasite issues too. Of course stock, management etc has alot to do with that.
 
Southern by choice said:
I have nigies and big goats....

I have heard what MEME has too. Honestly it always puzzles me. :hu

Of all the Nigie owners and breeders I know I know of two that has had kidding troubles. One, was because the buck used was not a true Nigie but was huge and produced 7 lb kids... the buck of that person is now in my freezer. The Second one- Is a breeder that waits til 2 years, and she has had kidding problems.

None of my goats have had a problem and successfully nurse triplets with no intervention.

Nigies tend to mature, IMO, much faster than the larger goats. Doelings have already gone into their first heat BY 12 weeks, the bucklings need be seperated early.. no later than 8 weeks, they can reproduce. They wean sooner, mine at 6wks are fully weaned... that doesn't mean they won't nibble but they can go to their new homes at 6-8 wks... I wait the 8wks. Our larger goats wean at 90 or more days. The Nigies tend to get to their desired size earlier also. I have had one fully ready at 9-10 months, others at 12-15 months. My Lamancha needed to wait to get her size right. Nigies are also year round breeders as opposed to seasonal breeders. I am sure this has something to do with it. Most Nigies bounce back very quickly. Probably because their kids are tiny and they can get back into "shape" easier. I have never had a nigie lose condition after birthing either, but of course internally I know they still need time to recuperate.

It may be just a "fluke" but the people I know that have Nigies have the least amount of parasite issues too. Of course stock, management etc has alot to do with that.
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You forgot to mention fewer problems with mastitis.

My opinion, it is because they have not been intensely managed for as long a period of time. Some of the standard dairy goats have been intensely managed for 400 or 500 + years. When I say intensely managed I mean, selectively bred for purposes or traits that we people find desirable.

I mean I guess they were managed in Africa potentially, but not "intensely"
 
So, Ellie May is definitely pregnant. We suspect that she was already bred when we got her, which would mean that she was bred to another Nigerian. She is of good size and condition, so I am not too worried, but we are keeping a close eye on her. I do not like this kind of guessing game :/ We suspect she is close to kidding because she has had discharge for the past couple days and is laying around frequently. Is it a bad idea to go ahead and give her CDT? Or wait until after she kids? I've read to give it a month before the due date, but she doesn't seem to have that long left. Then again we don't know for sure. Thank you all for your suggestions and input. Wish us luck for a healthy momma and babies. I will post pics when the kid/kids arrive.
 
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