UPDATE! My goats had their babies!

[Plunky]

Can anyone tell me if my goats are pregnant? I just got them a week ago & the previous owner said they should be due in August if the breeding took. Thanks in advance

 

[TAH]

Can anyone tell me if my goats are pregnant? I just got them a week ago & the previous owner said they should be due in August if the breeding took. Thanks in advance
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There is goop on her so that is a sine. Can you get pics of there udders and stomachs?

@Southern by choice @Goat Whisperer @OneFineAcre @babsbag any idea's.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I never go by the "pooch test"

I look for udder development and growing bellies. I also feel for movement. This can be hard if you are new to goats. I have heard many people get excited that they feeling movement and are convinced that they are bred, only to find out the doe isn't

Do you have a vet that can do an ultrasound?

You can also draw some blood and have it sent out, its typically not expensive.

Or you could just wait

Welcome to BYH and to the world of goats

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH Glad you decided to join up! OK, I'm going to step out on a limb here... hope it doesn't break

Kinda like with humans, until the delivery process actually starts, looking at her vulva/exit point isn't going to really tell you much... But if you step back and look at her profile (obviously more so in late pregnancy), it can be pretty evident whether pregnant or not. It's like a "forest for the trees" kinda thing. OK, even this isn't fool proof, a very large or over weight "anything" may be pregnant and it not be "visible"... also, number of babies involved has a direct bearing on size... but in general...

With a human, looking from the front or side view is the easiest to see. With a goat, it's looking down from above or looking straight forward at her sides (and udder development), from the rear. "Most" goats, if pregnant, will start to "bulge" out on the right side (kid(s)) as their rumen (bulge) will be on their left side. So instead of being narrow and well proportioned, she'll look wide, sometimes so wide you'll wonder how she gets around. Also, some will start udder development prior to delivery while others will wait till the last minute to start making milk.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

@Latestarter is correct BUT I cant tell you how many times people are sure that a doe is bred, only to find out she just has a big belly.

I see many ND/Pygmy crosses that always look bred. Knowing your goats is key.

I have a doe that never looks bred, and after she kids she doesn't look any different- when looking at the sides that is.

 

[babsbag]

I usually just get the blood test done if I want to know early on. But with does that are first timers the udder is an easy give away. The vulva will elongate as they get closer to the due date, but again, only on first timers can I use that as a indicator. And it helps to know what their anatomy looked like before the breeding; they are all different.

 

[Plunky]

Thanks everyone! I've had goats a little over a year but I started out with 4 Nubians that came from Animal Control. They were taken from the previous owners due to neglect so they don't like being touched or anything. My nubians just hang out all day & clear land for us so they're pretty happy with their new life! I just got these 2 Nigerian Dwarfs for pets about a week ago because I wanted some goats that my kids could actually touch & play with. The girl that I got my 2 NDs from said she thinks both of my new goats are pregnant. All of the does & bucks stay together at her place so I'm thinking they both may be bred? This first goat, Charlotte, is about a year & a half old & she hasn't kidded before. She does have a bit of an udder & it feels squishy.

 

[Plunky]

This is my other ND, Silly. She has kidded before & still has milk. I read not to milk them in the last couple of months of pregnancy though so I haven't tried.

 

[TAH]

This is my other ND, Silly. She has kidded before & still has milk. I read not to milk them in the last couple of months of pregnancy though so I haven't tried.
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Looks like there is some udder fill.

 

[Latestarter]

On the first picture of Silly, looking down from above, I see what looks like a definite "bump" on the right side that makes me believe (98%) that she's pregnant. Charlotte looks a bit wide in the beam as well You'll have to keep us up to date now!