Labor signs

I rescued two goats about two weeks ago. At their first vet visit a few days later the vet confirmed that my Nigerian dwarf goat was at least 4 months pregnant. I obviously have no idea exactly when she was bred. I do know that she was freely housed with bucks before. He vet said to watch fornkis anytime in the next month. That was Jan 16. Yesterday she started acting different. Walking away from the other goat. Lying down the getting up. She was stretching and yawning. She was staring off into space or at the ground continually. She even seemed to have a couple contractions. Her ligaments seem gone but she is very underweight. That is another concern I have about her delivery. But for now my question is about whether or not she is or was in labor. After about 4 hours of the above "signs" she stopped everything went back to eating and walking and fell asleep. This morning she seems mostly normal but slightly more clingy and vocal. No discharge, her udder is fuller than my nonpregnant doe but certainly not full or tight. I have no idea if she is a first freshener or not. When should I worry? Is it normal for her to have false labor? Am I looking for the wrong signs? Thanks in advance!

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  • Good luck! Let us know how it goes! And of course, we all love to see baby pictures. :)

  • Thanks! Yes I have a baby monitor set up in the barn and I have a full birth kit ready for whenever she decides it's time. I have noticed that sometimes it's easier to find her ligaments and I'm sure you're right that it's a learned art. She is also so underweight and has less muscle around her pelvis than she should it's hard to tell if she's just skinny or if she's receding. I'm waiting on the udder too. I figure once that totally fills up I'll stay close to home. I'm hoping that her poor condition doesn't cause her any problems in labor and birth. Another reason I don't want to be away when she kids. Thanks for the info!
  • I've seen goats do that. I figure that if humans can have false labor, so can goats. The udder is a big sign. If you walk out there and see her udder and say, "Whoa!" that's usually a good indication that she's getting close because a rapid increase in size can happen shortly before labor starts (although not always). 

    Ligaments are very hard to figure out with your first few goats. It took us years to get good at it. Most new people think they're gone long before they really are. In the early days, there were times when we couldn't find ligaments on a goat for two weeks before she kidded. If you have someone to compare notes with, that can be helpful. My daughters actually figured it out before I did, so there would be times when I couldn't find the ligaments, but they could.

    If you have a baby monitor, that can be very helpful! For years we just used one that cost $15 at a discount store. Because we have a metal barn, we had to put the transmitter next to a window so that the signal could get out. But goats are loud, so it was able to pick up their screaming just fine (as well as a rooster crowing at 4 a.m.).

    Here are a bunch of informative articles about birthing:

    http://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-birthing-beginners-guide/

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