So my doe is due on the 16th of February, but I keep thinking she's going to have these babies anytime. Tuesday my friend who is a midwife came over because she's never seen a pregnant animal and wanted to see if she could hear the babies with her Doppler. I noticed Tuesday morning, that her rear end was sunk in and just looked different then before. When she came over I had some pictures pulled up off Fias CO farm on what a doe in labor should look like. She looked like the 2 days before picture. I've been checking her ligaments everyday and yesterday they were completely gone. Last night around 6 she was completely sunk in and she started having contractions. I put her in her birth stall, but I had a baby I was watching for a few hours that night so I wasn't able to go back down to check on her till nine. When I got there are nine she was having strong contractions. Contractions in that her upper lip would curl, and she would bite my coat. She never nibbles, or bites me. She was super affectionate and needy, which she isn't really like. I loved on her and talked to her and she would calm down. She did that till 11 then she layed down by me and went to sleep. I watched her for a little while then decided to go to bed. Checked on her at 3 nothing and nothing this AM. I'm not sure what to do. Babies are moving fine, and she is acting fine. Just confused!! Any help would be great.... I just don't want the babies to die if there's something I should do...
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A tiny bit of mucous doesn't really mean much. A big glob of mucous as thick as your thumb that's three inches long means she's going to kid within a couple hours or sooner. Congratulations on the monitor!
So yesterday was my doe's due date. When I went out to feed and water the animals I noticed on Dahlila some bloody show. I got excited and the kids and I finished up the last minute touches on everything and kept a close eye on her all day yesterday. Well nothing happened. I ordered a baby monitor and I received it in the mail yesterday morning and it works perfect. I set it up next to my bed last night and nothing happened. This morning when I got up to go feed and water the animals she again had some clear mucus dripping this time. How long can they do this before they deliver?
Hej from Sweden,
I just saw your photos of your doe in labor. Great photos! I too have labor photos of my girls who gave birth this August on my blog, http://gullringstorpgoatsblog.wordpress.com
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Yes, my legs are getting quite the workout. Not only is it more than 400 feet, but its a hill down to the barn. Going down's not too bad, coming back up stinks!! She's the same, was up with her until 11 last night then everything stopped. She was rolling from side to side, making groaning noises, rubbing her head against the wall, licking herself, seems to labor signs to me, but then everything stops and she goes to sleep. The last few nights, its the same thing until about 11 then its like a switch is flipped and she stops. She was super puffy on her back end also. My friend who is a midwife keeps telling me "typical first time mom". LOL She goes from being just completely sunk in to back to normal. She seemed to be leaking fluid on Saturday, but no liquid since. No discharge either. She's eating fine, drinking normal, and the babies are moving around like crazy. Just tired... Getting up a few times in the night then during the day is exhausting! I hope the next time and I can judge them better. I have one due the middle of March. I should be better for the next delivery. She's just confusing me!!-
Wow! 400 feet from your barn! Good luck finding a monitor that works. That's a long way to walk when you're checking on a doe frequently.
When I first got my goats, I had the ketone check stuff, and I used it a couple times, but ketosis has never been a problem -- as in, we've never had a case of ketosis in more than 100 does giving birth, so in my experience it happens less than 1% of the time.
How's she doing today?
We have been changing their water twice a day and giving them warm water. Doesn't seem like she's drinking much though, that I've seen. Do you test your does for high levels of Ketons in their urine? I took a medical class from a vet at a goat clinic and she was talking about how important it is to do urine tests on the pregnant does for high levels of Ketons. Was wondering if that is something you do with your goats.
We tried the baby monitor thing and it didn't work. The barn is more than 400 feet from our house and the walls in the lower part are so thick we couldn't get reception. I was pretty bummed!! I'm going to research and try and find something else. That was the monitor I used with our kids and I don't need it anymore and was hoping it would help with the goats. Next time I go to the store I'm going to see if they have a longer range monitor to get.
If her urine stinks strongly, it's probably concentrated. If you're not giving her warm water, that will probably make her drink more. My goats love the warm water when it's so cold out.
If you don't have a baby monitor, I highly recommend it. It will save you a lot of trips to the barn! And you will be less likely to miss a birth. I got the cheapest one I could find, which was about $15 a few years ago.
Ok that's good to know about personality. I know its going to happens soon, but the waiting game is killing me! LOL I keep looking at all these pictures and assessing her and think, yep she's close, and then nothing. Her personality has definelty changes. She's a super sweet doe, but not a climb in your lab, kinda doe. The past few days she's been like that. She want's me to pet all over her and I've been giving her little massages trying to help relax her. The biting things is a personality change also. We've had her since August and she has never nibbled on me, so I thought maybe this was a labor sign with her. I got up twice with her last night checking on her and nothing. If it were summer I wouldn't worry so much, but the high yesterday was 9 degrees. It was so cold my bucks beard was frozen... I am running a heat lamp in the corner of her stall, that is super secured. I don't want any barn fires!! The barn its self stays decent and atleast they are out of the direct cold in case I miss one. The other thing I noticed, and maybe its just because I've been spending a lot of time with her, is that her urine has a really strong smell. Is that normal? Thanks for everything.
When we were new, that's the kind of doe that had us literally living in the barn for two days before kidding. Their personalities change towards the end of pregnancy. Biting on your coat doesn't mean anything. I have some does that do that all the time -- and some that untie my shoelaces. My most unfriendly doe is at day 147 now, and she's been letting me feel all over her tail ligaments, udder, back, and belly for the past few days. Normally she doesn't like anyone touching her unless she is on the milk stand.
Here are some pictures of a goat in serious labor:
http://antiquityoaks.blogspot.com/2008/06/best-laid-plans-of-homest...
The put their ears back, stretch out neck and legs, and usually scream -- some more than others. You can even hear the quiet ones making a soft straining sound though if they're seriously pushing.
Good luck! I look forward to baby pics!
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