Well, I had written I long missal and it disappeared so I truly am losing it!
I'll try again.
I have three does in milk. I'm getting almost a quart from each one per day. I only milk in the morning. I wanted to have at least one doe kid late fall. However, I have lost rack of the times I put her with the buck and didn't see the act.
I left my two new bucklings in with the does for a couple of weeks in May as they were only four months old when I got them. I had put the doe I wanted bred in with the experience buck in mid May but didn't see them connect...left her there all day.
After that I put one of the young bucks with the does now and again (why, I don't know) and saw a connect the last time I did it with one of the girls.
Here's the kicker. They all look very pregnant. They could kid from mid October to mid January.
I tried to have a friend pull blood but she could manage (I can't because I'm a fainter).
I am afraid one of them will kid will I am still milking.
Anyone want to hold my hand?
Replies
LOL! That is so funny, Deborah, I noticed that right away, but didn't really think anything of it since I already new your practice was 2 MONTHS. I certainly would not go around pointing out peoples mistakes to them, but now that I think about it, it is the type thing we do usually ask each other about just for clarification and as to not confuse new folks. So next time I notice you say something that strange I will ask you if that was what you meant to say, so you can make sure everyone understands. HEHE! I really thought it was kinda funny when I saw it. Just another one of our brain leaks I guess.
Oh, dear, Jan, you are not the one who is losing it! I just saw that I originally wrote "I'd insist on drying off does that were two days away from their due date!" Ugh! I hope you know I meant two MONTHS! Anyway, I edited my comment to correct it.
If they're pregnant, their udders will start to get bigger again as they get closer to their due date. For more senior does, their udder looks very full -- sometimes painfully full -- when they're ready to kid.
Surprise. Surprise. Thanks Deb for the insight. This morning's milk from the three was down a quart. Each of them giving less. Now to just keep an eye on them for actual signs of a close delivery.
My daughter and I used to argue about this all the time! I'd insist on drying off does that were two months away from their due date, and at some point my daughter started to notice that the does that were pregnant would naturally dry off on their own, so she'd start arguing with me about NOT drying off does that were still going strong. Initially, I'd always insist on drying them off, and as it turned out, she was always right -- they were not pregnant. Finally, I started agreeing to continue milking until they dried up naturally, and so far we have not milked one until she kidded. I did hear of a lady in Texas, however, who has a dairy, and one day a la mancha jumped off the milk stand, laid down, and gave birth! After that she started doing blood tests on her does to know if they were bred or not. So, I'd say it seems to be pretty rare for a doe to keep milking right up until she kids again.
A lot of does get fat after being in milk for a long time. That's really the only down side I've seen to milking goats for more than a year, and I've heard other people say the same thing. Anyway, it is possible that your does have just gained a few pounds. Or maybe they're not due until December or January and will still dry up. They seem to do it quite suddenly -- like within a week they can just start dropping like crazy from a quart a day down to a cup or two.
Four month old bucklings may or may not be virile, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. As for the experienced buck and doe, was she in heat? How long did you stick around after you put her with him? Was he acting interested?
oh,honey, I totally would hold your hand if I were not so far away! Sounds like you have a heck of a situation on your hands. What do we do about this?
It does bring up a good subject. Can anyone give me info about where to send off dna samples, test price etc. needed for determining parentage. I did read somewhere that one place prefers hair samples. I guess info on proper collection of samples would be nice.