I was on another forum this morning where I noted several posts regarding "pooch tests"....one owner posting pictures of the "happy parts" of their does and asking others whether or not they thought the does were pregnant. Most of the responses were, "Yep, looks bred to me!" I then responded with the following entry.
We are relatively new to goats...certainly new to pregnancy/kidding. We acquired 5 does who we were told were pregnant...one due in late December to January and the remaining 4 in mid Feb to late March. We have only had them for about a month so we have no real basis to go on as to what they would look like non-pregnant to compare to their size today. Furthermore, because they are Nigerians, although they look somewhat pregnant, they are built so squatty to begin with that it is difficult to tell. Well, the January timeframe came and went with no kids so we assume a) the breeders dates were off or b) she was never pregnant. That makes us very suspicious of the remaining 4. We have tried the bleach/urine test to no avail. So today I see this thread with the pooch tests and everyone saying, "Looks bred to me." What are you specifically looking at or looking for that might help us assess the bred status of these girls?
Is this something anyone here is familiar with? Anybody have any advice? We would be incredibly disappointed if these ladies are not pregnant. Actually, I think I can rule out one of them as she appeared to be in heat for two days this week. But that still leaves 3. I realize that a blood test or ultrasound would be absolute confirmation, but I am really curious as to what everyone seems to be looking at! :)
Thanks for your help.
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Everyone looks pretty good today....well, everyone but me! Didn't sleep a whole lot last night! Being new to the kidding process everything I watch is so precious like the little chatter between mom and baby -"Where are you, Mom?" - "It's ok, I'm right here." I was a NICU/Newborn nursery RN so I hold the mother/baby bond close to my heart....regardless of species. :)
As a side note, a second of my does has overnight developed an increased udder with enlarged teats so it appears she may possibly be next in line. I will continue to watch for the things you have suggested. All the does were penned with the bucks at the same time so I guess their deliveries shouldn't be too far apart. As I write this my husband is out in the barn reconfiguring the kidding stalls just in case we get surprised again.
Here I was wondering about a pooch test and now all my questions from here on in will be about kids!! :) Thank you so much Deborah and Julieanne for your advice and congratulatory messages. It is very much appreciated.
We all WANT a doe that has an udder like that, but unfortunately they don't all produce that much. :) Keep checking udders on the other does. James Tinker has a post on here where he shows the gradual changing of the udder in one of his does. She's developing beautifully for a first freshener. I've had some FFs deliver when their udder was the size hers is now.
Also, keep checking ligaments on the other does. It takes years to get that figured out with a high degree of accuracy. We start checking about two weeks before they're due because they all loosen up at various times -- some earlier than others. But they don't fully "disappear" until about 24 hours ahead of time. They can drive you mad. Sometimes the doe who's had them softest for the longest winds up kidding after another doe who goes from 0 to 100 in one day, so you can never assume that one is going to be next just because her ligaments are the softest. But we all get distracted by those does whose ligaments get softer earlier.
Good to know that the kids are nursing well.
Congratulations, that's wonderful!
Judy Metcalf said:
I have spent most of my evening in the barn and the kids appear to be nursing fine. Guess what I meant was that we were originally expecting a full, fill the space type udder. She didn't look like that this morning, but she has filled out more at this point. These are her first kids and mom appears attentive and loving. Back to the barn! :)
If she seriously has no udder, she can't feed the kids. Perhaps you're expecting too much? "No udder" means flat as a pancake in the teat area. Hopefully that is not what you're saying.
Well, I guess nothing says pregnant like delivering twins. One of the "possible pregnants" delivered one doe, one buck tonight. All are doing well. Didn't see that coming today...no udder...no ligament changes...no discharge...just a little chattier than usual. Feeling very blessed.
This post talks about the pooch test and other ways to figure out if your goats is pregnant:
http://www.homegrownandhandmadethebook.com/2015/01/is-my-goat-pregn...
If you don't want to do blood or ultrasound, I'd suggest watching their udders. You will usually see changes within a month of kidding, with the udder gradually getting bigger as they get closer to birthing.
I've heard that the pooch test is bit of an "old-timey" thing and also rather unreliable. A blood test or ultrasound is really the only sure way to know. The does due in February should be starting to develop an udder, although even that isn't always true. Good luck, I hope you get some kids!