Cystic ovaries occur when the follicles do not rupture and continue to produce estrogen. Heat cycles become become frequent (6-14 days) or nonexistent. Does may exhibit bucky behaviorby riding other does or being overly aggressive. If a doe with cystic ovaries is undiagnosed and untreated, she can become permanently sterile. These does eventually begin to look 'bucky.' If the condition is caught early, a shot of chorionic gonadotrophin may restore reproductive function.
If you suspect more than one doe of having cystic ovaries, your feeding program may be at fault. High estrogen levels in sweet clover and some alfalfa, or diets high in calcium and low in phosphorus may cause temporary problems.
There is evidence to support a hereditary predisposition to cystic ovaries from both the dam's side and the sire's side.
Another common theme is a 5-day cycle , a different condition than cystic ovaries. When this happens, the doe has a normal heat and the follicle matures but does not release the egg. The doe has another normal heat 5 to 7 days later, at which time the egg is released. There is diversity of opionion among experienced breeders about eggs not being released on the first of the 5-day cycles - some say that eggs can be released on both cycles and breed on both cycles to maximize the number of conceptuses. This condition may be related to the presence of multiple follicles - some rupture and some don't until the second heat.
If a doe has a hormone imbalance, she may exhibit no signs of heat at all, and the term for this is anestrus. The doe's ovaries are simply not producing follicles. A shot of prostaglandin may start her cycling. Anestrus may also be related to cystic ovaries. Silent heats between regular estrus cycles is not uncommon. This is where all the necessary physiologic and histologic events take place but the doe shows no outward signs of estrus. Fortunately, the buck always knows and a successful breeding may be accomplished if they are together. If the time between estrus periods is unusually long, silent heats may be the cause. [Ed. note: Anestrus for several-month periods may signal embryonic mortality if the doe had been bred.] The most probable cause is a lack of proper balance of hormones affecting the onset of estrus.
False pregnancy is another hormonal problem that can occur in pygmy goats. Pseudopregnancy is like normal pregnancy in every way. There are two ways to differentiate a normal pregnancy from a false one: (1) ultrasound or X-ray at around 60-90 days, or (2) wait until the end of pregnancy and see what is delivered. There is no known reason for pseudopregnancy but it may be a hormonal imbalance or early embryonic death with resorption of the fetus and membranes. If a false pregnancy is detected, a shot of prostaglandin will end it. Most does will not repeat this process and can be bred successfully on the next cycle.
