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She's HUGE! Pregnant or bloated?!

20K views 78 replies 21 participants last post by  sweetgoats 
#1 ·
Hi folks!

In a bit of a conundrum here. One of my ND does kidded on March 21 with a single buckling. We bought a bottle baby buckling for this fall's breeding, but since he was very tiny and a few of our does were happy to let him nurse we left him in with them. Never saw any 'buckish' activity at all. He came out in June and joined the big boys.

Now this doe (Toby-Mae) has a huge belly and is acting pregnant. BUT, when I 'bounce' her belly I don't feel anything. I don't know what to think! Her pooch is definitely poochy, and sticks out a good 1.5in when she lifts her tail. Slit is MUCH longer. Her udder even seems bigger but her belly isn't really tight. Anyone have an opinion? All the other does have been going into heat but so far she hasn't.

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#6 ·
I feel so bad, I never would've bred her so fast after she freshened! I had a c-section on July 4th and my husband & teenage daughter have been doing a lot of the hands-on goat care while I recovered. They've been saying she looked pregnant but every time I looked she just looked like she had a busy rumen from the pasture. Today I was in the pen and did a double take! Poor girl :-(
 
#9 ·
Is it possible to not feel anything when you 'bounce' a goat that far along? The underside of her belly is very firm, but I can't feel a baby/babies lined up in place. I swear I felt kicking in two spots earlier but didn't feel it when I checked again. Could she just be bloated from eating so much grass or no?
 
#13 ·
No need to feel bad! She looks to be in a healthy condition and is well taken care of ;) I would say 2 weeks left at the most for her kidding date.

And yes, bouncing is nearly as hard as 'checking her ligs'! The lengths we go to console ourselves about our pregnant goats... :D Baby(s) may have been in a strange position or snuggled tightly together and that was why you couldn't feel anything.
 
#14 ·
We're going to go ahead and get a kidding pen set up and have lights ready since the nights are colder. She's an excellent mother and one of our best millers, so if anyone had to pull an 'oops' pregnancy I'm glad it was her! Now if she doesn't kid I'm really going to be mystified
 
#15 ·
my first goat I got was preggers, and I found easiest place to bounce for babies was right in front of the udder on the right side. almost go to where udder attaches to belly and push up from there....

happy kidding!!! can't wait to see cute baby pictures!
 
#18 ·
I would not totally saw she is pregnant. Heck, I had a doe BIGGER than her, NOT pregnant (had a 2 month old kid), vulva puffy, pointing down, and even tricked my by streaming six inches of mucous. Yeah, that was how bad it was. She was NOT pregnant. She was just older and lost her muscles to hold all that slab in... but man, she could've fooled me. In fact, she did. But she didn't have kids. That mucous was from being IN HEAT.

I might even lead toward saying no, but hey, if there is a possibility, she very well could be. Just don't count on it. I mean, be ready, but don't wait on kids.
 
#19 ·
Thanks, that's kinda what I'm worried about. I guess we'll see, she has very loose ligaments (almost felt gone today) and had separated herself when I moved her yesterday. Her kid would've been 2mos old when she was bred and I think that's unlikely? She's slowly gotten bigger over the last 2 months though. Wish goats could just pee on a stick like humans...
 
#21 ·
Ohhhh, okay. Here are the some key details. Yeah, she definitely sounds pregnant. Very, very unusual to lose ligaments without being pregnant. Yeah, that would be possible, they can breed when their kids are 2 WEEKS old sometimes. ;)

Good luck, happy kidding, keep her fed well, being bred so close together, she might need the extra nutrients.

Oh, and don't worry, I bred my doe very soon after her last kids, too. Don't feel bad, it happens.
 
#22 ·
As of today her ligaments are VERY high and short, and everything behind is total mush. I have a doe in with her for company and I checked hers just for comparison, and it's definitely not all in my head. Based on when we moved the buckling out she'd be due by the beginning of Nov at the very very latest IF she is indeed bred...
 
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