# Signs That A Goat Is Pregnant....



## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

I know you can send a blood sample to biotracking, and one can probably do an ultrasound or something, but apart from all that, I'm curious....can you tell if a maiden goat late in gestation is pregnant just by LOOKING at her? I have three LaManchas that are just over 4 months pregnant...or should be. TWO of them look like they are definitely carrying some saddle bags, but the third doesn't look very pregnant at all. I'm hoping she has a single maybe, and that it just isn't showing. Anyone else have a similar experience and been surprised to see a goat they thought was not pregnant was in fact pregnant and kid? At four months, should it be pretty obvious if they are pregnant by looking at them?


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

Last year I had a LARGE--not fat, but tall, long and wide--2 yr old FF that kidded a single small doeling. I don't think I could've told she was pregnant by looking at her. But I knew she was cuz her preg test from Biotracking said 'bred'.  My ff's also all develop little udders about 4-6 wks before kidding, so no udder-probably not pregnant. That small doeling should have been bred this year--her preg test came back positive, but a few weeks later she was at the buck pen teasing the boys. Hmmmm. When the other yearlings started developing little udders and she didn't, then I was almost sure she slipped the pregnancy. She didn't kid during the only window possible, so nope--not pregnant. So for me, I guess I'm saying.... I can't tell for sure.  LOL


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Some of my goats don't show as much as others. Right now, I have 10 young does who have been exposed and should be pregnant. Only two are obviously pregnant by looking at them and all but three should be due within a month. One that doesn't look pregnant is a tall grade yearling. She's due the 19th and I know she's bred by her developing udder. The other does due soon are showing signs of a developing udder. I once had a doe, Lotus, who carried singles and didn't look pregnant or have any udder until the day she kidded. My six year old doe, Colette did not look bred at all this year and after she passed the 155 day mark, I assumed she was either open or bred by the cleanup buck and due in summer. On day 157, her udder filled and she gave birth to twin doelings. The only real way to know for sure is to preg test.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

It is not always obvious. Fat goats that aren't even pregnant, skinny goats that deliver big twins and so on. Mostly, though, if I see a goat breed, they will give birth five months later. If you never saw any breedings take place or any evidence of breeding, send off a blood sample so you won't be surprised.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

I'm hoping. One of the three has a sizeable belly and teats and a very noticeably developing udder. I don't see a developing udder on the other two though a t a little over what should be 4 months pregnant. There's a lot of fur down on their little bellies, so I can hardly even see those two's little teats, but again, one of them definitely looks like she is carrying at least a kid from the size and shape of her belly. I get to look at their sides pretty well every day since I let them out of their pens and they all lead the way in front of my little golf cart when I'm going down to the other barn to do chores. Two of them look like they are carrying saddle bags from behind, at least when compared to the third that I am doubtful on. I think I'll do biotracking next year to take some of the guesswork out of it. Sounds kind of unpredictable. The shame of it is the little girl that doesn't look pregnant is the litter-mate to the 2012 AGS Junior Reserve National Champion. Being new to goats, I haven't shown her, but she is probably my favorite of the three, and she looks like a pretty nice little girl.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

Michelle, All three of my girls were exposed to a buck 24/7 for a little over two months, so they should have cycled at least twice, if not three times. I didn't ever see them breed, as I am only down at the pen twice a day for a few minutes, but I DID see signs of breeding with all three from looking at their rears. I'm hoping my third little girl is carrying something and that maybe since she's a maiden her stomach holding a little tighter from having a bit more muscle on her and she's carrying a small single. Who knows. Well, I'll know in a month or so!


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Did you write down the days your saw stuff on their bottoms?


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

Yep. Sure did. So I do have some approximate due dates. They should all be about 4 months pregnant, give or take a few days with each one, but we shall see.


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## H Diamond Farms (Jun 3, 2011)

I have a two year old ff that is due in 5 days. If it weren't for her growing udder no way would I say she was bred. She is a fairly long doe, so I imagine she is hiding a single in there.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Mine sometimes are very hairy in the udder area, but you can reach down and feel for developing mammary tissue. While feeling them, put your hand right in front of where the udder will be, and see if you feel any movement (if you have felt a baby kicking in a pregnant person, you probably will recognize the way it feels...different from the rumen moving). You don't always feel movement, but if you do, you know they surely are.


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## Horsehair Braider (Mar 11, 2011)

I know it's tempting to only go by looking at bellies, but goats are not humans and don't always carry the way humans do. Plus, they have a rumen, which can get really big (which is why I am constantly having to tell visitors that no, that goat is not pregnant, and never will be because he is a boy...) so going by size of belly is not always reliable. 

The udder is better to go by. If you make a habit of feeling their udders, even the dry ones, you'll surely notice when that starts to change. I feel this is far more reliable. Every now and again, I'll have a first freshener who waits until the last possible moment to develop an udder, but still - if you check it every week, I think you'll notice the change if they are pregnant. 

Most reliable of all is the blood test. I've never had that be wrong.

Funny story: I was on a "little bit of everything" farm and she had (among many other things, including *wallabies*) a cute little pygmy doe. I took a look at her and asked when she was due. The lady rolled her eyes and got all exasperated with me, and told me she was not pregnant, just fat. Well... that's not the body part I was looking at... and hey, by the way, your little goat is in LABOR... yeah, ten minutes after the lady told me the goat was not pregnant, just fat, there was a tiny little kid on the ground.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

I'll have to start feeling their udders. I was going to start doing that soon anyway so that they don't freak out when I try to milk them in a month. They will all be first fresheners this year, so they very well might develop their udders at the last second even if they are pregnant.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

My ff usually develop udders sooner than the experienced does it seems like, maybe because they have to form all new tissue, and the older does just have to rebuild/repair what is already there, I dunno.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Great story, Jacquee'!


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## jenngerber (Mar 24, 2013)

With mine, there is never any doubt by month four. They look really wide, and they walk like pregnant humans walk. When I bring out hay, they look at me like they REALLY don't want to get up because it's so hard, and could I please just put the hay right in front of them? But I get no info from their udders. I have two FFs that I know are due in two weeks and there is no change in their udders. My three 2nd fresheners never dried up, even though no one has milked them in four months, so they look about 1/2 full all the time. I will say I have one FF who is much thinner than the rest, and if she gives me more than one I'll be surprised. I can still tell that she's bred, but I didn't think so until a couple of weeks ago.


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## Hobbyfarmer (Nov 1, 2012)

There is a noticeable difference in their vulva and anus. Some people refer to this as a pooch test. With my FF I noticed marked color and size changes to the vulva. I'll have to check my records to see how bred she was when they occurred. If you don't check your goats' bottoms regularly it might be missed. I took pictures to help me compare.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Yeah, the pooch test is pretty accurate. There are definite changes within a couple of weeks after breeding. Fatty goats aren't as easy to tell on, though.


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## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

I have one that I was told "could be bred" some 3.5 months ago and I am seeing signs this may be the case.

Teats are getting longer and fatter and she is getting fat - I thought bloat and gave olive oil and such a couple of feedings and the bloat is not going down.

Here is a video





She has also started getting touchy - still likes her face/cheeks/nose pet but gets a little jumpy/rowdy if I touch her at the shoulder or sides area.

Any opinions. Probably pregnant? Probably not?

well youtube turned it sideways harder to see now but @15 seconds you can see pretty good saddlebags


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## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

snapshot at 15 seconds


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Well, honestly, most of mine are very round even when not bred. Going by how filled out they are is generally not a good sign. She may just be responding well to your management and building her rumen. If you must know for sure if she is or isn't, get some blood sent off. Otherwise, toward the end of her pregnancy it will become more obvious.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

When is she due if she's bred? You can't really tell by looking at their bellies if they are bred.  If she is due very soon, going by belly, she looks like carrying just a single. That can be wrong too. You just can't tell by looking at a goat, for the most part.


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## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

fmg said:


> When is she due if she's bred? You can't really tell by looking at their bellies if they are bred.  If she is due very soon, going by belly, she looks like carrying just a single. That can be wrong too. You just can't tell by looking at a goat, for the most part.


She would be about six weeks to go if bred so due date would be rough estimated April 14th using 5 months as the estimated time to kid. Confidence builds with each week now because she keeps getting bigger tossed her a half head of iceberg lettuce with some olive oil drizzled on it to try to deflate that belly but it just gets bigger and she eats like she is starving. Her teats continue to swell as well. I'm going to add some more barn stall space just in case added a new 16 foot wall adjacent to the open south face of the existing barn couple of days ago but then crazy weather struck again and paused the project.


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