# how long can a goat be overdue?



## Dana

Just wondering. Has anyone had a goat go naturally when she was overdue and had long before she kidded?

I know I've had some goats that I didn't have due dates on when I first got into goats. So maybe there was an overdue one and I just didn't know it. but I'm curious how far it could go?

Right now my Emmy is 3 days over, but she was induced yesterday- so we'll see how long she takes.


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## Guest

Hi Dana, I don't know howlong they can go overdue or what the longest has ever been without complications, but I don't let my gals go over, those kids get big fast.. I sure learned that my first year with a doe that went 4 days and those kids were huge and ended up needing to be pulled, heads back, they both weighed in at over 5 lbs which is huge for a ND.. So I have never let it happen again..Maybe Vicki or someone can answer better..


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## prairie nights

Had does at a friend's farm go 5-7 days overdue, healthy kids born naturally, no complications. This is not in approval or disapproval just to answer the question. The longest overdue here was 2yo FF, kidded on day 154, no problems. We have Nubians.


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## MayLOC

Seems like several of ours have been overdue this year. While I was waiting... and waiting... I searched the threads here and found a couple that had them go to 162 or 163 and I think one mentioned a 166.
One of ours went to 162 this year. She was only bred one time, so I was positive on her date. All mine seem to go a few days over and seem to follow their own same pattern pretty closely each year also. But that one was a little excessive this year and it was during a very cold spell so it seemed a long wait.


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## Dana

Kassi, did your does have trouble with their deliveries?


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## NubianSoaps.com

Make sure you note the breeds. Rarely did our LaManchas ever get to 150 days while our Nubians usually kidded on day 150. I had a natural 157. I also don't let my goats go over. If you don't kid on your due date you get lutelysed. But my young does who are simply bullied with a buck, most I have no idea when they are bred let alone when they will kid, I go by udder and ligiments, so can't tell you if they are kidding on time or super late. I would never interveen on a pregnancy if I didn't have an exact due date, all breeders seem to have to abort one doe who kids way to early to save the kids, to learn their lesson on lutelyse. I know I did. 

In fact in talking to someone on the forum recently I have come to the conclusion that most lessons learned come from personal experience, so much of what we try to do here, keep folks from having to learn the heartbreak we have...doesn't really work. When you make mistakes is the only time most will not make the mistake again. V


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## catdance62

All mine (this year at least) have kidded no later than day 152. I talked to an old country vet the other day about this topic and he said he wouldn't let them go more than 7 days past due, if the due date was certain


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## Bella Star

I thought my 7yr.old older doe was never going to deliver, she was days past her delivery and had had goo for a week but this morning she kidded with 1 buck and 2 does with 1 doe being breech :lol 
I never get a calender and count the days off but I just find a online due date calculator and I find that the days that are projected that a doe kids on, varies depending on the breed of goat that the person owns ,so I do nothing to my does and just wait unless there seems to be a problem with my doe .


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## Dana

I'm glad I induced Emmy at day 152. She kidded this morning on day 154. I was there for her if things were to go wrong, but thankfully they didn't. She just had BIG doeling and then a littler doeling. If I had let her go longer I think she would have had huge trouble getting #1 out. Whew!


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## Sondra

Glad it all worked out!! Congrats


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## Guest

Good to hear Dana, and you got doelings..


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## Caprine Beings

Wonderful Dana! And two doelings to boot! Congrats :biggrin
Tam


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## doublebowgoats

Awesome! I'm glad for you!


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## WGF

Congrats on the two does.


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## lorit

Last year my FF went on day 154 with no problems. This year my 2ndF just kidded at 155 days with no problems. Both Alpines. I know my dates and watch carefully for signs of anything out of ordinary.


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## DostThouHaveMilk

I think the longest I have had a couple of does carry is to day 157. I have a couple of 3/4 Nubian, 1/4 LaMancha/Alpine does from the same family that tend to run anywhere from 1530157 consistently without any kidding issues.
We have used lutalyse once and it was with a doe I had thought had been in labor (and she had) but she stopped and two days later (Day 152 or something) we luted her. It did not end well, but not because we luted her.
Vicki, I hear you on that! I can tell people over and over how to do things and why and they still insist on learning it the hard way.


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## MF-Alpines

Congrats on the doelings, Dana!


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## catdance62

doeling twins--that's great!


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## Debbie58

Dragging up this old post. How about Nigerian Dwarfs their gestation is 145 days.


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## Margaret

For Nigerians I would let them go at least 6-7 days before considering lutalyse for induction.


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## Tim Pruitt

It is important to know the due date and be certain of it. It is easy to mark it on the calendar and then have them cycle again and get rebred 3 weeks later. Then if you lute the doe on the first due date you will have premies that won't likely live - so be sure of your dates. 
I put a marking harness on a buck to get some fall kiddings. I have a doe who was marked by the buck and due last Tuesday. However, i would not lute her because I didn't witness the breeding. She is making an udder but still has not fully developed it - this is her first kidding. If I had given her lute - she would have kidded prematurely. 
However, if you are absolutely sure of the date, I would not let them go over. If they don't kid on the date - then I would consider giving the lute to bring it on. Otherwise the kids get too large or even die in the womb.


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## punchiepal

I have nigerians and have used lute to bring on labor.
HOWEVER, as Tim says, I only do this if I 
a) hand-bred the doe 
b) only have 1 breeding date for her. 

There is only 1 doe i have had so far that I would lute to kid on 145 as routine. She had a bad habit of having quads and getting an overly HUGE udder. Most of the time I don't use lute except on old does (ie I luted a saanen for her last 2 kiddings 11 and 12 yo) or does that are huge and have a history of large litters. 

The other time lute is often of consideration is CAE positive does, where above conditions were met AND to practice CAE prevention with the kids.


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## Margaret

I wouldn't lute unless the doe is dangerously overdue, is sick or some other reason that requires them to kid out much sooner. And as said, never lute unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure about a due date! I had a Nigerian dwarf doe that went 16 days past the date I had written down. I eventually began to think she was not actually bred and decided to lute and it would most likely just bring her into heat so i could breed her. i never got around to breeding her and 16 days after the supposed due date she delivered a large healthy buckling.
Now I realize what actually happened, this was the 2nd time I had bred her(same buck) and apparently she didn't settle. She actually came back into heat and was unknowingly somehow bred by my other Nigerian buckling. I never suspected this and the only way I know it's true is the kid had blue eyes. 

I have also had does kid at day 156 or 157. Very rarely will the the kids die in utero because they were there too long. I have does that never kid before day 153 or 154. A lot of does kid later and no harm is done to the kids, they are perfectly fine, I would say a majority of my goats kid a few days past there due date and they all have perfectly healthy kids.


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## Nigerianlover

Hey guys!
I have a couple Nigerian goats, and this is the first year that something has gone wonky.
One of my goats is about 19 days overdue. She isn't showing any distress, but neither is she showing any signs of labor.
Do any of you have suggestions toward what I should do to encourage her to go into labor. As you can imagine, this is an emergency, so if you have an answer I'd appreciate it.


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