# Uddering Up, first freshener



## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

My Alpine doe Heidi [who most of you have heard all about, since she was the one with the bottle jaw from the worms. BTW, she is doing so much better since she had the Levisole wormer. Gums are normal color, much better on Famancha test, no bottle jaw, gained weight, and eating fine. She was exposed to our buck for a week in September, which if he bred her she would be due between Feb. 12-18th. I have seen her flag her tail during feeding time, but I don't think she was actually in heat, if that makes any sense. I don't really see any udder development yet. She would be a first freshener. But I noticed yesterday that her girl part is much more swollen, puffy, and red then usual. I am keeping a real close eye one her, to check for signs, but is it normal for an FF to not have any udder development at this time? Thanks.
Ashlyn


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Ashlyn I can tell you each and every doe and breed has their own little thing going on. Some udder up weeks ahead of time and some take forever and after birth to get one. Not all girls will get a very big udder but kid and WHAM there it is, while other girls climb gradually until they fill it out. This spring had two girls give me a wham and two girls the gradually came in. The other started uddering up about three weeks before and freshened with a very nice udder. 
Tam


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

I've had FF's udder up after kidding...so keep an eye on her. This is why I love using Biotracking and will never go back to guessing *is she, isn't she*.

My does are always flagging their tails...that in itself is not a super good heat indicator. They wag when they eat, when they're fighting, when I pet them, when flies land... Wagging purposefully right in the buck's face is another story.


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## Dana (Dec 7, 2009)

I had a FF last year who was very full in the udder for a month before she kidded. And then I had a 3rd freshener years ago who didn't bag up until after she kidded. So it is really hard to tell. I wish the girls would get it straight on their pregnancy signs!!! The only thing for sure is usually the tail bone ligaments. And I'm still too new into goats to be able to feel the difference. I just don't get it.

But my girls all wag their tails with eating and playing. I have to look closely and see discharge or off feed or a couple of heat signs before I believe they are in heat.


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## laughter777 (Jun 16, 2008)

I had a doe kid yesterday that spent a month uddering and I have a doe that has looked bred for the past month (as far as waddling with a BIG OL belly) that is just showing some uddering...hoping she kids next month as I would love to show her at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Even if she is not uddering up yet you can still feel she has udder development, much more so than an unbred doe, especially by this time in her pregnancy. If you cup your hand down where her udder is, from behind, you can feel udder tissue swollen that fills the whole palm of your hand. Try it.

And I just can't say enough about just pulling blood, this way you aren't missing heat when she is in fact open. Nearly half of new folks on this forum will have does dry this spring because their does were never bred. Most breed the doe, if they don't pen breed, when the doe is no longer in a true standing heat. Vicki


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## Legend Hills (May 29, 2008)

Or you have ones like me who hand breed, then have the wrong breed buck get loose a month later, having the doe he mounted show braxton hix a month BEFORE her first due day and .....um.... is she pregnant? Which buck? Which date? lol Yes, always draw blood. And set those breeding dates in stone. Barricade the bucks in a stone fort and hope for the best while you slowly go insane year after year from worry.  

Anyway, like Vicki says, by this time you can feel soft tissue in the udder at this time. I wish you success and a safe and joyous delivery if one should occur. 

-Kim


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## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

Ok, thanks. That cleared it up some. I felt her udder area, and I can't really tell. It isn't just ''skin and teats'' but not really enough to fit in my entire palm. I really have not seen her come in heat like the others. Thanks for clearing that up about the flagging, as she flags her tail everyday when she is expecting me to give her grain. One of our horse pastures is between the buck pen and the doe's pasture, there is about 150-200 ft in between them, so the does can see the buck a little bit. When my does are in heat they will look at him and pace the fence line and cry, I have not seen her do that. I have really been considering doing the blood tests next year, it would save me so much hassle. I did better this year though, by pen breeding her only for a week so I would know pretty much when she would be due. Last year I had a doe who I pen bred for over a month. She was really uddering up and showing a lot of kidding signs. So as soon as the day rolled around that ''could'' be her kidding date, she was put into a kidding stall. For the next 31 days I checked on he at like midnight before I went to bed, as soon as I got up, and throughout the day. Thankfully the kidding pen is 15 ft from the backdoor in my room. She finally kidded with a single doe. I also pen bred my herd queen, and I stupidly kept her in there for months. Our buck was young and I didn't think he bred her, and they got along so she stayed in there. Well, she did NOT look or act bred, but one evening feeding I saw a little udder development, and after going through the whole month in the kidding stall with the other doe I didn't think too much of it. Well the next morning my mom was surprised when she went the feed her and the buck and she had had a little still wet doe kid in there with her. She was ok though. To say the least I have learned my lesson and I don't do that anymore.  Thanks again, and I will keep a close eye on her. I have one question though. I have some agricultural lime, should I give her that to eat for calcium free choice?
Ashlyn


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 15, 2008)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> And I just can't say enough about just pulling blood, this way you aren't missing heat when she is in fact open. Nearly half of new folks on this forum will have does dry this spring because their does were never bred. Most breed the doe, if they don't pen breed, when the doe is no longer in a true standing heat. Vicki


WOW Vicki you just made my day!! This is our 2nd breeding season but our first hand breeding as I could not go through what I went through last year with pen breeding. The doe pen is the closest pen to our house so, after I just happened to catch the first one while doing chores zI knew what to look and listen for and all the does ( 5 ) got bred within 2 weeks, as I did end up having 1 dry for an extra year because I did not test her after being pen bred I tested all the girls and they are all pregnant. While I was not planning on having them this close together I guess it is better then having a dry doe. AND I HAVE EXACT DATES on every one of them.


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## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

She still has like no udder development. Her cha-cha is still more relaxed and swollenish looking, and red. She has a discharge, it is like amber colored, but not like a plug, it isn't a whole ton. But would a doe, who isn't in heat, have a discharge for any reason other than being due in a few weeks?
Ashlyn


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

cha cha- I thought that was a dance....?

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## debrad636 (Jul 17, 2008)

Hey now, I used to Cha-Cha a country & western dance, and it wasn't that thing. I start checking ligaments a week before or so due dates. Sure helps to tell the difference when time gets close.
Deb


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## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

LOL!!!!!!!! OMG I am laughing so hard! That is what I call it.


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 15, 2008)

THe other day my kids and I were out feeding. My six year old squatted down and was watching the girls. I asked him what the heck he was doing as the boys are now carrying squirt guns into this pen because of the raging horomones. He said as proper as possible, I am checking on the girls WHOHA and seeing if they are ready, MOM" the mom sounded fairly sarcastic. Then he went into this dialogue about how they swell leak fuild etc etc etc. I guess he was listening last year when I was giving S-I-L and hubbie directions for helping me keep an eye out. Does not bother me he had to help me move the buck when we were breeding and he knows all about the animal, birds and bees. He has already claimed some of the babies as he says he helped make them. He also calls chickens mating "making more eggs"


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## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

Well, sad to say, but she came in heat a few days ago. Her worms have been taken care of, and she got copper bolused, so I pen bred her with buck for 3 days. So now she is due in July, if she takes. I hope to pull blood on her to see. I sure hope she did take. 
Ashlyn


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Ah, so she was in heat when you posted the original post.


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## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

She may have been. I thought the swollen cha-cha was because she was near due.......she was just in heat. I am NOT good at the whole ''Is she preggo or not thing?''. Maybe I will get better in time.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Well, at leaast you know now. And maybe babies in July!


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Just consider them super early babies!


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## Natural Beauty Farm (Feb 10, 2009)

July is the month when nothing but doe kids come from the stork I hear.


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