# Inducing labor



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I would like some input on if, how and when to decide to induce labor in a dairy doe if the exact breeding date is known. I have some does coming up to kid and one of them had an enormous buckling last year. Tough kidding, and since this year I know the exact breeding dates (basically down to the hour) for these does, I was wondering if I should induce labor. If so, what would be the right timing (using Lutalyse), on due date? Day after? Two? I don't want to go too early, since I did use CIDR/PG600 protocol, so I should not have single kids (I hope). Thanks for your input. Just getting the jitters I guess, I get that when it comes close and I start thinking of what all can go wrong........ Will be living in the barn for the next few weeks, I guess


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## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

If you use the search button, there is tons of info. on how much lute (I'm thinking 2cc IM), and then 36 hours expect kids on the ground. I have only done it once. Lots of people do it so they don't miss the big day...Do you pre-bose your does before you breed them...I think there is a likelyhood of trips which means smaller babies anyways


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

You can induce labor with as little as 1/2 cc of Lutalyse, but most people use 2 ccs IM (which is what we use). When we induce, we do so on day 147 for Nubians. Different breeds are different as far as when you'd want to induce them. We have kids on the ground within 36 hours of giving the shot, although last year we did have a doe that was at 40 hours without kidding and we took her to the vet to be sure she was pregnant. The vet gave her another shot of Lutalyse and a shot of Dexamethasone and she kidded several hours after that with normal kids, a buckling and a doeling. Caroline


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks, but my question remains '_should_ I induce' and exactly when is the right moment. I mean for the doe, not for me, because I will be here when the doe needs me. I'm just worried if I let them carry too long, I have a problem on my hands that i could have prevented. I just want to know what's best for the does.


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2011)

Marion, very few of my does kid on their own..meaning I induce in most of them.. so that I can be there.. I usually induce around day 146, this way the kids are good and strong and can make it on their own.. and they won't get too big by going past due date etc... I seldom have problems once I induce and only once over the yrs have I had to give a doe a second dose of lute... 
2 ccs IM and you will have kids 36 hrs later.. You can time it so that its easy for you to be there, you won't miss the kidding etc.
Barb


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It's up to you of course. It hurts nothing. I induced all my does for at least 10 years if not more. We had positive does in the dairy part of the barn and we showed, I didn't want the does kidding when I wasn't here. We freshened the does for Mondays before their due dates, so kids were up and on the lambar so being left home with my husband and son and a relief milker on Friday they could survive with minimal help unto the lambar for the weekend 

It obviously didn't hurt anything, the does kidded every year and when I stopped using it they delivered on their own just fine. The only time we had retained placenta's was when we were aborting with lutelyse for Ketosis (which we now know was missdiagnosed hypocalcemia).

You can control those big single kids by giving bo-se pre breeding, if you already are tracking heat than give the Bo-se 1cc per 40 pounds about a week before you pull the CIDR. Here singles are as rare as quints, we have more quads than we ever have singles. Vicki


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

When I worked full time I luted at 10pm on the thursday night closest to their due date, which gave me kids somewhere around 10am Sat. morning. If possible I would take Friday off, so would then lute 10pm on Wed. night, that way the kids would have the weekend to get on a lambar or at least get their colostrum and plenty to eat before I had to go back to work on Mon. 

These same does are no longer luted and deliver just fine on their own. I never lost a single kid or doe with lute.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks so much for those very helpful answers. Since these first three ladies are all older does and have a Friday due date, I'm going to give them until Thursday evening to start labor on their own (one of them looks like she may start today, actually, but then again, I have been fooled by these ladies before), and then I'll lute at 9/10 PM Thu for a Saturday morning kidding. The next ones are due next Thursday and since those are all yearlings, I'm thinking of giving them their Lute to kid on Tuesday morning, so Sunday evening. Depending on how that all goes I'll decide what to do with the other upcoming yearling kidders.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I have Alpines, and in my herd my girls average number of days of gestation is 151. Only one doe this year kidded on day 150, the rest were 151 to 153 days. I think nubians and lamanchas go earlier as a rule, not sure about the saanen's and toggs. It's something I do think about when making business appointments. By knowing that most of my does will kid on day 151, and I will nearly always know if they are in labor at the first milking of the day, I've not been quite so tied down at kidding season and even though I still work, I'm self employed and am able to work around the does kiddings without using lute, but would not hesitate to use it if I felt it was needed. 

Being "needed" to me means having my does kid when I know I can be there. So many tragedies can be averted just by having attended births and I consider them absolutely necessary.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Good luck with all of those kiddings- induced or not. 
We are just now starting to breed for spring kidding and envy you your fresh milk !
Lee


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks Lee, nothing to envy yet, though: they still have to kid! And I'm holding off on my fall breeding, because I know I am very low in milk right now, so since I had the majority of my does kid in February and March last year, I know I need to have them kidding a bit later to milk well this time of the year, too. So at this moment, between the anxious anticipation of the first kiddings and the agony over NOT breeding my does, who are dutyfully coming into natural heat I am slowly but surely going insane...


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