Kidding watch!!

I've got a doe looking like she will kid tonight, (dqmot ) staying up to check on her. I'll keep you guys posted, even if I'm wrong and she doesn't kid tonight Also have a cow that is looking like she may have her calf as well. Could be a busy night here!

Ok, so I was wrong about the goat kidding HOWEVER, we had not 1 but 2 cows calve! The goats are due this coming week so I'm getting really excited and am making frequent trips out to check on them My goats are **special** (read stubborn there) though so will probably make me wait a week past their due dates and then they'll kid at midnight again When they kid I'll post baby pics!

LOL @ "my goats are **special**"!! How can you tell when they are ready to drop??

I know when I put the buck in (they are due "around" the 19th) the 4 that are due have uddered up nicely and have HUGE bellies. I copy pasted the next part because it explains it perfectly

A goat's rump is normally flat and solid, but as a doe gets to the end of pregnancy, that changes. Her tailbone becomes elevated, and the ligaments that connect it to her pelvis begin to stretch and loosen in preparation for the journey the kid (or kids) will make from her body. Sometimes you can tell that she will kid soon when you see a hollow on either side of the tail.
One of the best ways to identify an impending kidding is to feel the two tail ligaments located on each side of the tail. Feel a doe that isn't pregnant and you will notice that those ligaments are very firm. The same will be true of a doe that is pregnant but not ready to kid.
When these ligaments begin to get soft, and then completely vanish, you know that the goat is due to kid within 24 hours.

Super informative and interesting!!! That was a GREAT read! Thank you so much. Now I'm all excited alongside with you.

Thanks Wendy! Although waiting is always hard I'm glad I held that buck back this year The temps are upper 50's (sometimes even rising into the 60's!) and a MUCH better time than last years kidding season (January) lol checking on the does 3 times a night, -58 with the windchill, shovelling through 4 ft drifts each trip! NOT my cup of tea lol.

BRRRR That had to have been SOOOO cold!!!

Another question (probably gonna sound really dumb, too): So with goats you can't leave the buck with the girls all the time or he'd get them pregnant each and every opportunity? How often do goats go into heat?

JerseyWendy said:

BRRRR That had to have been SOOOO cold!!!

Another question (probably gonna sound really dumb, too): So with goats you can't leave the buck with the girls all the time or he'd get them pregnant each and every opportunity? How often do goats go into heat?

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Goats come into heat every 21 days or so, I used to leave the buck run with the does all the time but after last years January kidding I decided to separate them until November, gestation lasts from 147 to 155 days, with an average of 150 days. Goats typically come into heat in the months ending in "er" but I have 2 that are due in July to my new Nubian buck

Very interesting read, Melissa, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to photos of the new kids.