Our very first kidding season is coming to an end and boy did we learn a lot!
Everything from pregnant goat care, right through to watching the babies be born, we gained valuable knowledge and experience.
Prior to getting our goats, we were flat out researching everything there is to know about goat pregnancy and kidding and so we thought we had a pretty good idea of what to expect. That was until our very first doe kidded without any of the usual signs of labour.
A goat will kid around 145-155 days after being bred. It’s usually closer to 150, however, 5 days on either side isn’t anything to worry about either. Throughout the pregnancy, you will notice your doe getting a little more hungry, maybe her personality will begin to change, she will grow a belly and her udder will begin to bag up (this is the term for a goat’s udder beginning to fill with milk).
Those are the basic early signs during a doe’s pregnancy. But what about labour?
Most does will show at least one of the following signs before active labour. However, it is always best to know your goat's personality well prior to getting pregnant so you can easily pick up any behavioural changes as she is coming into labour (this was the key factor in knowing when our does were about to give birth).
Goats have two pencil-like ligaments that run from either side of the base of their spine to their tail. If you place your palm on the base of the goat's spine and use your thumb and index finger to feel either side and down to her tail. In non-pregnant does, these ligaments are taut and firm but as a does pregnancy progresses, her ligaments will begin to soften and around 24 hours prior to kidding, they may even disappear to the point you can wrap your thumb and index finger right around the base of their tail.
A goat may begin to bag up as early as 2 months prior to kidding. It all depends on the goat. Some will bag up before giving birth, but some only bag up once they have kidded. For our girls, we had 2 out of 8 who bagged up prior to kidding, one was a week prior and the other was the day of. Everyone else showed little to no signs of bagging up until the kids were born.
3) Sunken Sides
During a does pregnancy she will begin to grow her bump. In goats, the right side is where the babies grow, and the left side is their rumen. Usually, when a goat is carrying two or more kids, she will bulge out on both sides as the kids grow and need more room. For most of the pregnancy, a doe will carry her babies high up in her abdomen leaving an almost seamless dome from one side to the other. As she gets closer to kidding, her babies will drop down and start getting into position, leaving hollows on either side of the spine just before the hip bones.
4) Nesting
When a doe feels like she is getting close to being in active labour (pushing), she will find herself a nest. Usually somewhere away from the other goats or her own private bay if you have been penning her up overnight in anticipation for the new arrivals. She will scratch at the ground and dig herself a nest, usually moving the hay around and making herself a comfortable spot to lay while she gives birth. For 3 of our girls, this was a sure sign they were close to beginning the pushing stage.
5) Discharge
Anywhere from two weeks to mere hours prior to kidding, your doe may start having thick mucus strings coming out of her. Usually, if it is only a small amount sitting on the outside of her vulva, you still have a few days to go. However, if there is a long string of white/yellowish mucus hanging out, your new kids are not far away!
6) Crooked Tail
Another sign of a goat nearing active labour is her tail being hooked to the side. This almost looks like she is stopped mid tail flick and it got stuck in place. This can happen up to a week prior to giving birth and will stay that way until they have given birth.
7) Swollen Vulva
As the kids move down in the abdomen and start getting into place for the birth, the vulva will become swollen from the pressure and might even open slightly. Once you notice this sign, you could have between 1-5 days until your doe gives birth.
8) More Vocal
If you usually have a reasonably quiet doe who only calls out during feed time and then all of a sudden she starts calling out frequently, she could be in imminent labour.
We had one doe who would maa quite frequently and on the day of her kidding it got even worse, she was SO loud! She was constantly maa’ing, following us around and just all around worried sounding so we knew this girl was very close. And sure enough within an hour of putting her in her birthing stall, she had begun pushing.
9) Increased Affection
As the doe gets closer to kidding, she may become more affectionate towards her people. She might follow you around, ask for more pats and even maa at you when you leave. If you are very familiar with your goats, this is a sure sign they are about to kid so keep a close eye on them.
10. Keeping Close to Home
Those last few days and even weeks of pregnancy can get taxing on the girl's energy reserves, as many human mothers would agree. You will notice your does start to remain a little closer to home, stay behind while the rest of the herd wander out to pastures, and generally just be slower to move.
Now after reading these 10 signs of goat labour you might be thinking “gee, this will be easy to tell when my girls are getting close!”, but don’t be fooled! Your doe may show all, some or NONE of these signs before she goes into labour.
The best advice I can give is to work around the due date and do regular checks on your does in the days leading up to and after that due date. The more you get to know your goats, the easier it will be to see the signs, no matter how subtle, that they are about to kid.
