Sallygarden Smallholding - The Forum For Sustainable Living

Has anyone any tips on telling if a goat is in kid or not, besides waiting to see if they give birth after 5 months?!

If our girls were successfully serviced they are both due in 3 weeks time. Their udders seem slightly fuller than usual (they aren't being milked) and Willow who normally loves rubs is quite aloof at the moment. I've also noticed she is spending more time lying down outdoors this week.

They are both half angora and so with their long curley winter coats its difficult to tell if they are, or if they aren't! I haven't been able to feel any signs of movement in the belly or sides.

They both still smell a little bit 'billyish' on the head though. I have been told previously that you can sex the kids being carried by the strength of the billy smell from the mothers head! If this is true they are both carrying at least one billy. All female kids give no smell at all from the mothers head!!!

I can report back that two weeks before kidding I was able to feel kids kicking in their Mums tummy. Place a hand infront of the udder, and to the right, not the left as this is the rumen. It's easier to do this while they are eating and standing still!

The udders also bag up significantly a few days before kidding.

The does look extremely wide when viewed head-on.

We have the same dilema with the pigs, so we get a chap from Cavan to pop down with his mobile scanner and he can determine very quickly if the sows are "in pig" or not. I know he does cattle and sheep so I'm sure the same principles apply to goats. Although he is used to dealing with commercial farmers he seems just as happy to visit smallholders with only a few animals to scan and has always taken an interest in our pigs. I can pass his details on if anyone is interested.

Best wishes
Morag