Goat with False Pregnancy?

Chicken Ninja · Post by **Chicken Ninja** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:59 pm

Hi all, we have our first kids being born this winter/spring, so we're still super new to this! Our first kids were born the 15 of February, from Elsa, one of two does bred September 18. The doe that is due but hasn't had any kids yet (Tassy)... Well, something strange is going on.

We originally though she would give birth first, because she was roundest, and we thought she'd lost her ligaments. Then Elsa kidded, and Tassy didn't. Then Tassy's ligaments "reappeared", and now she's back to her pre-pregnancy body size. I know it's only been three days since the due date, but it's the fact that she's shrunk so much that's got us wondering if she's had a false pregnancy.

Tassy is a boer dairy cross, approximately 2 years old and this is her first pregnancy (if she actually is pregnant...)

Anyone seen anything like this before? Was it a false pregnancy? I'll let you all know if she actually was pregnant and produces kids.

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 5:48 pm

Yes, false pregnancies happen. What is her bag doing? Did it get enlarged? Has it gone down? Did you buy her bred, or was she bred on your place? Did you see the act happen? Do you know for sure what date the act happened? 150 days give or take a few she should kid. Only way to know for sure if she is carrying a baby/ies is to get the vet to do ultrasound.

I had two does, pets, wonderful animals, wouldn't get pregnant. But bagged and milked in the spring. Found out after one died that she was a hermaphrodite. Had male and female sex organs. The male were inside, testes, so she was never going to get pregnant. No external sign of that.

I hope goatlady sees this. She has a lot more experience than me and may be able to shed more light. Good luck with it.

Chicken Ninja · Post by **Chicken Ninja** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:07 pm

Thanks for replying Farrier1987! She hasn't bagged up yet, and we bought her as a kid in 2014. She was bred at our place by one of our bucks. We are almost certain that she was bred that day because she never went into any sort of heat after that when we were breeding our other does. We have a doe who bagged up and millked a year after weaning her kid, before we had bucks. So we figured, since udders are very temperamental, and she is also mostly meat goat, that her udder would be a finnicky sign of impending labour...

goatgal35 · Post by **goatgal35** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:41 pm

I have 2 Boer/dairy crosses that have been bagged up for at least a week. All our goats have always bagged up at least 12 hours before kidding. Sometimes when our does are getting close to kidding they "appear" to have slimmed down because the baby/babies have dropped and move back. I hope all goes well for you and Tassy has two nice doelings for you:)

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:58 am

Well chicken ninja and goatgal, any babies yet? I am looking to have goats milk again in about 3 wks. When you do, I want pictures, and I will post too. This one is from last spring.

Chicken Ninja · Post by **Chicken Ninja** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:16 am

*UPDATE*
No kids yet... Elsa's twins are now 2 weeks old... Tassy is still skinny, no bag...

She is confusing me left right and centre!!! Our other two does are due April, so I have lots of time for Tassy to kid.

Just in case she realy DOES have kids in there somewhere...

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:17 am

My Priya is starting to bag up, slowly. Calendar says the 20th. Her third time, so just right. A first timer is much more prone to bagging up sort of over night and presenting a young'un. My little doe Butterfly should be due in early May. She was coughing a little wet cough on the weekend. Got the vet out yesterday, she has a slight case of pneumonia, so antibiotics for 5 days and I am keeping her inside. Its now kind of loose and wet cough. Had a light plugged in in the barn, and the cord was outside the stall. Had to put up a board, because she kept unplugging it. Just bad to the core that one, similar to most pet goats.

Pic shows why she is named butterfly.

kenya · Post by **kenya** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:15 pm

Very pretty girl!

Chicken Ninja · Post by **Chicken Ninja** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:21 pm

I'm giving Tassy until the 1st of April before I call it. You never know, the buck could have gotten out later... But after Nov 7 she showed 0 interest in the boys, and that was when we bred another doe. Hoping it wasn't a dud. She's a sweet goat overall.

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:38 pm

It's possible she had an early miscarriage and you probably wouldn't have known, it does happen quite frequently. Was she with the buck after? If so she may have been bred after.