The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: colliewoman on January 06, 2012, 08:30:56 pm

Title: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on January 06, 2012, 08:30:56 pm
Hi all, my goats came back from Mr. Stilton just before Christmas Enid was covered and the other 2 were not, in the four weeks plus they were there they did not come into season. (they spent the whole time with him and were due in season 3 days after arriving there ::))
Now at the moment I am assuming that my billy that fancied the sheep was not as useless as I thought he was.
I have spoken to the vets near here and they are not able to ultrasound for me here. I don't want to move them again unless absolutely needed as they get so stressed.
It's not the end of the world for me if they are not in kid, but i would like to know so I can feed them properly. I'm guessing it's not the best to over feed an empty nanny?
With sheep I can gently palpate after a few months but i' don't know if this is possible with goats.
Help?
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Brucklay on January 06, 2012, 09:06:12 pm
I find with my pygmy's by 3.5months you can tell they're getting fat and a different lump on one side to the other - right side being the kid/kids - Out of all my girls only 1 will left me hold my hand on her bump, the other move away quickly to protect their bump - Willow will let me stroke and place my hand and now I can now and again feel the kids moving - lovely if they will let you!!
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: jaykay on January 06, 2012, 09:54:56 pm
If they've missed a season I'd assume he did his job. Yes, I can begin to see at aroun 3 months, as Brucklay says they become lop-sided, the rumen on the left and the kids on the right look different.

If you feed to their condition then you'll be getting it right regardless of whether or not they're in kid. Look at the backbone between the rumen and the tail. Should be able to get your hands beginning to go under it with pressure but not easily.
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on January 06, 2012, 10:45:18 pm
thanks all! I shall keep an eye on condition and bumps then :thumbsup:
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 07, 2012, 12:04:40 am
Good luck.  :)
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: tizaala on January 07, 2012, 09:19:58 am
Have a word with a local sheep farm and ask if their scanning chap could pop round to you after he's been to them.
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: princesspiggy on January 08, 2012, 12:32:35 am
Mr. Stilton 

wot a great name. is that the billy or the farmer????
 ;D ;D

my little nanny has a baby bump  :D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on January 08, 2012, 01:07:33 am
 :goat: :goat: That's the billy's name ;D ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Penninehillbilly on January 08, 2012, 01:46:04 am
Hi
Just to give you something different to look at, - there is an american 'smallholders' site
www.backyardherds.com (http://www.backyardherds.com)

find goat forum, click on search and enter 'pooch test'

You may or may not find their pictures unusual  ;D

Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: plumseverywhere on January 08, 2012, 03:12:41 pm
Hi
Just to give you something different to look at, - there is an american 'smallholders' site
www.backyardherds.com (http://www.backyardherds.com)

find goat forum, click on search and enter 'pooch test'

You may or may not find their pictures unusual  ;D
so yesterday while I was wandering about our little flock of sheep with a nail suspended on a piece of string, I could have just checked out their 'pooches'?! ;D   funnily enough though my pregnant doe looks very different to the non pregnant one in that, ahem, region. maybe there's something in it? (not literally  ;D  well, there is literally..i know..but..oh you know what I mean...)
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: deepinthewoods on January 08, 2012, 04:07:59 pm
so you dowse????
what are your results like?? v interesting!
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: little blue on January 08, 2012, 04:13:30 pm
so you dowse????
what are your results like?? v interesting!

well, she found that the boys weren't pregnant & the in-kid goat was!!
Can't wait to hear how accurate is was with the sheep Plums....
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: plumseverywhere on January 08, 2012, 04:33:28 pm
so you dowse????
what are your results like?? v interesting!

well, she found that the boys weren't pregnant & the in-kid goat was!!
Can't wait to hear how accurate is was with the sheep Plums....

that's about the size of it so far!  I had to check on the boys as a 'control' test kind of thing  ;)  It came up that one of the ewes is pregnant, one wasn't and couldn't catch the other 2 to try them.  :D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on January 08, 2012, 05:09:47 pm
Hi
Just to give you something different to look at, - there is an american 'smallholders' site
www.backyardherds.com (http://www.backyardherds.com)

find goat forum, click on search and enter 'pooch test'

You may or may not find their pictures unusual  ;D



WOW! :o :o :o
Goat porn ;D ;D
Thanks sooo much for that, it is actually really useful! :D :D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: little blue on January 08, 2012, 05:57:09 pm
ooh, lots of goat-bits!  :o

:goat:                                                        :goat:
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on January 08, 2012, 07:40:13 pm
mmmm starfish kisses..........

I have spent far too long now examining pictures of goat's vulvas!
According to the described method, if I have the hang of it.....
Doris is in kid!!!!!!!!!! Yaaaaaaaaay ;D ;D ;D
Millie and Enid both said 'How very dare you :o :o >:( >:(' so will have to be bribed tomorrow with cream crackers :thumbsup:
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: little blue on January 08, 2012, 07:49:33 pm
I've been trying to take a photo of my Geraldine's enormous belly, from behind... to do a "guess how many kids" post like Richmor pygmies.
But she ALWAYS sticks her tail up as I press the button, I deem the photos too rude to share!
   When you want to look, she won't have it either!  :D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Penninehillbilly on January 09, 2012, 12:13:13 am
mmmm starfish kisses..........

I have spent far too long now examining pictures of goat's vulvas!
According to the described method, if I have the hang of it.....
Doris is in kid!!!!!!!!!! Yaaaaaaaaay ;D ;D ;D
Millie and Enid both said 'How very dare you :o :o >:( >:(' so will have to be bribed tomorrow with cream crackers :thumbsup:

I did notice last year that my 2 seemed to tuck their tails down whenever they had their backs to me, with a look that said 'that's bad manners' :-)
while I find the idea a bit strange, I have to admit it does look different in a very short time after mating.
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 09, 2012, 11:56:48 am
mmmm starfish kisses..........

I have spent far too long now examining pictures of goat's vulvas!
According to the described method, if I have the hang of it.....
Doris is in kid!!!!!!!!!! Yaaaaaaaaay ;D ;D ;D
Millie and Enid both said 'How very dare you :o :o >:( >:(' so will have to be bribed tomorrow with cream crackers :thumbsup:

Never tried mine with cream crackers.  I've got a packet at the back of the larder that I can't eat now I've been diagnosed as gluten intolerant and OH doesn't seem to want.  My girls usually have rich tea but only because if I get anything else, OH will eat them but he doesn't like rich tea.   ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on January 09, 2012, 06:01:25 pm
Cream crackers are like crack cocaine to my lot! To the point they will even eat them IF THEY HAVE DROPPED ON THE FLOOR! :o :o :o ;D ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Joseph on January 29, 2012, 04:53:32 pm
I tired the pooch test thingy last year and it was not at all helpful, pooch test "experts" said she was pregnant and she wasn't. This year I am more hopeful since my girls seem to be rounding out at 60 days.

Also however, I did a progesterone ELISA test. It is marketed for cows, but can be used to check for progesterone in milk to indicate heat or pregnancy so it should work just as well for goats. I took this video last week:

http://youtu.be/UFpwE0NjsPY (http://youtu.be/UFpwE0NjsPY)

High progesterone (a white well) consistently for every three or four days over 23 days means a very high chance of pregnancy. Based on the result in the video I took, two of my girls are possibly pregnant or at mid cycle. So doing the test again in one and a half weeks will should tell me one way or the other. One of my girls is not pregnant which is why the well is pink.

The test kit is not cheap though and cost 44.00 from HeatAid (Ridgeway Science).

However, cloudburst may give a false positive result.

 
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: seldomseen on February 13, 2012, 06:04:08 pm
I had a theory about tails, UP or Down.

I was so positive for about 2 months, If they where PG their tails where down, but if they where still UP then they where wanting some more male, But now I am not too sure as all their tails are UP and swelling in the vulva plus 2 have slack ligaments (now then, now then, could that be it?????? their tails are up cos the ligaments are loose) and I know for a fact 4 are def PG as their Udders started swelling last month,well saying that Lollita has just started swelling but she is not due till April.
lol And to contradict what I just said about growing udders, Tamara had a brilliant near perfect udder start growing last yr, one that anyone could be proud of, but there was no show, no kids no nothing, and No I didnt milk her, I knew nothing about false preg and there actually being milk in the udders until I saw Its Summer show from Hugh and his vet said he could milk his goat. Dam dam dam lol
there are no vets over here that will look at goats so we could not ask.
Well so much to that theory lol
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Penninehillbilly on February 13, 2012, 08:27:43 pm
I know this sounds stupid, and I'm probably way off track - would human pregancy tests show anything or do they work on different hormones?
Don't laugh at me - it's just a thought ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on February 13, 2012, 09:30:25 pm
I've often wondered the same thing, but am too tight to buy some unless i know it'll work ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: jaykay on February 13, 2012, 10:04:13 pm
Different hormones, human pregnancy tests test for human chorionic gonadotropin - which I suppose, by definition goats don't make.

I've got the scanner coming to do the sheep tomorrow so will get him to do Ellie and Rowan too if all goes well.
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Lesley Silvester on February 15, 2012, 12:46:05 am
My girl is looking decidedly fat but as the only male she has been near is her castrated son, she must be just being greedy.
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Skirza on February 19, 2012, 05:44:31 pm
My girl is looking decidedly fat but as the only male she has been near is her castrated son, she must be just being greedy.

Now, it's funny you should say that...my BT didn't show in season at all, even with a 'billy rag'..though she looked a bit tail waggy one day and rushed her to a local billy, but there was no way she was standing for him. Really just gave up and decided to milk her through to next autumn.

However, she is now looking decidedly lumpy although her ribs are barely covered (no worms and not bloat) and the only males she was near last autumn were her two castrated sons and our other goat's castrated son...I'm just wondering if one of them was still fertile  :-\
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Penninehillbilly on February 19, 2012, 07:15:04 pm
So - if anyone tried the 'pooch test', do you know whether it was right or not?
mine was,
it would be interesting to know how many checked and it was right (or wrong)?
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: colliewoman on February 19, 2012, 09:44:34 pm
according to the pooch test all 3 of mine that are supposed to be are, and the AN with boobies is an erm.... When the scanner has been, I will let you know if it was correct ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: jaykay on February 19, 2012, 09:47:59 pm
According to both the pooch test and the scanner, both mine are in kid  ;D
Title: Re: When can you tell if they are pregnant or not?
Post by: Lesley Silvester on February 20, 2012, 12:15:47 am
My girl is looking decidedly fat but as the only male she has been near is her castrated son, she must be just being greedy.

Now, it's funny you should say that...my BT didn't show in season at all, even with a 'billy rag'..though she looked a bit tail waggy one day and rushed her to a local billy, but there was no way she was standing for him. Really just gave up and decided to milk her through to next autumn.

However, she is now looking decidedly lumpy although her ribs are barely covered (no worms and not bloat) and the only males she was near last autumn were her two castrated sons and our other goat's castrated son...I'm just wondering if one of them was still fertile  :-\

I'm sure mine can't be as she's been in season (I think).  She's due again on Wednesday so I'll watch her carefully.  Her son is a randy little ******. And tries to mount her frequently.  He used to try with his grandmother as well but she puts him firmly in his place and I haven't seen him try again.  I was planning on waiting until next autumn as he is only 8 months old.