[Penninehillbilly]

Hi, I have a 10yr old goat, last year she mated as normal, but as her due date approached, it was obvious she wasn't going to kid. During summer she came into milk, and I've been milking her since, plenty to keep 2 of us in milk.
In October she was mated, about a week later, calling for billy again (who was in the barn), thinking I'd imagined she'd already been mated, (wasn't well at the time), ran them together again, and again less than a week later, another couple of times before male went away. In November.
Thoughts please? I'm not that bothered whether she kids again, though a female to carry on for milking would have been nice, it would have been her last kidding anyway.
Is it likely to be cystic ovaries?
Does she need a vet if I'm only wanting to continue milking her?
She hasn't seemed to be in season since he went, though there are 3 billy kids still in there, and she did go pulling faces at them just after he went, but not since.
TIA

[Anke]

Yes, she has gone "cystic" and will continue to come into season every 7 days or so. There are injections he vet can give her, but given her age I think you may well be unsuccessful to get her in kid again. (I have had this in older goats before). If she is still in milk I would just continue to milk her for as long as she gives milk and you need it. I wouldn't involve the vet.


There is a small chance that she is in kid, but I had exactly the same scenario in a BT a few years ago. But unfortunately I had dried her off in anticipation of her kidding, which never happened and then she went cystic the following autumn....

[Penninehillbilly]

Yes, thanks Anke, that sounds exactly the way Angelica went. I'd dried her off ready for kidding, so was pleased she at least came back into milk.
She was our firstborn here, and very much loved, and the nicest milk/milker, I'm hoping that leaving her untreated won't do her any harm?

[Anke]

I don't think so, but you could ask the vet's advice.