How do I tell if my does are pregnant? I have Angoras with full winter fleeces and while they look fat some days, I can't tell if it's a pregnancy, just lots of fleece or if they're just gassy! Or just too fat from the freshening rations! LOL!
My bucks were young - just barely a year old and we put them in with their "mates" for about 3 weeks at a time. Was that maybe not long enough?
They were selectively bred between November and January and then in February we got discouraged and just lumped in all together as a group. (We put them in for warmth and comfort - the coyotes were scaring the yearling bucks and they are happier all in together. Or maybe I got scammed by the bucks! LOL!)
Anyhow, how can I tell if they are pregnant without dragging them all down to the vet's? Is there a test I can do? I've tried feeling teats but there's no milk yet.
A stethoscope is what I use. You can hear the heart tones - you can even tell if you are having a single or more. You can also lay your hands of both sides of the girl and sit still and wait for movement. Next if your are feeling down the spine you can determine how much the girl is on the body score record and then gauge the girth - that should tell you if she is holding weight or baby. If your boys are young then instead of putting them back in to test just put them outside the fence that way if the girls are expecting they will not get ran around and upset. Hope that helps
Grace Gerber Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Goat experts - here's a dumb question!
Posted - Feb 28 2008 : 10:05:24 PM
