I thought I was going to be blessed with very early am Mother's Day kids....I spent the night in the barn because the baby monitor only works at half the distance from the barn to the house. Anyway, my doe completely looked like she was going to kid. Ears down, pawing, vulva looks swollen, no discharge, grunts, rapid breathing, more grunts, no baby talk, though. No babies, either. Just a very tired me thinking that rabbits and keets are the most noisome creatures ever.

She will be at 150 days on Tuesday...any ideas?

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), May 13, 2001

Answers

Just like in us, goats will have braxton hicks contrations also, and false labor. Now....if she passed any fluid, not just the normal thick discharge or layed down with any real bearing down, than I would have gone in and seen if perhaps you had a missplaced kid. The getting up and laying down is her helping to position the kids. My girls are very loud, groaning with each breath, and that is from the first day of conception! :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 13, 2001.

That's what I thought....false labor. She is absolutely HUGE. At one point her entire abdomen seemed to slide. I presume this is the kids heading towards the exit. She didn't pass any fluid, so I haven't gone searching. Last time she kidded it was exactly 150 days. Thanks, Vicki!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), May 13, 2001.

I have one doing this now! I was up with her the entire night Sunday after thinking she was in early stages of labor on Friday and Saturday. I have been around goats most of my life and have never run into this before. Sunday night she was pushing like crazy. Her tail head was up, she was quite swollen and it appeared that the baby was in position and ready to be pushed out. By Monday morning I was sure there must be a dead baby or something blocking the birth canal and called the vet. The vet came out, checked her and declared her in false labor. Not even starting to dilate. Her due date was Saturday.

Last night when I got home from work, she had mucus hanging. I was up with her again all night last night. Mucus continuously streamed from her, she pushed, she was up and down, baby talk like crazy, licking everything in sight...mucus, her udder, her sides, me, the baking soda and minerals, drinking now and then from the water bucket. She was laying with her front end elevated and would quiver from the contractions and then do the full body shake to shake them off. She had a deep look of concentration for several hours. However, no water bag was ever passed...just clear/whitish mucus. When I was out there 45 minutes ago, she was just laying there looking a bit uncomfortable.

-- Betty Bubalo (goatmom@nitline.net), March 19, 2003.