I just did what Rebekah suggested to see if I could feel any kids...well I felt them for CERTAIN on two does! My doe who is due on the 28th has really engorged milk vein(s?) Is this any indication of of labor being imminent? None of the other does have nearly this feel to their veins. The one who has kidded before has some bulk to hers, but the first timers really don't have any girth to theirs. She is about half as big as a house and I know it seems crazy, but I really don't want her to have triplets as it was so hard on her last year. Anyway, I am just wondering if the veininess is indicative of anything other than late pregnancy. Thanks!!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), February 16, 2002

Answers

Indictative of milk production and dairy character. :-)

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), February 16, 2002.

Doreen disregard everything that Rebekkah said. She is due ANY MINUTE!! Get out to the barn, spend the night if you have to, write us every 15 minutes to tell us exactly what she is doing. What is her temp? How many times in a minute is she breathing? Pooping and Peeing? Make sure and get up every hour all night and count all of these things................................I am teasing of course! But darn Rebekkah, haven't you ever wanted to tell a new person something like this and see just how far they would go :) LOL

It's like when folks ask about if they should feed the Black Oil Sunflower Seeds as is or if they should take them out of the husks, I have often wanted to say, yes shell them, do you really think someone would do it ???? :) I am so bad! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 18, 2002.

Dang Vickie, You mean I don't have to shell all those itty bitty black oil sunflower seeds!!!! Wow this will cut down on my feeding time by hours. LOL

-- Pamela Smith (pmsmith@hevanet.com), February 18, 2002.

Just because the answer to a question sounds obvious to seasoned goat person don't mean it is obvious to a newcomer. If it was they probably wouldn't be asking. Less experienced goat owners will not ask and learn if their question is made to sound obvious or dum. Besides I work at a feed store and we sell sunflower hearts in 50# bags so the answer to that question didn't seem so obvious aside from the fact my goats turn their nose up at sunflower in the shell.

-- cindyf (cindy@tctc.com), February 18, 2002.

I will stop doing that CindyF. Doreen is a friend of mine and Rebekkah and I are on other forums together. And I totally understand that some don't get my humor! What do they charge for a bag of just the meat sunflower seeds? We like to use the whole seed because of the scratch factor of the hulls, in the rumen. But boy wouldn't it be a good source of protein just having the meat! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

Sorry to butt in on friendly homour. Believe it or not I like funny stuff myself. I just thought to someone newer, who didn't know it was a friendly joke, might think you were making fun of people's questions. As for the price of hulled sunflower, we sell it for $29 a 50# bag.

-- cindyf (cindy@tctc.com), February 19, 2002.

heh...hehh...ahem!...The doe is just HUGE!!!! I haven't ever felt the kind of distension she has in a milk vein so I thought I'd ask all of you!!! Thanks for the laugh...good thing I was taught to read all instructions before running to the barn with the sleeping bag...I'll be there next week tho! Tha baby monitor doesn't work all the way. Such is the trouble with a metal barn and a metal house. I just can't wait to get struck by lightning.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.