Peoney bred for her first time back mid August along with 3 other little doelings. October 21 she started tail wagging and flirting with the buck. I put her in with the buck and he bred her twice, so I changed her due date to March. Now she's started making an udder and had a mucus discharge day before yesterday. Her body and udder looks just like the girls her age that are due in January. Is this common? Could it cause damage to her pregnacy?

-- sherry mullins (chickadee259@yahoo.com), December 18, 2001

Answers

I have a doe that will let the buck breed her all the way up to her due date. (No, I don't keep her in with him) Her hormone levels are way up there. I write down her first two heat cycles when in with the buck then seperate her. It's not uncommon for does that are bred to accept the buck again. I would keep a close eye on that doe. Good luck

-- shari (smillers@snowcrest.net), December 18, 2001.

For the first time this year, after over 20 years with goats, we had two does breed, then come in again just a few days later. Then they came in on schedule 3 weeks later. The buck is not here, and it's a major pain to go get him to breed again. One doe is getting bigger and is usually a very trim animal. I've never had one miss if they were thoroughly covered by the buck. Both these does were bred several times, we witnessed it. So, are they pregnant? Is the buck suddenly sterile? Do I plan another breeding? These two gals were bred and kidded normally last year, no secondary signs of heat after the initial breeding.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), December 18, 2001.

Read this in the archives of the Practical Goats forum. six weeks after you know the doe has been bred, feel the hairless skin on the underside of her tail. A pregnant goat would feel squishy and soft, not pregnant is firm.Wierd but has been true with my goats.Won't really help with this pregnancy but maybe next time?

-- VickiP. (countrymous@webtv.net), December 18, 2001.