150 Days Gestation

Does it figure that tomorrow could be Twee's due date, and we are expecting "significant accumulation" tomorrow also?Uno - January 2008

As a reminder, a goats gestation is five months, or 150 days, give or take a few. Last go around, two were dead on, one a day late, and Speckles, who has more mix in her than Boer, was four or five days late.We built an extra pen, and have some new gates in the stalls that can divide them up into smaller "jugs". We just call it the maternity ward. Trinity has been using it at night since she came back from her honeymoon. She'll be in with the rest of the nannies soon, when we reshuffle things with kids.
The expectant mother is in a gated off part of a stall. I checked above her tail bone for the softening of the ligaments, but didn't feel it yet. She's had a little white discharge the past two days, but that can go on for a week or a month. Its time for her to be allowed a little quiet, and her own space. There is little mercy at dinner time. Head butting is given freely, no matter your condition. She is with her mother for company, and I think Vinegar is next to kid also. Twee's udder has been making slow progress, but in the past two days, it seems to have tightened up. Or maybe I just want her to go tomorrow, and I'm seeing what I want to see. Her belly does not look huge, so I would only expect a single tucked in there, but I am wildly guessing. Twins would be great as long as they come in a good size in this colder weather. Its lingering around freezing, but not severe, and the barn is dry and protected.
I have an extra load of wood in the garage, just in case we get the greater of the snow predictions. The cats have had an extra handful of the better cat food tonight, are already tucked in. The goats are bedded and well fed, so if plowing is a priority in the morning, they can hang in there a while
The baby monitor is on in the kitchen, and will be by my bed tonight.

My friend Juliann just emailed about the impending events and said, "ANOTHER snow storm makes us feel as though time stands still!!" How right she is.

I'm glad this is working into the week-end, so the stress of a regular work week is off many shoulders.

If the kids come, they can be a treat for many to share early on.

Prenatal Care
Preparation for Kidding
& Signs Labor
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/prenatalcare.html#labor

Kids On Board

The barn cats are warming up the warming barrel in this nasty, cold weather. Mia will have to give up her barn bed soon though, as it appears we have kids in our future. If the weather stays anything like this, the warming barrel will be in constant use. Perhaps Snickers can snuggle with some new kids this winter
The news from the barn by my goat gynecologist was, "I think Twee is getting an udder!"

By Golly! She is!

Twee was the only female not bred last November, and she was smaller and not quite a year old, so we were okay with that. She matured and grew beautifully this year, and I think will be bringing us our first kids of 2010.

Twee will be kidding for the first time, so she was flat as can be before. Obviously she is not anymore. This could put her at 15 weeks or better. Gestation is 5 months or 150 days. All but one of the goats kidded at 150 days exactly this spring. Speckles was four days late. So the dates I have marked on my kidding calendar for Twee, based on seeing her with the buck, are January 15 (I think too soon), and February 5 (The pool is started. Lets take bets!).

I went onto a couple sites to gather more information, and will try and check for kids using the following information.
What to expect during your goats pregnancy and Onset of Labor
http://www.7mfarm.com/goat-health2.html

In my searches, I found another site talking about mastitis and a "treatment" that seems to make a lot of sense.
"If you treat the udder at this early stage, in most cases it will be normal again by the next milking. The treatment I have found most effective is to drench the goat with some of her own fresh milk – 20 mls will do – as soon as I detect an abnormality in the udder. This challenges the goat to produce antibodies against whatever caused the mastitis and is very effective. It is cheap, with no withdrawal period unlike drugs."

I'll have to run this one by the vet for an opinion. See what you think.
Natural Ways of Treating Mastitis by Irene Ramsay

But the other good news is that I think Twee's mother, Vinegar, is also starting to "show". Her udder looks like it is starting to round out again. I have a date of February 24 on my calendar for her. She has given us two sets of twins, and is a great mom, so I hope for more of the same from her.
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Oh! Its still snowing.
Just look at the past week's snow pictures to know what its like outside. Cold and white - and I admit - pretty!