Has your goat’s due date come and gone with no signs of labor? It’s a common worry for goat owners! After 23 years of raising goats, I’ve learned to trust my goats more than the calendar. I’m going to explain why I don’t stress about overdue goats and offer some practical advice to help you relax, too.
Why You Can’t Always Trust Due Dates
We all try to be diligent about recording breeding dates, but let’s face it: mistakes happen. Maybe you wrote down the wrong date or forgot to write down the date you rebred a doe, or perhaps someone else on your farm rebred the doe and forgot to tell you. Life happens!
The Case of the Escaping Buck!
Ever had a buck who loves to jump fences? This is a very common problem. It makes figuring out who is pregnant and when they’re due a real guessing game — especially if a buck escapes more than once.
Confirmation Bias and Ultrasound
Have you ever heard of confirmation bias? It’s when you look for evidence to support what you already believe. This can be a problem when interpreting ultrasound results.
I recall a story about a goat owner who was convinced her goat had been bred on a specific day. She had taken the goat to the vet and told him when she thought the goat was a month pregnant. The vet did an ultrasound and said, “Yep, looks like she’s about a month pregnant.” The owner took that as confirmation that her goat had been bred on that day.
But here’s the thing: the vet’s assessment was based on the owner’s information! It wasn’t a guaranteed due date. Flash forward 150 days from that date, and the doe was showing no signs of labor. After a conversation, I learned that she had a buck who escaped so much that her neighbor was in the habit of returning him to his buck pen without even telling her. Her goat gave birth to healthy twins a week later than expected.
My Experience with “Overdue” Goats
In my 23 years of raising goats, I’ve had very few who’ve gone past 150 days, and only one did not give birth to healthy kids — and those kids had never been viable in the first place, so being overdue had not been a problem. And I’m talking about 770 kids in all these years! Standard goats can go up to 155 days.
Trust Your Goat
My main point is this: Trust your goat’s body more than your calendar. Inducing labor should only be done if there’s a medical reason, such as toxemia or hypocalcemia.
The Danger of Inducing Labor Based on Wrong Dates
I have heard of a few people who were so sure of their due dates that they talked their vet into inducing labor. The goat gave birth to tiny, premature kids that didn’t survive. Their records were wrong, and the goat had been bred again later than they thought.
Most vets won’t induce a goat unless there’s a solid medical reason. They trust the goat’s body to do what it’s supposed to do.
Kid Size and Breeding
If you’ve bred a doe to a buck of the same breed and size, you probably don’t need to worry about the kids getting too big. Goats have a small window for birthing, so the kids aren’t going to get huge (unless you’re overfeeding does during pregnancy).
Size Matters!
It’s more important to make sure your doe is big enough before you breed her. It is commonly recommended that does should be at least two-thirds of their adult weight before breeding. For my Nigerian dwarfs, that means they should be around 40 pounds before breeding if they are 1-2 years old. They’ll continue to grow after they are bred. I wouldn’t breed a three-year-old goat that weighs 40 pounds. She’s done growing and may have trouble giving birth to kids that are average size or larger.
Avoid Size Discrepancies
I get worried when I see people breeding Nigerian does to standard-sized bucks. That’s a recipe for birthing problems even if a doe only goes 145 days.
Responsible Breeding
One reason I have very few problems with kidding is that I breed registered Nigerian dwarf goats of normal size. This reduces the chances of unexpected size variations in the kids.
Metabolic Diseases: When to Really Worry
While a healthy goat will usually go into labor at the right time, things change if she develops a metabolic disease like ketosis, toxemia, or hypocalcemia. These are life-threatening and require immediate veterinary attention. This could happen even if she’s not due for two or three weeks.
Toxemia and Hypocalcemia
Someone contacted me about a goat who she thought had been in labor for two days. But when I saw the video, I knew something was wrong. The goat was completely lethargic. Combine that with no food for two days, and it was obvious the doe had toxemia and possibly hypocalcemia at that point. The owner called the vet immediately, but it was too late. An emergency c-section was performed, but the goat was too far gone and didn’t survive.
A goat who’s truly in labor might stop eating for a few hours, but she’ll usually still nibble if you offer her something. If a goat is completely refusing food, call your vet!
Loss of muscle function is a symptom of hypocalcemia, so if a goat is having trouble standing or walking, that is also a danger sign.
The Bottom Line
Don’t panic if your goat’s due date comes and goes. Trust her body, and watch for signs of illness. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below!
Check out my free “Preparing for Kidding” course at the Goat Academy.
For more information, check out these helpful articles from Thrifty Homesteader:
- Goat Birthing: A Beginner’s Guide
- Goat Birthing: How Much Should You Help?
- Goat Birthing: The Problem with Online Advice
You can also sign up for my weekly goat newsletter and listen to my podcast, “For the Love of Goats,” on:
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