Is My Goat In Labor?

I have been a paramedic long enough to know that nothing ever happens when we WANT it to or are waiting for it. I also know that baby is coming when it wants to, not when the goat or I do. Until then, I can only take the things I have learned into account. But like any mammal, if you have to ask, they’re probably not “pooping out a baby” as my youngest once said. But if you’ve got some of these signs and symptoms, and something important planned off farm? You may have a goat in labor.

My Ways Of Telling If Your Goat Is In Labor

As the years have progressed and I’ve gotten more comfortable with goat kidding, there is a lot more that I have learned and I wanted to pass that along to you. It is incredibly rare that your very first kidding will result in 2 stillborn babies like Champ’s first kidding. In fact, I would say that you will probably find a baby hanging out with mom before you ever realize that she was in labor.

Due to my full time job, I am home a lot more than the average full time worker/ full time homesteader. So I have had the pleasure of watching most of my girls labor and successfully kid. There have been a few glitches in the matrix but for the most part, it’s been normal. But I wanted to address some other concerns that I wish I had known prior to dealing with those glitches.

Is she Pregnant?

This is the first question that needs to be asked. Is there ANY way that she could have gotten pregnant? If not, then she’s probably not in labor and just has great body condition. But stranger things have happened.

A couple years ago, we didn’t even know our girls were pregnant. The vet came out towards the end of November and told us they weren’t pregnant based on ultrasound. Color all of us surprised when, towards the end of February both Bella and Champ suddenly had big ole belly’s AND a positive pooch test. In fact, we don’t usually know that are girls are successfully bred until we felt the kids moving.

Kid Moving

When babies start moving and kicking, you usually have about a month or so before they are born. This is usually the first indicator that your doe is pregnant if you choose not to do blood tests or ultrasounds. You should feel this on the right side of their abdomen just past their ribs. At first it may feel like the rumen moving, but as time progresses you will feel a hoof, shoulder, or head.

When do you decide you need to start checking for movement? If your buck lives with your girls 24/7, then I would look at the pooch test (Google it). If not, you can start checking around month 3-4 from the time you think they got bred. You should feel the baby moving but don’t panic if you don’t. Like human babies, the goat kids will sleep or just not move around a lot. I will jiggle their belly and see if I can “wake up” the baby and get it moving.

I also notice that as the babies get closer to delivery, they don’t move as much. To the point were I was second guessing myself on whether they were pregnant or not.

Bagging Up And Vulva Swelling

As your doe progresses through her pregnancy, and you are coming up to the end, you will notice teat and udder development. This will look different for every single doe and every single pregnancy. Sometimes they don’t “bag up” until right before labor or right after. But the big thing to watch for is the development. Especially for first time fresheners (first time mommas).

Another thing that you will notice is that her vulva will start to swell and get pretty saggy looking. This is very progressive and will usually happen over the last few weeks. I take pictures of the back end of my goat to track progress. I pity the person who goes through my camera roll.

Ligaments

One of the best ways to tell if your doe is getting close to laboring is to check their tail ligaments. But I don’t think it is a sign that is well explained, especially for first time owners. I am religious about checking ligaments once I feel the babies moving. I do this, even knowing I have a month or 2 until labor because I want to be able to track changes.

Now, I have had laboring goats on my farm for a couple years and it wasn’t until this summer, when Stella had her twins that I figured out what loose ligaments were actually supposed to feel like right before kidding. When people tell you that the ligaments will be soft and squishy 12-24 hours before labor. It should feel like someone stuffed a water balloon in her pelvis.

As your goat progresses through pregnancy, you should start checking her tail webbing so you can get an idea of what it’s supposed to feel like. Telling your how to do with in writing is pretty difficult but you can YouTube how to check goat ligaments and a million videos will pop up. But again, without seeing/feeling it first hand, it’s incredibly difficult to explain.

False Labor

You will be tricked into thinking your goat is in labor pretty often. It happens to the best of us. I did a TikTok about Bella being in labor…. She wasn’t. That’s okay. But goats will have braxton hicks, false labor, or even start pushing and there’s nothing there. I wish I could say you’ll know the difference, and you will, once that baby hits the ground.

Discharge

This one is usually a last sign right before labor, though sometimes they won’t have any discharge. It is entirely possible that you will see a “slime trail” as we call it and next thing you see is a bulging water sack and feet coming. Other times you may see her discharging for days before giving birth.

Other Ways To Tell Your Goat Is In Labor

These are all antidotal but they are worth mentioning if you know your doe is close to labor.

She may paw at the ground a lot. Not all of my girls do this, in fact most didn’t. But Bella is a digger and you can tell that she’s very uncomfortable.

She may yawn…. a lot. This is coined the silent scream because they are not actually yawning.

Another thing to look for is your doe constantly getting up and down. Much like pregnant women, they are so uncomfortable that they are constantly shifting and moving. Plus, there is an elbow, hoof, head or 3 of them shoved into this tiny space. It’s got to be uncomfortable.

Get Ready

Start getting your supplies ready for when your goat is in labor. I have a 5 gallon bucket that has shears, exam gloves, puppy pads and more ready to go. This helps because I can have one of the kids go grab it and not individual things.

Be ready to pull kids if they are stuck or momma is tired. Be ready to milk out momma if a kid isn’t doing well or if momma rejects it.

But most importantly? Be ready for the most amazing and adorable thing you have ever seen.

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