I have a French Alpine doe from a very well known herd. However, just so you know, I picked her because she was brown. =) We don't even show. Anyway, she got pregnant no problem the first couple of times around. She is one who when she reaches about 2 months, all of a sudden she burst out and looks like she swallowed 2 basketballs and stays huge for the rest of the pregnancy. Last year, I bred her, and she stood. 3 week later, she was in heat again. We bred her again and she stood again. Finally on the fourth try we decided to try lutalyse (sp?) We gave it to her and and it brought her into a good heat and she stood again. She did not come back into heat, although it was early March, so the season was about over. At about 2 months, she ballooned up, which made me think she was pregnant. Well, to make a long story short, she was not pregnant, just fat. She did not even have a false pregnancy. However, she really perked up this year. She has been the best she has ever been. She shivered through the first 2 Ohio winters. This last one, she got a great coat and did fine. We borrowed a buck and kept it for about 5 weeks. We saw it breed both of our does. They are due today. The other doe is bagging up etc. The one I was talking about is big, but does not seem to have much of an udder. If she is not pregnant again, what do you think could be the cause? Thanks for any help.

-- Marci in NE Ohio (Marci@amazinggrazefarm.com), April 02, 2002

Answers

could be retained placenta (or corpeus luteum?SP?) from her last delivery.... how old is she?, she should have took.... is it perhaps that she did take, but maybe a week or two behind the other goat?, have you given plenty of time ???? if she was heavy, she could have had problmes with the pregnancy and absorbed the fetus....

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.

Marci, you may want to get in touch with a breeder in Ohio and see if you are in need of selenium. Don't go giving her a shot just to see, as if you don't need it even a little is to much. If she is in great health, than I would go to the vet, or to a serious breeder and get on the protocoal for cysts. If ultrasound is cheap in your area they can scope her to see if she has cysts on her ovaries. This is what it sounds like to me. A doe who cycles, is bred and then isn't conceviving can have cysts that cause her not to release her eggs. The protocaol is simple, you wait for her to come into heat the first time, write it down on the calander, mark 21 days, now count back 48 hours, next month you will give her 2cc IM of Lutelyse on this date, when in heat you breed her, now isn't the time to be using a young buck, pick a proven guy, let him breed her once, then pull her out of the pen and give her 1cc IM of Cysterellon (prononced sister-ellen) it is hormone shot that comes in a 2cc vial for cattle, and isn't going to break the bank if you just buy the whole vial. Now put her back in with the buck and let her breed her the rest of the day. Take her out when he is through breeding. I would spend the summer if she doesn't kid, making sure her nutrition is excellent, that your loose mineral and your grain mix contains enough copper. That your selenium and E levels are correct and getting her into good non-fat shape. This way you will have done everything you can do to assure a good breeding, by the way once a doe is cystic you may always have to use this protocoal on her, we did with our Amber. 2 perfect kiddings as a 2 and 3 year old, then nothing, kids every year after with the use of lute and cysterellon, except this year as an aged doe. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (Nubians) (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.

Vicki, We do give Bo-Se shots, but not usually before breeding season, which maybe we need to start. She will be 7 in June. I am not sure that my husband is going to let me keep her to try another year. =(. She could still kid, as the other one has not gone yet. Thanks for the input. By the way, how old is TOO old for a goat?

-- Marci in NE Ohio (Marci@amazinggrazefarm.com), April 02, 2002.

Kept in good condition, and probably not bought and sold alot, most 10 year olds are still in good condition. My rule of thumb is as long as they can breed they can stay around. I won't ask the older girls to stay in milk, it makes them to thin, but I do ask them to kid every year. We have had a 12 year old kid, and have had two does be put down after 13. There are certain bloodlines that have very long lived does, and other bloodlines where 8 is considered old. Look at Boers, not many long lived goats with them. I don't keep pets, if their quality of life is so poor that they can't live normally in the herd, than we put them down.

We had Amber's (our fertility problem doe) eggs collected, we have 17 on ice. Once the children are gone and I have some spare change to spend just on me I intend to fertilize them and embroyo transplant them. After the collection Amber went down hill, I ended up putting her down after her not responding to anything we tried. She had a massive uterine infection, we don't as of yet know what it was, but she never showed any fever. Before she was a large robust nearly 9 year old, afterwards she was a shell of her former self, they seem to loose their will to live very quickly when aged. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (Nubians) (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.