I have a 10 year old Oberhaslie doe that is due to kid a month from today. Tootsie was a heck of a goat in her younger days but she has a history of kidding problems. After her giving birth to a huge kid last year , my first kidding with her, that I like to have never got out of her I decided not to breed her again. Well husband was moving sick saanen buck that could hardly move, Tootsie walked by him and you know the rest. We got obie/saanen kids on the way.

Here's my question , should I induce her labor close to her due date. Last year she went over 4 days and her kid was huge. She has a history of this and has been induced before. I am also concerned about the saanenX kid being extra large.

Any tips on feeding etc. for the next month is greatly welcome. She looks so much older than she did last year. I had kept my fingers crossed that she wasn't bred. Lotta good that did me.

-- sherry in Arkansas (chickadee259@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002

Answers

If you gave the 2cc IM of Lutalyse at day 150, that still gives you 36 more hours, unless she was ready to go already. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea. Don't even think about messing with her feed. Continue with what has worked for her before, you don't need hypocalcemia or milk fever! Be right there for the kidding, as SOON as she starts to push reach in and help position those kids! Don't let her push and push and then try to rearrange the train wreck! Make sure she gets lots of exercise, even putting her on a leash and making her go for a walk! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.