12 Signs a Goat Is About to Kid

If you don’t know when a doe is bred, you can’t accurately predict when she will have her kids. So you’re left with watching for signs that the goat is about to kid.

Kidding Signs

Ideally you will be able predict when a goat will kid based on signs of heat and breeding. About 150 days from the date the doe was bred, you can expect her to kid.

However, a doe can kid as much as three days early or five days late. If you keep a record of the gestation period of a doe’s first kidding, you will have a pretty accurate idea when she is likely to kid in the future.

On the other hand, all too often does and bucks are sneaky about getting together. At least that’s the case with some of our Nubian dairy goats. Then all we have is a range of dates when kidding will occur, based on the first and last dates the doe was with the buck.

But that’s not good enough if you want to be there when the kids are born. Being there is especially important for a first freshener, since you have no experience in how easy or difficult kidding will be for her, or whether she’ll accept or reject the kids.

Signs that kidding time is near may be clearly distinct or basically undetectable. Further, not all does exhibit every one of these signs that tell you the goat is about to kid.

1. Shiny Udder

A few days before a doe kids, her udder may swell and look shiny. However, a first freshener typically starts bagging up well before kidding time. When her udder gets tight and shiny, and the teats appear stiff, the doe is likely to kid within a day. An older doe, on the other hand, may not swell with milk until after the kids are born.

2. Rear End Loose and Pink

About a month before the goat will kid, her vulva (hairless area beneath her tail) will start to redden and bulge out, becoming looser and more jiggly as time goes by. However, at the start of labor the vulva will no longer appear swollen, but instead will stretch as the birth canal widens in preparation for birthing.

3. Kids Drop

A doe carries kids on her right side. As kidding draws near, you can put your hand on her side and feel the kids moving. After the kids drop into birthing position, the doe’s belly will sag and you may see or feel them move underneath her belly near the udder. She is likely to kid within the week.

4. Hips Appear Hollow

Just before birth, the kids will move back toward the birth canal. This shift causes the doe’s flank to look hollow, her hips to look bony, and her spine to become more prominent.

5. Tail Muscles Loosen

Just before a doe kids, her pelvic ligaments relax and her tail looks a bit floppy. If you put a thumb and forefinger on either side of the top of the doe’s tail and gently squeeze, normally she will lower her tail. But the muscles of a goat that is about to kid may loosen so much she can’t hold her tail down, therefore it remains elevated. Usually that means the doe will kid within a day.

6. Mucus discharge

Some does may drip cloudy mucus starting a month or so before they kid. What you’re looking for, here, is a thick rope-like discharge of white or yellowish mucus dangling from the doe’s vaginal opening. In my experience, the doe will kid within about 12 hours.

7. Standoffish Behavior

The doe may stand apart from the rest of the herd and become uninterested in normal goat activities. If she decides she’d rather be outdoors, it’s time to move her to a prepared kidding stall to protect the kids from weather and to ensure they don’t get separated from the doe. The kids are likely to appear within a day.

8. Loss of Appetite

Most of the time a goat that is about to kid will stop eating on kidding day. A healthy doe, however, will continue to ruminate. Some of my does, most notably Bella, will eat right up until the moment they kid and even munch on hay in between giving birth to multiple kids.

9. Restless Behavior

As kidding time nears the doe will get restless. She will paw the ground and repeatedly lie down, then stand up. The doe may turn in circles or stretch and yawn. She may bite at her side. Expect her to kid during the next 24 hours.

10. Showing Affection

The doe may become extremely affectionate toward you. She may nicker when you approach and try to lick your hands and face, as if to practice licking her newborn.

11. Groaning or Grunting

When a doe lies down and starts straining and groaning, labor has started. She may bawl loudly with each contraction. Once she starts pushing, the first kid typically will appear within 30 to 45 minutes. While you wait, each minute will feel like an hour.

12. Broken Water Sac

Soon after the start of labor, the water sac will emerge. Do not break it. When it breaks on its own and fluid spills out, the next thing you should see are two tiny hooves with a little nose resting on top.

Some does give birth while standing up, others lie down. After the first kid is born, more kids may follow within about half an hour of each other.

Be ready to help, if needed, but don’t be quick to interfere. Most does kid just fine without human help.