How to determine the pregnancy of a goat: signs and methods at home

Beginning goat breeders often face the problem of how to determine the onset of pregnancy in a goat. Sometimes it is not possible to take the animal to the veterinary clinic for an ultrasound scan. The computer scan method shows the fetus in the middle of the term. Therefore, a wide range of methods are used in folk practice: from palpation to checking with a female express pregnancy test. But not all methods are reliable.

Signs of a goat's catness

Pregnancy in goats is called pregnancy, sukoznost, sukotnost or kotnost, and lasts, on average, 5 months. Childbirth can begin 5 days earlier or later than the calculated date.Signs appear in the third or fourth week from the day of covering, goat mating. Therefore, it is important to mark this date on the calendar. You can learn about the short term frailty by observing the behavior and appearance of the animal. But this method of definition is not reliable. Changes in the body of goats are individual and do not always occur.

Appearance

Visual changes in the appearance of a female goat:

• body size increase;
• udder swelling.

A few days after mating, hard balls form at the top of the udder. In the second half of pregnancy, the udder is poured. At a later date, the fetus begins to move, and the goat groans. Bodyliness is not always reflected in appearance. Sometimes only a rounded, slightly lowered belly indicates pregnancy. An unexpressed sign remains the only one throughout the entire period, so breeders remain in the dark until the very birth.

Goat size also increases with obesity, which is mistaken for pregnancy.

Change in the genitals

In non-succulent goats, the genital loop is narrow, the part under the tail is wrinkled. After fertilization, wrinkles are smoothed out, and the loop is filled. At an early stage, wrinkling still remains, but swelling is clearly visible. At a later stage, the loop becomes smooth. The vagina swells and turns pink at 10-12 weeks.

To see the differences, you need to examine the goat before coating. Experienced breeders are even advised to take pictures. According to the observations of farmers in a goat, after a successful cover, the hungry hole disappears. The sign is clearly visible at a later date, but not always immediately after fertilization. Not all goats with a swollen noose lost the fossa. Therefore, it is more reliable to determine the early gestational age by examining the loop.

Behavior

The calf goat begins to stretch like a cat, stretching its back and hind legs. She shows caution where there were no barriers before: she does not jump onto the roof, over the fence. The animal is frightened by sharp sounds. Appetite increases during succulence.

Behavior is also not a reliable sign, since even pregnant goats often retain their usual activity. Caution appears at the first sukoznost, and at the subsequent animals feel more confidence. If 22 days after covering the goat did not come into the hunt, then fertilization has occurred. If she is ready to mate after 1.5 months, then the pregnancy is false.

How to determine the pregnancy of a goat at home

It is important to determine the early pregnancy in order to start the goat in time - to stop milking.During pregnancy, the forces of the body are directed to the formation of the fetus. Milk is needed to feed the goats. The body of a goat that was milked during pregnancy is depleted. Her bones become brittle from a lack of calcium, and her milk is low in nutrients. The goats grow weak. Therefore, starting or pausing milking saves animal he alth.

Experienced goat breeders prefer not to start a goat unless pregnancy is definitely established. Without milking milk gradually disappears. Milking a goat again is next to impossible.

Milking is gradually stopped a month and a half before birth. A suitable time is also calculated according to the calendar, counting the days from coverage and focusing on the expected date of delivery. During this time, farmers confirm or refute the identity of the goats in various ways.

With the help of a goat (reflexological method)

The method is suitable for determining pregnancy in the third week after mating. The goat is brought to the goat and their behavior is monitored. If the animals are indifferent to each other, then the pregnancy has come.

If the goat is not covered from the last time, after 3 weeks it will come into heat again. Readiness for mating will be manifested by bleating, reddening of the loop. The female may eat more than usual or refuse to eat. The disadvantage of the method is that the behavior of the goat is not indicative. The male can even jump on a succulent female. But with a typical reaction, checking with a goat allows you to reliably determine pregnancy at a short time.

Palpation

3 months after mating, pregnancy is checked by palpation. Experienced goat breeders probe the number of kids in the offspring. On palpation, the pulse and movement of the cubs are felt, and a heartbeat is heard through the phonendoscope.

To determine if a goat is a cat, you need to put both hands on her stomach a little above the udder. Feel the movement of the goats will not work right away. Sometimes breeders have to wait 40 minutes. You need to feel the goat while sitting, listen carefully to the sensations.The kids move in waves, but barely noticeable.

A pregnant goat tenses her stomach when her hand is placed on it and interferes with examination. In order for her to relax her muscles, you need to take her by the "scruff" - by the skin at the withers.

Change in milk yield

The goat's vitality, combined with cautious behavior, indicates an increase in the amount of milk. The change is especially noticeable after the state of hunting, in which milk yield decreases and behavior becomes restless. A female goat gives thicker milk. It settles on the walls of the dishes. The amount of calcium in milk increases.

Rectal examination

The method helps to determine the number of cats in the third month.

How the examination is done:

• through the anus insert the index finger to the full length;
• point slightly up and to the left, then to the right.

During pregnancy, the pulsation of the pelvic artery that feeds the uterus is felt in the rectum. The longer the term, the more it swells.

Folk ways

In private farms, milk is sold. In order not to launch goats in vain and not to lose a valuable product due to a mistake, breeders, along with visual inspection and palpation, use several "chemical" methods for determining sucrose early.

With milk

Sucocity is easiest to determine by milk. But the method is only suitable for goats that have already brought kids.

For analysis you will need:

• milk;
• a glass of clean water;
• syringe without needle or pipette.

How to tell if a goat is fat:

• draw some milk into a syringe or pipette;
• drop into water.

The milk of a pregnant goat is heavy and will sink to the bottom. On the surface there will be circles from drops, and in the middle the water will be transparent. Regular milk clouds the water evenly throughout.

The test helps to determine pregnancy, both at a monthly period and 3 days after coverage. Some breeders believe that dietary habits and water hardness can make the result unreliable. Even the temperature difference between water and milk can make a difference, so liquids should be at the same room temperature. But as an additional way to check it can be used, and check the milk from time to time.

Using soda

For home lab analysis you will need:

• morning goat urine - 0.5 cup;
• soda - 1 teaspoon.

Soda is poured into the urine and the reaction is observed. The hissing of the solution means that the goat is not covered, and the precipitation without hissing is sukotny.

Iodine test

The study also requires goat urine collected in the morning. To check, you need to drop iodine into the biological fluid. A drop remaining on the surface means thinness. If iodine mixed with urine and sank to the bottom of the glass, pregnancy did not occur.

Litmus test

For analysis, white sheets of A4 paper are cut into strips.

Analysis method:

• dip test paper in urine;
• drop iodine on top.

Test positive if urine turns purple. Blue means no pregnancy.

Laboratory and veterinary methods

Analysis in a veterinary clinic is done in the early and middle stages of pregnancy. There are several reliable laboratory methods. But they also have disadvantages, and some are difficult to implement in a barn: Method of carrying out and interpretation

Features Blood testWith reagents determine the level of sex hormones. Considered positive when elevated progesterone is detected.Applied 17-20 days after mating. Made only in the laboratory. Shows the presence of the fetus from the 30th day of pregnancy. It is possible to examine the animal with a portable scanner without transporting it to the veterinary clinic. goat urine is added with a mixture of reagents. Darkening of the solution means thinness.

		The result is not reliable in case of false pregnancy.
Cervical mucus examination	When examining the cervix mucus is sampled, mixed with distilled water in the laboratory and brought to a boil. Pregnancy is indicated by mucus precipitation. In the absence of fertilization, the liquid will become uniformly turbid.	Gives accurate results one month after coverage. The examination should be carried out under sterile conditions with a gynecological mirror. Thus, the presence of the fetus and the number of kids are established.
Applied from the 15th day after coating. It is convenient for use in a large farm, as the animals do not need to be taken to the clinic. Gives reliable results. The principle of operation is similar to folk analysis, but instead of iodine, the test contains boric acid.

Sometimes breeders use a female pregnancy test. The test strip shows the reaction of antibodies to the hormone gonadotropin, which is found in humans and animals. Opinions about the reliability of the results also differ, as in the case of drops of milk in water.

Signs of a false pregnancy

The state of false gestation is accompanied by the usual signs, swelling of the loop and udder. The goat's milk is heavy. But after a while, she comes to hunt. Therefore, the only sign is readiness for mating in the middle of the term.

Often hunting during pregnancy is explained by the fact that the embryo has resolved. But such a judgment is erroneous and contrary to the laws of biology.

The fetus is not resorbed, but may come out prematurely. Goats often lose their fetus in one of two periods:

• on the 8th-10th day - when the shell dissolves and the egg adapts to nutrition with uterine secretion;
• on the 20th-22nd day - when the embryo is implanted and the transition to nutrition through the placenta.

The endocrine system of goats does not respond to the loss of the fetus and continues to produce hormones. In some cases, a false pregnancy lasts 5 months and even ends in childbirth. But instead of goats, liquid comes out. This state is called hydrometer.

Goats are polycyclic animals, with a pronounced period of sexual activity. If pregnancy does not occur, the hunt ends with hormonal changes and its repetition. With a hormonal failure, the period does not restart. At the same time, formations remain on the ovaries - persistent or yellow bodies. They secrete progesterone, which is found in blood and milk.

The abdomen enlarges due to the production of watery secretions by the uterus. Since the cervix is closed, up to three liters of fluid accumulate inside. Only ultrasound will help detect a false pregnancy.

Disappearance of signs after 1-2 months indicates that the breeder is faced with false pregnancies. For repeatedly pregnant goats, this reaction of the body is normal. After the next mating, they become truly fertile. Pathology is suspected if the body of the animal is deceived regularly. In this case, you need to contact your veterinarian.

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