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Ligaments
 
Left: This doe is very close to kidding,
but is not quite ready yet. I am feeling for her "ligaments". The run
from the hips to pins down either side of the doe's spine down her rump.
My thumb and index finger are touching both ligaments. This doe still
has obvious ligaments. When a doe is either not close or even open (unbred),
they will feel like pencils under the skin. Very hard. When a doe is
getting close, but still has a few days to a few weeks to go, they'll
get softer, like rubber bands. They'll start off tight with just a
little movement, and slowly get softer and softer. They can even lose
one and still have the other or be so low you can only barely feel the
top of one. When she is ready to kid they will "disappear" completely.
The entire tail head area will be mush, just like the right picture.
This doe is overdue and ready to deliver. When the ligaments completely
disappear, then they generally kid within the next 24 hours. Most of
mine are about 12 hours from the time I notice the ligaments
disappearing. We do not leave a doe when the ligaments disappear. We
listen on the baby monitor and she is stalled in a birthing stall where
she can be watched via our cameras until she is ready to kid.
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Contredanse Kidding with
twins
   
This is Contredanse entering a contraction
(left), watch her tail in these photos. Her tail arches out away from
her body when not having a contraction. As a contraction approaches it
goes up and then curves up over her back. Some does show these signs,
others do not. Right you can see her getting ready to have a contraction
sitting like a dog.
  
Now we have a bubble. Most times a bubble
will precede the first kid. The bubble will normally rupture on its own.
I often break the bubble. This does not hurt the doe or kid, all it does
is make it easier for me to see what's coming when the kid is coming out
of the birth canal. After the bubble bursts it often can have nothing in
it or it may have a long stream of goop like the photo to the far right.
This means a baby is coming! Sometimes you'll see feet or other parts of
the kid. There can be a couple bubbles before the actual kid comes.
Contredanse kidded twins after the last picture was taken. Both
presented correctly and she needed no help at all delivering them. The
babies are SGM AZ Danse The Cha-Cha and Break Danser.
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