Goat Kidding Problems: When to Call the Vet

Normal Goat Kidding: What to Expect

Understanding what normal kidding looks like is the baseline you need before you can recognize a problem. Goat labor has three stages:

• Stage 1 (Early labor, 4–12 hours): The doe is restless, may paw the ground, grind her teeth, get up and down repeatedly, and vocalize. The cervix is dilating. You may see a clear mucus discharge. This is normal. Leave her alone unless she seems in extreme distress.
• Stage 2 (Active labor and delivery, 30 minutes to 2 hours): Visible pushing contractions. The water sac may appear at the vulva, followed by the kid. Normal presentation is front hooves first with the head resting on top, like a diver. Does usually deliver multiple kids within 30 minutes to an hour of each other.
• Stage 3 (Placenta expulsion, within 4–6 hours post-delivery): The placenta should pass within 4 to 6 hours after the last kid is born. Never pull on a retained placenta — call your vet if it has not passed within 12 hours.

Signs of Normal Labor That First-Timers Panic About

New goat owners often call their vet for things that are completely normal. Save the call for when it really matters:

• A doe yelling and pushing loudly during active labor — normal. Goats are vocal.
• Clear or slightly blood-tinged fluid at the vulva — normal amniotic fluid.
• A water sac that appears and then disappears — normal. It may break internally.
• A doe eating the placenta — normal and she should be allowed to do so if it does not present a choking risk.
• A kid that appears limp and wet immediately after birth — normal. Stimulate with vigorous towel rubbing.

When to Call the Vet: The Decision Points

Active Pushing for More Than 30 Minutes With No Kid

If a doe is in active second-stage labor — hard pushing contractions — and no kid or kid parts have appeared at the vulva after 30 minutes of sustained effort, call your vet. This indicates a malpresentation, a kid that is too large, or cervical failure to dilate. Do not wait 2 hours. Call at 30 minutes and be prepared to intervene.

A Kid Partially Delivered and Stuck

If hooves or a head are visible but the kid is not progressing, you may need to assist. This is a short window — a kid stuck with its head exposed begins suffocating quickly. If you have clean, lubricated hands and experience, you may assist gently. If not, call your vet while attempting gentle, steady traction synchronized with the doe's contractions. Never pull between contractions and never jerk.

Malpresentations You Should Know

A normal kid is front hooves first, nose on hooves. Deviations from this presentation cause problems:

• Head back (one or both legs forward but head turned sideways) — the head needs to be gently pushed back in and repositioned before delivery can proceed.
• One leg back — the missing leg must be cupped in your hand and brought forward before the kid can be delivered.
• Breech (tail first, legs back) — the most dangerous presentation. Delivery must be fast once started, or the kid will inhale fluid. The hind legs need to be brought forward and the kid delivered quickly.
• Upside-down presentation — the hooves are facing upward. The kid needs to be rotated.

If you have not worked with malpresentations before, call your vet as soon as you suspect one. Minutes matter.

Doe Has Been in Early Labor for More Than 12 Hours

A doe in obvious early labor (restless, grinding teeth, mucus discharge) for more than 12 hours without entering active pushing phase may have primary uterine inertia (the uterus is not contracting effectively) or cervical failure. Both require veterinary evaluation.

Kid Born Limp and Not Breathing After Stimulation

Rub the kid vigorously with a rough towel, clear the nose and mouth, and hold the kid briefly head-down to drain fluid. If the kid is still unresponsive after 60 seconds of this, it may be possible to resuscitate with chest compressions and breath delivered through the nostrils. Your vet can walk you through this on the phone. Some kids that appear stillborn do survive with aggressive stimulation.

Prolapsed Uterus Post-Kidding

A doe that passes what appears to be a large red mass from the vulva after kidding has a prolapsed uterus. This is an emergency. Keep the tissue clean and moist (apply a clean, damp cloth), prevent the doe from standing on the tissue, and call your vet immediately. This condition is life-threatening and requires immediate replacement under sedation and analgesia.

Doe Showing Signs of Toxemia Before or During Labor

Pregnancy toxemia (ketosis) in late-gestating does is a metabolic emergency. Signs include muscle tremors, teeth grinding, star-gazing (head thrown back), incoordination, and depression. Does carrying multiple kids are highest risk. Treatment is drenching with propylene glycol and veterinary-administered glucose in severe cases. A doe with toxemia that goes into labor is high-risk for both herself and the kids.

Preparing for Kidding Season

The best outcome during kidding is the result of preparation done weeks or months in advance:

• Confirm pregnancy and litter size via ultrasound at 45–60 days of gestation. Knowing a doe is carrying triplets or quads tells you to watch her more closely for pregnancy toxemia and to expect a longer, more complex labor.
• Maintain proper body condition score through late pregnancy. Does that are too thin are at risk for toxemia; does that are too fat have harder deliveries. Target BCS of 3.0–3.5 on a 5-point scale going into late gestation.
• Have your kidding kit ready. Clean towels, iodine for navel dipping, a bulb syringe, lubricant (OB lube or clean vegetable oil), a feeding tube and syringe for weak kids, colostrum or colostrum replacer, and your vet's number posted in the barn.
• Know your does' expected kidding dates. Gestation in goats is 145–155 days. Mark your calendar when does are bred.

Colostrum: The First Priority After Birth

Once a kid is on its feet and the immediate delivery is behind you, your priority is colostrum. Kids must receive colostrum within the first 2 hours of life to absorb the protective antibodies it contains. After approximately 24 hours, the gut closes and antibody absorption drops sharply. A kid that does not get adequate colostrum is immunologically vulnerable for its entire first month of life. If the doe is not producing or the kid is too weak to nurse, tube-feed or bottle-feed colostrum immediately.