- 1 doe due to freshen (kid)
- 1 pair of electric clippers with either a size 10 or 40 (or any size in between) blade, along with the clipper aid spray you usually use to keep your clippers cool.
- 1 helper
We clip our does about ten days prior to their kidding. We do this to aide in the clean up of the doe after she freshens as it can be messy, for obvious reasons. It also helps to be able to really feel the ligaments of the doe to pinpoint the day she will freshen. It is really not necessary to do a kidding clip. Your doe, and the babies, will be fine if you don't clip her. It is simply our preference to help keep the rear end area of our does more clean.
Similar to hoof trimming; you will need to secure the doe, either in a milking stanchion or have a helper hold her collar, during her prenatal hair cut. Care needs to be taken when asking to doe to jump up onto the stanchion, she may need a step or secure ramp to help her get up or you can lift her, but please use extreme caution and lift her legs only, without pressing her abdomen. You can feed her a small amount of grain (especially if she is not in the habit of getting grain) or you can provide her with hay. This will keep her mind off of what you are doing with her back half.
Clip the area from the tail to the hooves, including the underside and sides of the tail (like you would for the show ring), the doe's udder, and the insides of her hind legs, as shown below.
You will notice in the photo below, we actually trimmed above the doe's tail, nearly to her hip bones. This helps the ligaments to be more visible and easier for you to feel.
The ligaments feel like pencils. There is one on each side of her rump, they run parallel to her spine between her spine and her thurls. The ligaments will begin to soften a few days prior to the doe giving birth. When they have softened to the point that you can not feel them at all, or barely, the doe should have her babies within 24 hours. It takes practice to feel the change and sometimes even a few kidding seasons to really learn how to feel them. Don't give up or get frustrated, just keep trying to feel them during the last 10 days of the doe's gestation and over time you will become a pro at knowing just about when your doe(s) will give birth. Remember all goats are different. Some does will "lose their ligaments" a few hours prior to delivering their babies but others will "lose them" as far as 24 hours prior to kidding. It is best to keep tract of the days of gestation too. Most goats deliver their babies between 145 and 155 days of gestation.
Here are a couple really good links to visit:
https://fiascofarm.com/goats/prenatalcare.html
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-tell-when-your-goat-will-kid.html
Most goats have no problem having their babies but, it is a very good idea to establish a relationship with a veterinarian, who treats goats, prior to needing him or her. Have their phone number near by, just in case.
