Things You'll Need:
- Large shelter, good lighting, a clock, patience.
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Step 1
Purchase a pregnant Myotonic Fainting goat to love as a family pet. It's OK if you are unsure of her due date. As you become familiar with your pet you will know when she is getting close to her time. Make sure she is fed plenty of alfalfa through her pregnancy of one hundred fifty days. Avoid any more than one handful of COB (corn, oats, barley which is commonly referred to as grain and sold in fifty pound bags at feed stores)which puts unnecessary amounts of weight on the kids, making them more difficult to deliver for the doe. Alfalfa, a Sweetlix Meet Maker salt block, unlimited amounts fresh clean water, and lots of love from you are all your girl needs to get her through pregnancy.
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Step 2
Sit with her daily, just watch her graze, nap, play. Become familar with her behavior. Notice how she moves and how she looks. You'll soon be able to see and hear slight changes in her behavior and her body as her pregnancy progresses closer to her time of labor and delivery. You may notice her belly increase in size only a week or two before delivery. What to really watch is her udder which will increase in size, becoming larger as she gets closer to labor. A few hours before she kids you will notice her udder looks noticeably larger than it did just hours before. It will look full, maybe even tight. Watch her close at this point. She may loose her mucus plug, a thick whitish buggery looking thing comming out of her back end where the kids will exit her body. If she does pass this and it looks long, hanging down to the ground, it's good to give her space but watch her closely from a distance where you can monitor her progress. You will see her remove herself from the herd. She's looking for privacy. If she is a first-time mother she will be unsure of what is happening to her body as she feels the pains of labor. Look into her eyes. Notice how she is in a daydreamy state. She knows what is going on around her but is distracted by how her body is feeling. Some does try to carry on as normal and continue eating as labor progresses. Others will stand with their head pushed againts the wall.
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Step 3
Move your pregnant Myotonic to a sheltered area with good lighting away from other members of the herd. This area needs to be large enough for you to fit inside with her if she needs assistance during delivery of her kids. We use lambing jugs, four feet long and four feet wide panels of wood held together at the corners by eye hooks and rebar. Make sure she can see out at her eye-level so she does not feel trapped and try to jump out. Put your doe in the lambing jug with a little alfalfa and freah water. When she starts laying dow, standing up, hoofing the groung (nesting) she's getting ready to start pushing. Make sure she has something to push her back hoofs against. The wall of the lambing jug works well or you can hold your hand next to her hoof while she is on her side pushing. Having something to push against makes progress of delivery quicker. If all goes well you'll see the nose and two front hoof of a kid with 30 minutes of pushing.
