12 Signs A Goat Is In Labor (What To Look For!)

If you have goats yourself, it’s quite the experience to help birth your goats whenever they’re ready.

It’s a surreal experience that makes being a goat owner such a rewarding and jovial experience.

Regardless, if you’re hoping to learn about potential signs of your goat going into labor, you’re in the right place.

We’re going to highlight several key signs your goat is in labor.

Keep in mind, any of these signs can mean something else, but if they’re experiencing more than one of these signs, they’re most likely going into labor.

Also, be mindful that only female goats can go into labor and there needs to be a male goat present to actually impregnate them.

If you don’t have a female goat or a male goat near your female goat, realize there is most likely something else going on.

Either way, be sure to reach out to another goat farmer or vet for help on the matter.

Nevertheless, let’s get started!

Pushing Motions

Similar to humans, the most common example of a goat going into labor has to do with pushing motions.

Whenever any animal feels something protruding from their stomach, it makes sense for them to do natural pushing motions.

This is the main labor example that typically only has to do with the goat being in labor.

Your goat may have something more severe going on with their stomach which is why they’re doing it, but this isn’t the norm.

If your goat is lying down and giving a multitude of pushing notions like they’re in labor, then they more than likely are in labor.

Just try to make sure you’re near them to calm them down.

 

Behavior Change

As you can expect with a goat going into labor, a big behavior change accompanies the entire process.

Just about everything in a goat’s body goes through massive changes while they’re pregnant, meaning it’s more than likely possible for them to exude some behavior changes with the matter.

Keep in mind, that behavior changes can mean a lot of things.

For example, if your goat is sick, they can develop an odd behavior pattern.

The same can be said for anxiety.

Goats get anxious from time to time, making it more likely for them to change as a result.

Either way, look for other signs if your goat is showing behavior changes.

 

Eating Changes

Although eating changes might fall under the category of behavior changes, it’s different enough that it’s worth highlighting.

Often at times, when goats are pregnant, they feel so drastically different than normal that they end up eating less or more as a result.

Be very mindful of how your goat eats, even when nothing seems to be wrong.

Having a good idea of your goat’s eating patterns can help you identify whenever an issue arises and what you should do about it.

Seeing as this is such a critical area to highlight with any animal, do what you can to help monitor the matter.

You don’t need to monitor your goats 24/7, just be aware of how they’re eating.

 

Overly Vocal

If you’ve been around goats for a long time, then you know how relaxed they naturally are.

Although goats can get startled when they’re trying to sleep, they’re usually fairly quiet animals.

Thus, if your goat is being overly vocal, there’s most likely something more severe going on.

Although it’s not always the case, sometimes when female goats are being vocal, it’s because they’re going into labor.

Goats lack the cognitive ability to know what’s going on when they’re going into labor, so it’s up to to us decipher whatever is going on.

Still, realize this doesn’t mean they’re going into labor.

 

Restlessness

Restlessness is a significant issue that can plague just about any animal for a multitude of reasons.

When it comes to goats and pregnancy, restlessness typically pops up while they’re in the midst of their pregnancy.

Seeing as pregnancy is such a massive shift on the body, it can plague the body in so many ways.

Still, realize restlessness doesn’t guarantee that your goat is having a problem.

There are plenty of other areas of concern that could be the reason why your goat is having that specific issue.

Regardless, be sure to pay close attention to see what is going on and if there’s anything you can do to help.

 

Head Against the Wall

If you see your goat with their head against the wall, realize this typically means they’re minutes away before giving birth.

Goats tend to do this as a way to brace themselves for an upcoming contraction.

Try to calm them down since it can be quite a process for them to experience.

If you see your goat doing this, try to do what you can to ensure your goat isn’t hurting themselves by setting their head against a wall.

You never know how accidentally violent they can get with their head when something like this happens.

Just try to be there for them and that should be more than enough.

 

Stargazing

As odd as it sounds, many goats look to the sky in such a way that it looks like they’re tripping on LSD.

All joking aside, stargazing is a very common example of when a goat is in labor.

If this happens to be the case with your goat, double-check for other examples of when they’re in labor.

From there, try to comfort them and allow them the ability to properly give birth.

Although you can’t dive into the matter like a doctor with a patient, you can help rid their anxiety while they’re giving birth.

As difficult as this might seem, if you have a decent relationship with your goat, anything is possible.

 

Tail Ligaments Become Loose

Tail ligaments are located at the rear of a goat (hence the name).

If you’re behind your goat, the tail ligaments will form an upside-down V.

If your goat is pregnant or about to go into labor, the tail ligaments will begin to feel loose as a way to help push out the baby goat.

This might not happen right away, but it tends to occur closer to the delivery day.

Seeing as goats are pregnant for 150 days, it’s a long process before they give birth.

Still, realize the ligaments will become looser within this 150-day block, so definitely take a close examination at their tail ligaments to ensure everything is copacetic.

If you can manage to do that, you’ll be golden.

 

Your Goat is Developing an Udder

Similar to cows, whenever a goat is impregnated, they eventually begin to develop udders.

Now, if your goat has already given birth, it’s possible they already have udders.

If this is the case, then it’s challenging to tell if your goat is pregnant again or not.

Regardless, udders are an important sign of pregnancy with goats.

If your goat hasn’t had udders before but has them now, realize it’s because they’re pregnant.

There is no other reason why a goat would develop udders unless they’re pregnant.

I’m sure there are some random cases where they ended up not being pregnant but realize this isn’t normal.

 

Acting Odd Toward Their Belly

As touched upon earlier, whenever a goat is pregnant, they tend to act oddly toward their belly.

This is largely because goats don’t fully comprehend what’s going on with their body when they’re pregnant.

It’s not like how humans are, where we have a full slew of information at the tips of our fingertips.

Although the notion of acting oddly toward their belly is very broad, it’s relatively easy for goat owners to decipher what this means.

If this is the case with your goat, just make sure your goat isn’t doing anything harmful to themselves.

If you can manage to do that, everything should be fine.

 

Tail Ligaments Are Gone

In some instances, when a goat is about to give birth, their tail ligaments might be completely gone.

Although this isn’t as common as just having loose tail ligaments, it is possible for them to completely disappear.

If this is the case, realize it’s most likely that your goat is about to give birth.

 

Udders Are Hard

If you have a goat that already has udders, it can be challenging to tell if they’re pregnant since new udders are such an easy way to tell they’re pregnant.

However, if your goat has udders, realize the udders will most likely be hard if they’re about to give birth.

Either way, be sure to reach out to a local vet or goat expert for more help on the matter.