I am sorry for your troubles. While I am not a goat expert, many animals are susceptible to reproductive diseases that may cause spontaneous abortion or premature births. There are vaccinations available for breeding stock--you should check with your vet. Another cause for miscarriage is moldy feed. Moldy feed, hay or straw should not be available to breeding stock to eat. Old feed should be cleaned out. There may be other nutritional causes, again, best checked by a vet. As far as your mothers dying, they could have died from a uterine infection caused from the aborted fetuses. After delivery, I would check all of my mothers for infection for several days after the birth by taking their temperature rectally. Any animal having an elevated temp would immediately go on antibiotics. Here's a tip on taking temps: Get a thermometer with an end that you can attach a string and a clip (if it isn't some sort of instant read thermometer). Then you can insert the thermometer and then clip the end to the tail or hair, thus not losing the thermometer in the bedding, etc. You can find out more specific information by having a post-mortem check done by your vet or local university. Good luck.

The problem could have been pregnancy toxemia. It occurs late in pregnancy and the symptoms sound alot like what you experienced. It is described in most goat books and I'm sure if you looked it up on-line you would get a better understanding of it.

I usually start my pregnant does on grain about a month before they are due to kid. Not a lot, but enough so when they do kid they don't get diarrhea from the increase in protein when I feed them twice daily with their grain and alfalfa. I also give them a CD&T shot about 3 weeks before their due date so the immunities can get transfered to the babies before they are born. The shot covers enterotoxemia and tetanus.

I am sorry for your loss and hope the rest of your kidding season goes along smoothly.

growernut'
I can sympathize with you we have for some ungodly reason lost 5 this year aborts we have a roudy bunch of boers though when you feed them hay there ramming each other.it seems i would notice one ram one in the side by that evening they was in labor like way to early.I'm guessing that's what's doing it.we have a herd of myatonic goats there pretty tame they do just fine. sorry about your luck.