For miniature goats, like Nigerian Dwarf goats which can average up to about 60 or 70 lbs for a typical adult, a doe should be at least 60-70% of that (around 40 lbs) before you allow her to breed. Attractive and desirable coloring is sought after by many buyers and recognized by many goat show judges. Signs of heat can be wagging the tail, mounting other does, letting other does mount her, fighting, clear (wet or dried) mucosal discharge from her vagina, or yelling (bleating) for no reason. If she comes into heat, then you can place her with a buck to be bred. On the other hand "line breeding" is generally considered okay. A mammal (from Latin mamma 'breast') is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (/ m m e l i. /).Mammals are characterized by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones.These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, which they diverged from in the Carboniferous . A common age for breeding is between 10 and 12 months. With AI you don't have to deal with the bucks. And since spring is only 2-3 months long (where I live that is) and rabbit gestation is around a month, that really only leaves time for 1, maybe 2, breedings. There is no reason to wait this long. Also, you don't want the apron so short that it doesn't cover the goats genitals, or so long that it drags the ground. Many goat owners do not attempt to breed doelings until they are at least 80% of their adult weight. When a buck and doe actually "do the deed", if you blink you might miss it. However, sometimes it may not be practical for you to keep bucks separated. While I'm addressing dairy goats in this . After that, if you "think" she got bred, and she doesn't come into heat again, you can calculate her estimated kidding (delivery) date (or range of dates) in the future and write it down. As we were taking care of those three, we were totally surprised and caught off-guard when a fourth suddenly shot out. You must log in or register to reply here. You have a little more control over when you'll have babies. Some are more reliable than others. Prepare vaccine with proper dosage and 20 gauge needle. This involves holding the doe with your hands, or on a lead, so she can't run away and the buck can have a chance to mount her. Let's take a look at the answers to both of those questions. Weaning baby goats, also called kids, off milk can be a difficult and Before we focused on planned goat breeding, we had several Nigerian Dwarf kids born during Winter snowstorms back when we lived in Virginia. You'll want to get familiar with goat breeding-related terminology as well. The doe can be bred when she has reached 60 percent to 70 percent ofthe averageadult weight for her breed (80 pounds for an averageBoer doe for example). However, a better practice requires breeding adults who have achieved 70% to 75% of their mature weight. Welcome! However, as we discussed earlier, this would not be good. Goat Management (Dairy, Meat, Record Keeping), http://www.extension.org/pages/19565/goat-reproduction, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons. If you choose to "retire" your doe at some point, you will need to keep her away from bucks for the rest of her life. When he mounts a doe to breed her, the crayon leaves a colored mark on her back. I suppose I'd think twice before breeding, say, a 10 or 11 year old. Dairy goats are usually seasonal breeders. A buck apron is a weighted apron that hangs around your buck's waist, held in place by a girth strap, and the apron gets in the way when he tries to breed a doe. Goats wag their tails frequently while they're eating or playing around. Full-size dairy goats can be bred when they reach 8 months (or 80 lbs.) So, to the question of at what age should you stop breeding your female goats, we say: If your 10 year old doe is active and healthy, then you can continue to breed her. A goat kid of either sex can be fertile at 7 weeks of age (though they should not be bred at that age). Nutrition during goat breeding season is critical. "Buck" and "Doe" are considered the technically correct terms. Nannies have gestation periods of 150 days. Best of all - it's simple and all fits on one page! Disclosure. Bucks can be very determined when they want to breed, but a sturdy woven wire fence with electric wires on the top and sides will do the trick. Because line breeding is generally acceptable, and farms that use inbreeding tend to keep it quiet (especially when things go wrong), goat farmers pass around an old tongue-in-cheek saying that says, "It's called line breeding if it works, and it's called inbreeding if it doesn't.". Even though you are looking at the age or days to wean goats you should also focus on the weight of weaning goats. The fist reason that I separate my bucks from my does is that a buckling can breed very early. Surprisingly, there is usually minimal pain for the goat (treatable at the start with some medication) and it's usually not as big of a deal as you might think it would be. Some Nubians will breed year-round. The process of pregnancy, birth and nursing takes a lot out of the doe and she needs some time for her body to rest and recuperate before beginning the process again. Not only that, people have found that if you retire your doe after she reaches about 10 years of age, it can increase her lifespan to 20 years or longer. Some people refer to "hand breeding" when they hold the doe with their hands so the buck can mount her. An alternative, if you plan to do a lot of goat pregnancy tests, is to invest in the equipment and training so you can do it yourself. You can get a vet to draw the blood. If you use this method, the buck and doe should ideally be left together 40 to 45 days which includes heat cycles. Many people have reported a lot of success using a buck apron from House of Bacchus. For really small kids that were just born, we sometimes hang them in a little harness hanging from a spring scale on the ceiling to get a more accurate weight. Some of the typical signs of a doe being in heat are A "buck rag" is created by taking a rag, rubbing it all over a buck, then keeping it in a jar and using it to help does come into heat. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they are eating their solid food and not losing too much weight. Physical Characteristics. The main thing is to keep a close eye on your buck's health and his nutrition during periods of breeding. You just need a blood sample from your doe and you can send it off to a lab to test for pregnancy. This squirts the supplements directly into her throat so she can't spit them back out. Whatever method you use to stop your goats from breeding, the main point is for you to stay in control of the process. (source), Goat kids need to have plenty of forage, or roughage, in their diets. Bucks are funny when they're in rut. If you encounter this problem, just try leaving the buck and doe together for an extended period of time in a smaller pen where it will be harder for the doe to run away. As you can imagine, with everything else going on, it can be difficult to track all things happening with your goats, especially as you get more goats. There are some better ways to test for pregnancy. At first, we were pleased to see two come out. but it would depend on how long and how well I know the doe and if she can handle it. If the testicles are too large for that, and you need to castrate the goat, you'll need to have a veterinarian do it surgically. These goats have what is often referred to as a "Roman nose" because their muscle is long and convex. Most goats breed easily when they are put together. It's easy to weigh a goat kid on a scale. Okay, lets jump right into answering those common goat breeding questions and helping you get ready for your goat's breeding season. When he is 2 years old, heshould be able toservice 25 does ata time. Some diseases can be serious and can wipe out an entire herd quickly. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Breeding only takes a few seconds for the buck. Just be careful - it will accentuate bad qualities also. Several factors play into when a young doeling will be ready to conceive. Most species of does are pregnant from 145 to 152 days. JavaScript is disabled. to be weaned and prepare for the journey ahead. How do you stop the mean goat? Another way to detect goat pregnancy is with a blood test. A big problem with this is that it creates a condition called "Urine Scald". Then, I pick up the goat, step on the scale and measure the weight of myself and the goat together. Regardless of which method you choose, your goat kid should be living in a weaning pen, away from their moms or the bottle, within a short period of time. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. This is important so you can calculate approximate kidding due dates on your calendar so you can be prepared. The key is to understand the different types of revenue that can be earned with goats, and to focus on one ore more of those income sources to specialize in. So, if a doe must be at least 135 pounds to meet the breed standards, a doeling would need to be at least 110 pounds to be considered fit for breeding. So you will want to give your goats a supplement like "BoSe" which is a prescription Selenium/Vitamin E injection. Goat breeding is a subject you definitely need to understand if you're new to raising goats. This doesn't mean that they should be bred, but it's definitely possible for him to get his sister and mother pregnant, so it's important to remove bucks from females at 7 weeks old! It's also tough when you add the time to wean, bottle feed and care for so many kids in such a short period. It may be better to control your goat breeding to stagger the anticipated kiddings at different times. However, it's fairly common for a Nigerian Dwarf doe to deliver 3 or 4 kids, and sometimes 5. Test for CAEV. Goat kids can fall prey to dehydration quickly if they run out of water. The ewe carries the lambs for about 5 months before they are born. To help make your life less stressful, we've created an easy-to-use "Goat Breeding/Kidding Record Form" which you can download for free. However, you will want to stop milking and dry her up about 2 months before she freshens and kids again in order to let her body rest and recuperate. 2. A doe can reach puberty and be ready to conceive in as little as 4 to 12 months of age. stressful task. Does that are bred too early may haveproblems during kidding (dystocia kidding difficulty), and/or their future reproductive performance may be harmed. Also, her uterus and birth canal may not be large enough to deliver kids. . When choosing goats for breeding, your decisions will depend on what your purposes are for your herd. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It's not unusual for a buck in rut to pee in his mouth, or on his face or beard, in a attempt to impress the does. Bucks can breed, but they also take on some problematic behaviors that might not be a good fit for your setup. I know that sounds early, but it's totally possible! Coccidiosis is a dangerous and often fatal sickness in goats and needs to be caught early or prevented if possible. Those terms can be used, but are considered slang. In fact, many goat breeders may have only one buck which breeds with dozens of does. It's usually more of a challenge to keep them from breeding, than to get them started breeding. Yearling kids may be bred in the first year at 7-10 months of age, depending on breed, if they have grown well to about 80 lb. One of the main suppliers of quality buck aprons is the House of Bacchus Goat Supplies where they sell the Bacchus Johnson Shield (anti-breeding goat apron). The female goat is called a doe or nanny. Up to the age of 12 months, she is sometimes referred to as a doeling. The doe can reach puberty between 4 to 12 months of age, depending on the breed, season of birth, level of feeding/nutrition, and overall health status. Breeding Age. Lambs typically weigh around 9 pounds when they are born. oh good idea cause horses and goats are good companions definitely! You can then apply a formula to those numbers to arrive at a pretty good approximation of their weight. With the exception of the fryers, aged animals here become weed wackerskeeping the fence line clear is an important job. That's what I thought. Goat kids should be weaned when their birth weight increases to a specific amount, usually sometime between 2 and 3 months old. Then, you measure the goat's length, from the "point of shoulder" back to the goat's "pin bone" near the tail. Simply put, a wether goat is a male goat that has been castrated already. Regardless, it's not ideal and should generally be avoided. Sometimes this can occur when they are raised in pens and don't get enough natural "browse" to eat. As mentioned before, attempt to look at the buck's mother and grandmother to check out their dairy qualities such as udder, teats, orifice size, etc. A 35-day breed-back schedule is recommended. the key elements to successfully transitioning a young goat off milk and onto Like many other animals, humans included, goats have their own mating rituals. If a doe rejects a kid, then the baby goat will require bottle feedings and can be removed from the mom immediately. Miniature goats can be bred at 7-8 months (or 45 lbs.) Age of your goats matters. Do the right and humane thing. This allows us to grow our herd faster, while avoiding inbreeding. (giving birth). Also, the water trough should be short enough for the young goats to reach, but not so short that they can trip into the trough. Never let your goats do everything whatever they wish and don't allow them to think that 'they are above you in the herd's pecking order'. The great thing about an ultrasound is that it can sometimes detect how many kids are going to be born. This can help you keep records of approximately when certain goats were bred, and which goats were involved. (Never did figure that one out since you can board your horses and still show them. By using this to record breeding and kidding details, you won't forget which doe bred with which buck, when they bred, when kids are expected, when kids actually arrived, how many kids were born, which ones were male or female and what challenges, problems or other special circumstances you encountered with your doe's kidding that you want to remember for next time. Of course, retirement meant they went to live out their remaining years being bred each year but only to raise their kids. Goats live an average of 8-14 years, depending on breed. On our farm, we recently had one of our Nigerian Dwarf does deliver four kids at once. Without a smart goat breeding strategy, things can go horribly wrong. (source). Just be sure you have extra people around to help. This gives you the approximate weight of the goat. Young male goats, also known as bucklings, will grow up to be bucks. In other words, it's a form of goat birth control. If you want to be safe, it's suggested that you skip a doe's first breeding season, and plan to start having her first kids with the second breeding season, to be sure she has reached her full adult growth potential first. Of course, in that case your herd can get out of control. Usually about 6-12 inches tall is ideal. Ewes usually give birth to either one or two lambs at a time. The amount of time can differ depending on the breed. If given earlier than 3 months, animals should be re-vaccinated at 4-6 months of age). As the photoperiod, or day length, gets longer, less sperm is made and moreabnormal sperm cells are found in the semen. Other goat owners believe that allowing a young doe to go so long before breeding is a bad thing. Day length has an effect on reproduction in the buck and the doe. Estrus, or heat, is the period in which the doe will stand and allow the buck to breed her. When breeding goats, you will need very few bucks, and a larger number of does. Domesticated goats are descended . and are of good size and condition. You will want to introduce them to the pen and possibly let them live there with their mother or other goats they are comfortable with, for a few weeks. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. A much cheaper option for larger goats that are hard to lift is to use a goat "Weigh Tape" or a regular measuring tape. There are three popular methods for wethering goats; 1) surgically, 2) burdizzo, or 3) banding: Surgically wethering goats is done by physically cutting and has the disadvantage of leaving an open wound. She will usually get pregnant the second time. If their mother is still producing milk, there is a chance they will regress and start drinking the milk again. Be sure to write down their birth weight to establish the baseline that you will use to monitor their growth going forward. They attain puberty after 4 to 5 months of their birth. Access Goat Breeding Resources. Kiko goats are pregnant for 155 days. A doe can often reach the safe goat breeding weight by around 8 months old or so. Lift the skin (in the armpit of the goat) into a tent. This will help ready them for the weaning stage. So only do line breeding with a buck that is high quality and has few or no bad characteristics. You are using an out of date browser. The answer is "No". Acidity. If a goat is determined for the butcher, you can castrate baby goats as soon as it is one week old. Many bucks have been able to actually breed a doe through the openings in a fence and get her pregnant. at 7 we would stop, take them to the sale or keep a few favs and put out to pasture to retire. One exception is the Nubian breed. This crayon is a big thick rectangular piece of crayon. Research suggests that the ideal weaning time is not a date but actually a weight. If the goat's weight is below 24 pounds or you should have at least 20 pounds to stop weaning. It's usually best to keep the apron design simple, with a single strap. Coffee's Ready, Come and Sit on the Porch, Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey, Member's "Self Sufficient Living" Journals. The weaning process is meant to be gradual, not a sudden switch overnight, if possible. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. But, as I mentioned before, you may decide to use a larger number of bucks if you want more genetic diversity in your herd. A normal heat cycle is 21 days, but the actual range is more like 18 to 25 days. When I feed our bucks and they come near me, I almost have to hold my nose, and I move out of the way so their nasty faces don't touch my clothing. Many goat owners recommend weaning goat kids between 2 and 3 months old. Goat kids that are being weaned may lose weight in the days immediately following separation from their milk. Breeds & Breeding - Goats . At our farm, we raise Nigerian Dwarf goats, and the weigh tape procedure isn't accurate for miniature goats like these. You can have too many kiddings to handle properly, and with kids being born at bad times (eg, during the freezing cold of Winter) So how do you keep goats from breeding? Does should never be housed with bucks on a regular basis. Goats can generate milk from about 18 months throughout adulthood and far into their senior years. This Breeding/Kidding Record Form includes sections where you can record all of those things. 3. Consider adding minerals and vitamins, from sources such as black oil sunflower seeds ("BOSS"). Also, don't be fooled into thinking a young buckling can be left with your doe and won't get her pregnant. You can tell it's goat breeding season just by watching your goats. You can expect anywhere from 1-2 quarts of milk each day. Colostrum provides baby goats with the immunity they will need to survive during the first months of their lives. The process of weaning, along with the kids weight and age, will play significant roles in its ability to fight off illnesses and thrive well into adulthood. Dec 15, 2017. We gradually increase this period of separation until we're ready to wean. Nannies give birth, usually to a single offspring, after moving to an isolated ledge; post-partum, they lick the baby dry and ingest the placenta. This is normal and will fade with time. What age do yo normally stop breeding your does and what do you do with them when they are to old? Insert the needle under the skin into the tent, toward the body. If the goat is older than 5 weeks using a knife will cause less bleeding. Once they reach 2-3 weeks of age, we start allowing the mother goats out to forage for a few hours each day, keeping the babies safe in their enclosure. This can actually be beneficial, and is used by some herd owners to accentuate certain desirable qualities in their goats. A downside of an anti-mating apron for goats is that the apron can move around and sometimes the buck may be able to get around it and still breed. If you're not careful about this, the results can be heartbreaking. If a doe has given birth to one or more kids, you should not breed her with a buck right away, even though she can get pregnant. Most breeding occurs in late summer through early winter. We were elated when the third popped out. Most goat breeders are careful to make sure they don't miss the chance to breed a doe during estrus, especially if they raise Alpine breeds that only breed during the goat breeding season. However, many goat owners do find the need to give does supplements before breeding. This means they can breed year-round! Does experience estrus or come into heat about every 18-22 days during that . Nutrient Requirements. For does, it's been determined that a lack of proper nutrition can actually decrease a doe's chances of becoming pregnant. The burdizzo method crushes the spermatic cord. Remember, there may be a short period immediately following weaning where the kid may lose a little weight due to the shock of weaning. The best time for a baby goat to leave its mom while still being safe and healthy is between two and three months old, or when the baby goat has reached 2.5 to 3 times its birth weight.