(source). Southwestern Idaho. There is also some advantage to limiting births to once per year. Your goat can even deliver five or more. I'm not aware of cases where eight or more have been born alive, but it probably happened somewhere in the world, I'm sure. Body weight relative . stressful task. However, goats have also been known to safely deliver septuplets (seven kids) on more than one occasion. That can lead to genetic problems, deformities and deaths. You may also notice her making lots of noise, and her tail "flagging" (rapidly waving back and forth). 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. We had one buck that was so desperate he tried to scale over a really high electric fence, got stuck and almost broke his leg. Weaning age varies greatly in goat breeds. A doe can reach puberty and be ready to conceive in as little as 4 to 12 months of age. However, those numbers are considered somewhat rare. . Keep in mind that Mother Nature never follows an exact calendar or clock. They are in the buck's hair. In about ten minutes or so the bleeding will stop and the goat will up and moving again. Generally in normal condition, a goat can survive for about 12 to 14 years. To combat the stress that your goat kid will inevitably face during weaning, studies show that you should wait to wean until their weight increases to at least 2.5 times their initial weight at birth. A small decline was noted in 1983 as cows aged from 8 to 10 years of age. (source). If you're still doubtful about breeding goats, you don't need to worry much about the specific goat breeding age. A buckling should probably not be castrated before he's 10 weeks old, or you may increase the risk he could have problems with urinary calculi (occurs when his urethra gets blocked and the pee can't get out), which can be fatal. How do you stop the mean goat? This allows us to grow our herd faster, while avoiding inbreeding. Regardless of which breeds you select, there are certain general rules you will need to remember when breeding your goats. 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. The nutrient requirements of bucks, young goats and does with a high . The more kids a doe conceives and carries to full term, the greater chance the doe and/or the kids may have serious health complications or the kids may be stillborn. Some Nubians will breed year-round. If you miss one heat, there will be another one coming around again shortly. 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. 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. Nutrition during goat breeding season is critical. Just be patient. Inbreeding is mating between direct family members such as father-daughter, brother-sister, etc. Kids weigh a little over 3 kg (7 lb) at birth and begin to run and climb (or attempt to do so) within hours. Age at onset can vary between breeds and is influenced by environmental factors, such as the season of birth, breed, and nutritional status. Doelings (female goats) are generally ready to breed at 8-12 months of age. This crayon is a big thick rectangular piece of crayon. To decide when to do your goat breeding, determine the ideal kidding time you want to aim at. This will help ready them for the weaning stage. This means that healthy does may breed and have kids for 10 or more years. We gradually increase this period of separation until we're ready to wean. I thinking for future reference. Following the birth, it is usual for the ewe and lamb to be placed in a small pen for a few days away from the flock. It's easy to weigh a goat kid on a scale. If you do that, you will never know when they are being bred, so you will never know when kids are coming so you can be prepared. Ram lambs (7-12 months) should be used at the same coverage rate (3-4%) during the fall breeding season and used . Estrus, or heat, is the period in which the doe will stand and allow the buck to breed her. We keep bucks because there is a risk of bringing diseases into your herd any time you allow contact between your goats and the goats of another herd. Weaning a goat kid too early or In other words, use a buck that has more desirable characteristics and conformation than the goats you already have. Breeding Age. Some people refer to "hand breeding" when they hold the doe with their hands so the buck can mount her. It's also a good idea to aim at cooler months rather than hotter months. You can expect anywhere from 1-2 quarts of milk each day. LaMancha goat milk contains 3.1% protein and 3.9% butterfat. If their mother is unable to provide the colostrum, you can purchase replacement liquid colostrum from another farm or you can find powdered colostrum replacer at a local feed store. If she's not prepared for that, it can be life-threatening. Goat blubbering and tongue flapping are just behaviors goats wxhibit when they're feeling their hormones. They're a great source of extra Vitamin E, zinc, iron and selenium, which can add butterfat to your goats' milk and make their coats shinier. The major disadvantage of this method is that the cords are . The most common way is to keep your bucks and does separated most of the time, and only put them together when you wish to do some intentional, controlled breeding. At our farm, we raise Nigerian Dwarf goats, and the weigh tape procedure isn't accurate for miniature goats like these. Otherwise, typical lifespan is up to about 12 years. 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.". You can use it in any cheesemaking recipe. Make sure your buck is getting plenty of good nutrition, especially if he is breeding with multiple does during breeding season. adventure. Of course, in that case your herd can get out of control. If given earlier than 3 months, animals should be re-vaccinated at 4-6 months of age). That takes a LOT of effort on their part & certainly enough extra feed and care for them to continue to flourish. However, the ideal time for banding baby goats is at a young age when he is 8 to 12 weeks of age to allow for maximum development so that their scrotum can fit the rubber band. Many goat owners recommend weaning goat kids between 2 and 3 months old. 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. That's what I thought. At the age of 3 and older, he can breed up to 40 does at one time, as long as his health and nutritional needsare met. If you follow the right steps, your goat kid will breeze through the weaning process and will flourish on into its adult years. It's usually more accurate when there are one or two kids inside of your doe. Although weaning goats can be stressful for all involved, mama goat, kid, and goat owner alike, there are some tips that you can follow to help keep your goat kids happy and healthy after weaning. As you learn about goat breeding, it's important to first learn some of the basic terms that goat keepers use. They will raise their lip, flap their tongue and make a blubbering sound to attract a doe. However, there is a huge variation of when she will actually come into heat and potentially become pregnant. However, many goat owners do find the need to give does supplements before breeding. Goat kids should be weaned when their birth weight increases to a specific amount, usually sometime between 2 and 3 months old. Here's my two cents: For the record, most of my experience comes with Pygmy goats who tend to live a long time. 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). Because your buck will breed with so many does, his genes will have a huge impact on the future development of your herd. Nubian goats weigh roughly 130 pounds to 175 pounds on average. So, we simply use a regular bathroom scale. When using a buck to breed your does, always make sure the buck is healthy and exhibits excellent conformation to the breed standards. Some herd owners don't even own a buck. You may want to limit these seeds for bucks, however. Putting a buck and doe together for a short time (on a "date") will allow you to know when breeding occurs. Producing kids will drain nutrition from a doe's body. On the other hand, with a proper goat breeding strategy in place, you can reap the awesome benefits of a healthy, happy and more valuable herd of goats. As your kid inches closer their weaning weight, you should be offering them a goat starter feed. Stay tuned for the first newsletter in the morning, straight to your inbox. Diet, living conditions, and other factors also affect the lifespan of the average goat. Neither method is wrong but the goal to transition them completely from milk to solid food is the same. Methods for Wethering Goats. Bucks can breed, but they also take on some problematic behaviors that might not be a good fit for your setup. We bought her because she was the dominant goat and milks/births easily - a friendly starter goat, more or less. With the exception of the fryers, aged animals here become weed wackerskeeping the fence line clear is an important job. Male goats can breed as young as 7 weeks old. For miniature breeds, such as Nigerian Dwarf or Pygmy, the gestation period may be closer to 145 days, and for other breeds, 150 days. Breeding only takes a few seconds for the buck. With this, you measure the goat's "heart girth", wrapping the tape around your goat's chest just behind the front legs. In fact, many goat breeders may have only one buck which breeds with dozens of does. Whatever method you use to stop your goats from breeding, the main point is for you to stay in control of the process. She may pace a lot, mount other does, and put her rear end up to the fence if she sees a buck on the other side. Also, you can't always trust other herd owners, even though they swear their herd is tested and disease-free. Typically, a male goat can be castrated when he's fairly young (a "buckling") using elastrator pliers which apply an elastrator band (a small circular latex rubber ring) around the goat's testicles. Breeding can be exhausting on bucks and does because they're constantly awake, alert, excited and active at all times of day or night while they are in estrus or rut. Then, when you wean, you will remove the mother or other goats from the pen instead of moving the baby. For standard-sized goats, you simply multiply girth x girth x length; then you take that result and divide it by 300. Of course, we had also planned on keeping them out at the farm since we didn't really have room here, but 4-H wouldn't let her show them. For larger goats, you need to use a livestock scale, bathroom scale or weigh tape. One way is to look for a milky white liquid coming from her vagina after she's been around a buck. On a related note, if you're milking your doe, you can continue milking her even while she's pregnant. You can stop the milk access immediately. 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. 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. This will make your life a lot easier at kidding time, and will allow you to manage your goats for a healthier, happier herd. You will want to plan the goat breeding so you don't have too many kids being born around the same time. This accelerates when he smells a doe in heat nearby. Goats are hardy animal. Nannies have gestation periods of 150 days. A commercial dairy in California (Alpines) had a standing age of "10" for their does to retire. In those cases, there are some other choices to stop a buck from breeding. Multiply that weight by 2.5. But they are fairly easy to pick up. At that time, they are considered completely weaned. During the fall, the endocrine system also increases levels of the sex hormones,testosterone and luteinizing hormone (Ritar,1990). Then, you measure the goat's length, from the "point of shoulder" back to the goat's "pin bone" near the tail. Meat goats require nutrients for body maintenance, growth, reproduction, pregnancy, and production of products such as meat, milk and hair. Prepare your weaning pen at least a couple of weeks before you wean the goat kid. Fainting goats usually make fabulous mothers, taking care of and nurturing their young. The heat may last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Some are more reliable than others. This Breeding/Kidding Record Form includes sections where you can record all of those things. I would keep breeding her until her condition told me that it was otherwise a bad idea. Another rule related to this is, always breed to make your herd better. Some goat breeds may produce one or two kids per pregnancy. (source). The fist reason that I separate my bucks from my does is that a buckling can breed very early. 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. Do a fecal analysis and/or deworm. JavaScript is disabled. The answer here is that most goats will typically give birth all at once to 1, 2 or 3 kids (babies). It's typical to see two, and sometimes three, kids born per pregnancy. You will want to be prepared and have extra helpers available in case they're needed to assist you with the multiple new babies. Lots of people have asked online if a urine test can be used to detect goat pregnancy, and whether they can just use a human pregnancy test kit from a drug store. For a short time, the baby goats will cry for their moms or search for the milk bottle they were used to getting each day. On the other hand, we prefer to keep several bucks around. 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. Other breeds can breed year-round, such as Nigerian Dwarfs, Boers, Spanish goats, Fainting goats, and Pygmy goats. When a buck is in "rut" he will attempt to attract a doe by urinating all over his own legs, beard and face, and even in his mouth. 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. One sure sign that your doe is in heat and ready to be bred is when she shows evidence of "Standing Heat". This has to be inserted way down in the goat's throat, so the goat can't spit it back out or chew it. A buck apron can help reduce or eliminate urine scald. While some goats breed only during a certain season, some breeds of goats will breed constantly and breed year-round if you let them. She will usually get pregnant the second time. When a goat kid begins to reach the two-month mark, make sure that you are offering them a goat kid starter food. A doe will not automatically stop ovulating at a certain age, like a human woman who reaches menopause.