Thoughts on first goat breeding

[lomine]

Last year I purchased my first goats, a doe in milk and two doelings. They are all Nigerian Dwarfs. The doe is now 6 years old and the doelings were born in May, so are now 8 months. The doe also kidded in May. I would like to breed all of them but am debating the timing of it. I plan to find a buck I can bring to my property and breed them all to him so I don't have to worry about separating anyone for a lengthy amount of time. I already have one in mind. Here are a couple of my concerns/questions.

I'm thinking I should breed in May so the doelings are bigger. That would give me September kids. I have also thought about breeding in February or March and getting June/July kids. Which is better?

Are goats okay being pregnant in warm weather? We don't normally get really hot temperatures, high 80s to 90s. Are the kids better off in June/July heat or slightly cooler September? Any serious drawbacks to consider?

Will my doe in milk be okay milking for that long or would I need need to stop milking? If I should stop milking, when would I do that? She doesn't give much milk but I would like to keep milking if it's not hard on her.

Do I give everyone their yearly shots in May and then vaccinate the kids after birth? Or vaccinate mothers again before kidding?

 

[Lazy Farmer]

You have a lot of questions right at once. I am on my mobile right now. If you don't get many responses, I'll be back to share my program w/you.
There are a handful of goat people here and also a ton more at our sister site I belong to..
BackYardHerds.com
When I get back to the house, I will see if any of your questions go unanswered..

You are gunna luv dem kids!
I do!

 

[lomine]

I’d love to ask on backyardherds but every time I try to register I get a network error message.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Goat fertility is triggered by shorter days and darkness, so I would think that February and March would be better--when my Dad had goats, the buck ran with them only in the late fall and early winter so that the goats kidded just as the grass began to grow.

Goats prefer cooler weather in which to have their kids, but I never noticed any of Dad's being overly affected by heat--and our temps were about what you describe above. Just have lots of water available and don't chase them. Salt blocks are good.

General rule of thumb for us was stop halfway through gestation so that she can build up reserves for the kids. (we only ever had four milk goats though: Dad raised them for meat)

No idea about vaccinations. Dad just gave the kids shots, and besides wormer, that was all they ever got.

I will say that you should definitely provide goat minerals, if you aren't already. We lacked vitamin E in our soil, and we paid for it that second year of kidding. Make a mineral feeder and keep it filled.

 

[lomine]

Thanks for the reply.

They are year round breeders so I don’t think I’d have a problem if I breed in May. But they may have an easier time getting pregnant earlier in the year. I don’t know. Their behavior has certainly been more intense while in heat during the fall ‘rut.’

I do provide goat mineral already so no worries there.

 

[Zoomie]

Does should be vaccinated at least one month before kidding. Once the kids are born, I generally wait until they are a month old to give them their own shots. Except, at tattooing etc which I do at one week: I do give them a shot of tetanus antitoxin because that does confer immediate immunity.

As far as the doe kids being big enough: I raise Nubians and I go by weight. Once my doe kids weigh 100 pounds I go ahead and breed them... but I don't know about weights on Nigies. I guess, weigh the mother and see what the kids weigh compared to that? Or maybe a Nigie breeder will chime in?

Generally you milk a doe for ten months. She kids, you start milking, when she is 7 months fresh you re-breed, you dry her up at 10 months fresh, two months later she freshens again. But that is sure not written in stone and you kind of have to "listen" to them to see what's going to work best on your operation.

If you can I'd breed sooner rather than later, your buck may not go into rut for you in the summer. I mean, he might. But you know he will for sure when the nights are cold. I did breed one year for late summer kids, but I was sorry about it later. It kind of threw off my whole schedule, but every farm and every operation is different so hey, maybe that will work for you. It sure did not work for me, and I will never do that again, LOL, live and learn.

 

[lomine]

So I should wait to vaccinate the does when they are pregnant and skip the annual shot due in May? Waiting a few months is okay?

I know most would milk for ten months but is that more because of schedules or because that’s about all they can handle? If she was on the same schedule as her previous home, she would be dried off early March. But like you said, guess I just need to wait and see.

I’ll try to determine the weight of the doelings and see what’s recommended for NDs. I know I have seen adds for breed 8 month olds so it’s possible. I would prefer to breed sooner so they aren’t heavily pregnant during the hottest part of summer. I just can’t image that being very comfortable for them. But I also don’t want to stunt their growth. Decisions, decisions.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[cassie]

As long as the doelings are well fed, breeding will not stunt their growth. I once had a kid get bred at the ripe old age of three months of age (oops!!) and she grew into a fine big doe. I vaccinated my kids with CD/T the day they were born and every three weeks thereafter until they were about four months of age. I lived in an area where entero was so prevalent and so deadly that when a goat was ill we first treated her for entero and only then did we try to determine what else was wrong with her.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I would like to breed all of them but am debating the timing of it.

Choose your breeders wisely. Not all does are advantageous for breeding.
Also control Buck exposure if you want to pin point delivery dates.

Are goats okay being pregnant in warm weather? We don't normally get really hot temperatures, high 80s to 90s. Are the kids better off in June/July heat or slightly cooler September? Any serious drawbacks to consider?

We have ours kid around late February. Not as cold here in Fl. then.

Will my doe in milk be okay milking for that long or would I need need to stop milking? If I should stop milking, when would I do that? She doesn't give much milk but I would like to keep milking if it's not hard on her.

I would stop milking her half way thru gestation for the nutrients to build up in her colostrum.

Do I give everyone their yearly shots in May and then vaccinate the kids after birth? Or vaccinate mothers again before kidding?

DO NOT ADMINISTER C&D-Tetanus Toxoid UNLESS you have EPINEPHINE. Anaphylactoid reaction may occur that will kill your goat. Epinephine is the antidote.

Here is a simple chart for deciding on castration or not with your offspring.

It's not good to have a bunch of little buck running with your herd. This chart will help you decide if you choose too keep one in tact for future purposes.

 

[lomine]

I determined their weight using the body measurement calculator. The doe is 81 lbs. The other two are 40.5 and 44 lbs. Trying to find the right breeding weight I read different opinions ranging from 35 to 50 lbs. Based on that I think it would be safe to breed in February. It’s still good to know they won’t be stunted.

I wasn’t planning on keeping any bucklings intact. I don’t know enough to know which look good, that much I do know. Plus I read that you shouldn’t keep a buck from a first freshener. My plan was to find an unrelated buck or bucks if I ever have my own. I think I’ll wait at least a couple of years before deciding. I would like to have more experience under my belt.

Thanks for all the input everyone!