Breeding Nigerian dwarf goats.

[natyvidal]

Good morning!
I am reading about breeding my goats and have some questions that are not completely answered.

“If she is currently milking, you will need to dry her off at least 2 months before kidding, if not more.”

Does this mean that even though the kids are weaned and removed from the area of the does, it is possible to continue milking the does?

And that I should wait two months before breeding again?

Or that the doe can be continued to be milked even while pregnant and I should stop milking two months before the kids are due to dry her milk?

I’ve kept my buck together with my does after they are pregnant and he was sweet and nice with everyone. Why should he be separated from the herd?

I understand that he should be separated from the does close to kidding time but all the time? Why?

Herds of goats in the wild are not separated. Even the kids stay in the herd until the young bucks are driven away by the alpha buck.

It’s been more than 3 months since the kids were born. They were almost weaned immediately by their moms and the kids were rehomed to good owners more than a month ago. I did wait two months before rehoming the kids. I stopped milking the does about two months ago. During that period I have kept the does and kids separate from the buck since kidding. Can I put them together now?

Hansel, the buck, has been separated now from his does since September when the kids were born. Goats are herd animals and I know he is not happy being alone. Psychologically it has to be affecting him. Every time I feed him, I can see he is not happy and he keeps ramming the iron fence.

I like to keep my animals happy and allow them to do what comes naturally in their breed. I keep other animals, chickens, turkeys and geese and they all free range all day, seem happy and do what’s natural for them. How can I achieve that point with my Nigerian dwarf goats?

Thank you for your help. All input is welcome. I’ve read so much about goats that I am confused. I love my pets, they get regular vet check ups and I want them to thrive in all ways!

 

[HKG]

Hi! You should post this on backyard herds they would no more about this kind of thing.

 

[hysop]

I’m not an expert as I barely got ND goats myself back in April so I’m following this thread to see what people with more experience answer you.

But what I’ve read is that Nigerian Dwarf Goats are able to mate year round unlike other goat breeds who only breed seasonally and that can’t be good for the does to get pregnant so often. They need a break. Imagine a human poppin out babies one after the other without a time to recover.

She needs to produce colostrum that’s why she needs to be dried off before kidding. So if she’s pregnant and you’re milking her still, make sure you let her dry up 2 months before she’s due so her body can produce that much needed colostrum.

Again, what I’ve read about removing the doe away from the buck after she’s been impregnated is because being with a buck can cause her to reabsorb the fetus (or have a miscarriage) and make her go into heat again so the buck can mate her again.

I have my buck with my cows so even though it’s not the same as a herd of goats, he’s not alone. I am planning on putting my other buck and wethers with him soon and keep my does separated unless I want them bred.

You can be sure that putting them back with a buck will get them pregnant again. It is recommended to wait 6-9 months (I think) between pregnancies. To avoid complications from constant pregnancies and kidding.

But I shall see what people with more experience have to say

 

[cassie]

OK. I had a dairy. The standard lactation for a dairy goat is ten months. That means that if you breed her to kid once a year, after she kids you milk her and breed her after she has milked seven months. Dry her off three months after you breed her and she will have a two month dry period before she kids again. If you want you can just leave the kids on her and not milk her at all. Some milk goats can milk through and be bred every other year. What I am trying to say is if you milk her she needs a two month dry period before she kids Obviously if you are not milking, the kids are weaned, she i dry and you don't have to worry about it..

 

[cassie]

Running the buck with the doe will not cause her to resorb the kids.

 

[hysop]

Every time I feed him, I can see he is not happy and he keeps ramming the iron fence.

He’s probably in rut and mad he can’t get to a doe to mate with her. So he’s not lonely, he’s just wanting some doe rear end.

 

[cassie]

It is a good idea to separate the buck because he can make a nuisance of himself. Also a lot of times the buck will try to breed does that have just kidded. The does do not appreciate this attention and who can blame them?

 

[hysop]

Running the buck with the doe will not cause her to resorb the kids.

Thanks!

I was in a fb group where someone asked why their does were having miscarriages and people were pointing out things like STDs (chlamydia) due to the buck still being with them and a couple other things.

Were they wrong you think or it was probably just that specific buck or something?

 

[NatJ]

“If she is currently milking, you will need to dry her off at least 2 months before kidding, if not more.”

Does this mean that even though the kids are weaned and removed from the area of the does, it is possible to continue milking the does?

Yes.
She keeps making milk as long as the kids are nursing.
And if you milk her every day, she keeps making milk as long as you keep milking her.

Or that the doe can be continued to be milked even while pregnant and I should stop milking two months before the kids are due to dry her milk?

Yes, exactly.

 

[cassie]

Thanks!

I was in a fb group where someone asked why their does were having miscarriages and people were pointing out things like STDs (chlamydia) due to the buck still being with them and a couple other things.

Were they wrong you think or it was probably just that specific buck or something?

If the buck has a sexually transmittable disease, he will transmit it when he breeds the doe. His running with the herd doesn't matter. If a doe aborts due to chlamydia, the kids are fairly far along, they have distended abdomens, and the discharges look like strawberry yogurt. The birth membranes look abnormal too. Chlamydia can be transmitted by exposure to the infected fetuses and discharges from the infected doe.