Could a 4month old Nigerian doeling be bred accidentally?

[PuppyBantamCochin]

Hello,

3wks ago, I bought a 4month old nigerian dwarf doeling. The place we got her from had her and her sister in the main barnyard, and these doelings could get through a livestock gate into another pen which held nubians. I remember seeing a nubian buckling in that pen (I don't know how old, but I'm guessing 2-3months, old enough to be act bucky). Is there any chance that a 4month old doeling could've been bred at 4months old?
I really hope not because she won't be able to carry that kid.

I'll try to put some photos up.

Thanks,



Francesca

 

[glenolam]

It is possible assuming she has already come into heat; however, you would only be able to tell if she's bred in a few ways - wait and see, send a blood sample in for testing, or you may be able to take her to a vet for an ultrasound, although that might not be a good way to accruately determine if the fetus is really small.

Dairy goats like nigerians are more seasonal breeders, and come into heat during the late summer/fall. Bucklings can start breeding as early as 8 weeks, if given the chance.

Over on Backyard Herds, the sister site, there's tons of goat people who can help you if you need it. Good luck and have fun!

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Nope...not Nigerians.

Nigerians are year-round breeders.

I'd have her checked; either a blood test or an ultrasound.

 

[glenolam]

Conflicting finds on the topic then. I searched some more and found that, while dairy goats in general are more seasonal, nigerians tend to be year round....who to believe, who to believe.....

Although, the Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association (www.ndga.org) does say:

Breeding Nigerian Dwarf Goats

Dwarf goats breed year round. Many owners breed their does three times in two years, giving the doe at least a 6-month break. Of course, this is a personal choice for each breeders. The gestation period for a doe is 145 to 153 days. For the most part, Nigerian Dwarfs are a hearty breed with few kidding problems. New babies average about 2 pounds at birth but grow quickly. Watch out for those little bucks! Bucklings can be fertile at as young as 7 weeks of age. Make sure you wean does and bucks separately to help you avoid unintentional breeding.

Does can be bred at 7-8 months of age if they have reached a mature size. Some breeders prefer to wait until they are at least 1 year or older. Dwarfs does can have several kids at a time, 3 and 4 being common with some quintuplet births occurring. Dwarfs are generally good mothers able to take care of their babies should you leave them to do the raising of the kids. They can also provide a surprising amount of milk for their size if you decide you want your own delicious goat milk or cheese.

Bucks are able to be used for service as young as 3 months of age and easily by the time they are 7 or 8 months old. Dwarf bucks are vigorous breeders but are gentle enough to be used for hand breeding (contained) or pasture breeding where one buck is available for several does as they come into estrus. Both methods are used successfully.


Can you tell that's not the website I found my info from?!

Guess it's safe to assume it's year round, then - thanks for the correction, cm!

 

[mylittlezoo]

You can run a blood test through biotracking.com and then, should she have been bred, you can give her a drug to force her to abort. It's highly unlikely that if she were bred to a Nubian that she would survive the birth.

 

[danischi24]

I may be wrong here but with horses & birds (the animals I know best), the fetus size is controlled by the uterus/egg size so you can breed the biggest to the smallest of horses & chickens without the baby overgrowing the capacity of the mother.
I would think it would be the same with goats.

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Standard breed bucks bred to dwarf/pygmy does is deadly.. Yes, the babies will overgrow the capacity of their mama.

Well, ok, maybe not her capacity per se....but definitely her capacity to expel them without a c-section, let's put it that way.

 

[jodief100]

Goats need to be bred to an buck thier same size. I do not know abotu dwarf nigerians specifically but pigmy goats have a tendancy towards needing -C- sections in general. A pigmy doe to a full size buck will almost certainly be deadly.