Lets talk about goats!

[DuckRaiser]

Make it CLEAR no CL or CLS

What do you mean?

 

[Stacykins]

So Im thinking about possibly breeding my doe soon for her first time and I was going to post an ad on craigslist to look for a stud service. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on things I should mention in my ad so it is geared toward the right people. Obviously the specific breed and a stud from a healthy herd but Im not sure what types of questions to ask people also if they do respond to my ad. Any help is appreciated.

Also, the stud owner needs to be sure YOUR doe is healthy. Have you done any disease testing?

Are you looking to send your girl on an overnighting trip that may last a few days or weeks? Or do you have the ability to get her to the stud the exact day she is in heat? Do you know her signs of heat well enough? Some people do allow does to stay at their farm, others will only do driveway breedings.

For me, I've only done driveway breedings. I am A: not equipped to keep strange does on my property without contaminating pastures and B: no way to keep them safe at night without contaminating my herd housing areas. So literally, they go in a 10x10 dog pen, that I setup by the driveway. None of my goats are ever brought to that side of the property anyway, except for the buck for that short time. I also inspect each doe closely beforehand, and have the right to refuse service if anything seems wrong (underweight, runny nose, watery eyes, coughing/sneezing, skin problems, etc.).

 

[The Farm]

That is a Horrible sickens.
Heres are a few LINKs

 

[DuckRaiser]

That is a Horrible sickens.
Heres are a few LINKs

Okay, thanks!

 

[chicken pickin]

Also, the stud owner needs to be sure YOUR doe is healthy. Have you done any disease testing?

Are you looking to send your girl on an overnighting trip that may last a few days or weeks? Or do you have the ability to get her to the stud the exact day she is in heat? Do you know her signs of heat well enough? Some people do allow does to stay at their farm, others will only do driveway breedings.

For me, I've only done driveway breedings. I am A: not equipped to keep strange does on my property without contaminating pastures and B: no way to keep them safe at night without contaminating my herd housing areas. So literally, they go in a 10x10 dog pen, that I setup by the driveway. None of my goats are ever brought to that side of the property anyway, except for the buck for that short time. I also inspect each doe closely beforehand, and have the right to refuse service if anything seems wrong (underweight, runny nose, watery eyes, coughing/sneezing, skin problems, etc.).

I would only plan to do a driveway breeding I don't want my doe left at another farm. She is still young(10months old) so I am still learning her signs, she was in heat today(crying loudly ALL day, constant flicking of the tail, slightly swollen girl parts, and almost restless/anxious) so I wrote it all down on the calendar and will watch her close for the next cycle. I bought my 2 does from a clean herd but no I have not actually gotten the 2 does tested since being at my property but they have never shown any signs of any illness at all. Im hoping to look for someone relatively close by so it will be easier to get her there on the day of her heat cycle.

 

[OwnedByTheChiks]

You should request:

1. what breed you want to breed with
2. make sure the herd is healthy and check for any lumps/sores
3. Make sure your goat and the other is tested for CAE and CL, it will save you a lot of time and heartache in the long run
4. make sure the goat is exactly what you want
5. Look at the goat in person BEFORE you bring her. Check him over to make sure he look healthy, and make sure he isn't much bigger than her at all. It would be better to use a smaller buck than a bigger one, because you can end up with stuck kids and a sick/injured doe if there are kids to big to deliver easily.

Good luck.

 

[chicken pickin]

You should request:

1. what breed you want to breed with
2. make sure the herd is healthy and check for any lumps/sores
3. Make sure your goat and the other is tested for CAE and CL, it will save you a lot of time and heartache in the long run
4. make sure the goat is exactly what you want
5. Look at the goat in person BEFORE you bring her. Check him over to make sure he look healthy, and make sure he isn't much bigger than her at all. It would be better to use a smaller buck than a bigger one, because you can end up with stuck kids and a sick/injured doe if there are kids to big to deliver easily.

Good luck.

Thank You!

 

[chickengirl1193]

I'm also looking to breed my doe for the first time very soon! This was all helpful info. I have found a buck and have been in contact with his owner. They would leave him on my property for a month to breed my two does. He is from a clean heard but I have to get my girls tested. I didn't know about CL and CAE when I purchased my does so I'm not sure if they came from a clean heard. The vet that I called about the test said they had to be a year old to be tested... is that correct? If so ill have to wait until may to breed my goats. Or next fall. I have two Nigerian dwarfs that were born in may 2013. I want to breed them to sell the kids and for milk

 

[OwnedByTheChiks]

I *think* the earliest you can test is 6 months, this is what BioTracking says:

Kids less than 6 - 9 months old may test positive for CAE if they have received heat-treated colostrum containing CAE antibodies. We suggest retesting these kids after nine months of age to determine their true status.

BioTracking is very reliable (from my knowledge) and also does cheap pregnancy tests.

CAE stands for Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis. Meaning, it's a very bad, contagious, type of arthritis that can eventually lead to fluid on the brain and kill your goats. If you notice any goat walking stiffly or lying down slowly, basically doing anything oddly that includes moving joints, have him/her tested for CAE. It's a pretty big problem, but it can certainly be controlled if correct measures are taken.

CL is mostly recognized by puss-filled (I know, ew ew ew) lumps around any of the lymph nodes. Here is a chart I got off of google:

My kind of thinking has always been, if you see a goat with diarrhea, lumps, stiff joints or a hard udder, RUN!

 

[chickengirl1193]

Thank you! Im going to call the vet back today to set up the test and see what they say. When I went to look at my goats the first time all the older goats in the heard looked healthy so im crossing my fingers that mine are too