My two new kids are finally home...

[Chatychick]

Hello all I raise registered Nigerians and I wont breed a baby goat...that is what they are when they are 7 to 8 mths old...I dont breed mine till they are at least 15 mths old and better to handle it. If you do breed them that young you are going to have problems like stunted goats and delivery problems...I personally would wait till they are old enough to handle babies and are grown enough also. I dont mean to sound like I am yelling or anything but ...if you want heartache bred young and find out what will happen. Its like a 13 yr old girl having a baby...so that is why I wait ...been there and still cry for my girl I lost cause she got bred to early...So If they are nubiand or bigger goats that can handle it but Nigis are different and its just a problem waiting to happen if bred to young...JMO

 

[Chirpy]

Chatychick wrote:

Hello all I raise registered Nigerians and I wont breed a baby goat...that is what they are when they are 7 to 8 mths old...I dont breed mine till they are at least 15 mths old and better to handle it. If you do breed them that young you are going to have problems like stunted goats and delivery problems...I personally would wait till they are old enough to handle babies and are grown enough also. I dont mean to sound like I am yelling or anything but ...if you want heartache bred young and find out what will happen. Its like a 13 yr old girl having a baby...so that is why I wait ...been there and still cry for my girl I lost cause she got bred to early...So If they are nubiand or bigger goats that can handle it but Nigis are different and its just a problem waiting to happen if bred to young

After all my research and asking questions of ND people I totally agree with that statement. There is quite a bit of difference in the larger breeds and the dwarfs in some areas ... breeding is one of those areas.

I too am a firm believer of reading and educating myself before bringing an animal home. I've never bought an animal on impulse. That doesn't mean there is still much to learn after the animal is actually here - reality and book reading can be quite different! It's always a lifetime learning experience with animals.

For example: I read a book on llamas that said if they ever lay down, flat out with the neck stretched up -- they are either dead or dieing. So, I bring my llamas home and a few weeks later I look out into the pasture and see one of my llamas in that exact position. I totally panic and run outside, crying while I run. I'm hollering her name and she sits up and looks at me like I'm insane... I just totally interrupted her beauty nap! My llamas always lay like that. I've had them for years now. Whoever wrote that book sure got that wrong.​

 

[Southern28Chick]

I was just saying what the book I'm reading says. Story's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats

Thanks for your opinion though.

Edited to add: The book says to breed them at 7 months that way they'll be a year old when they kid. However it doesn't refer to any one breed so I'm sure it would be different for dwarf and pygmy goats.

Why even read books if they give false information so often???

 

[Southern28Chick]

Not saying anyone is wrong, just throwing this out there:

THIS IS ABOUT NIGERIAN DWARVES, check the links.

Does can be bred at 7 to 8 months of age if they have reached good size. Some breeders prefer to wait until they are at lest 1 year or older.

Dwarf does can have several kids at a time, 3 and 4 being common and sometime even 5. Dwarfs are generally good mothers and 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. They can give three to four pounds per day of 6 to 10% butterfat.

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/nigeriandwarf/index.htm

http://www.ndga.org/about/aboutnd.htm

Like I said, I'm not starting an argument, I'm just proving that I didn't make up what I said earlier.

But anyway this thread was about the beautiful lil kids Chirpy just got and I don't want to be faulted for straying off topic so I'm done talking about when to breed.​

 

[helmstead]

Beautiful goats! CONGRATS!

 

[Solsken Farm]

Quote:
First of all, Chirpy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your girls are beautiful!!! We have three dwarf nig and love love love them!


Henry. We have tons of land and while my husband and I both work, we are planning on increasing our use of the land. I don't know how old you are, but I really admire your goals! Living off the grid and the land is definitely a good direction to head in.

 

[Chatychick]

I understand where you are comming from but I do believe when most books talk about goats they are basically talkiing about the larger breeds and not too much is talked about the smaller and what problems can arise from breeding smaller that can have multiple births, and some of the train wrecks that can come from young does. This is just what I do and what has happened to me in the past so I changed alot of things. Still have problems but not as devastating as before. JMO

 

[sweetshoplady]

They are adorable! Congrats on your newbies!

Crunchie, when I brought my girls home, 8 wk old saanen/nubians, I put them each in a cardboard box lined with plastic and a blanket. I also put a plastic table cloth down over the back seat. They were about the size of a 6 month old large breed puppy. I believe they would fit in a medium sized dog crate.

They laid down for the trip. The adult does stood for the 3 hour trip and peed twice. once an hour.