Has anyone used one of those marking goat breeding harnesses? I try to be there for all of the breedings so I know when to expect kids from each doe but last year I had 2 does that I never saw get bred but they both kidded with my first bunch of girls that were due. So I'm thinking this harness may be a great idea to help more accurately predict kidding dates.
I really do not understand how they work. My boys are all over the girls when I first put them together even if they are not ready. So they would have makes all the time. I try really hard to put them together when I see the girls in heat. I was pretty lucky I did it correct with all my does last year.
I'm with sweetgoats. Our bucks seem to have plenty of "false starts." In my opinion a marking harness will tell you which does the buck has mounted not necessarily the does he's bred. We also keep an eye out for the does who are in heat and THEN put them in with a buck.
My girls run around like wild banchees if they aren't ready. My buck usually just goes for the easy girls that will stand for him & doesn't pay too much attention to the ones running around.