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Breeding season? ...Oh my!

3K views 43 replies 21 participants last post by  Scottyhorse 
#1 ·
The new buck has been here for 5 days.
We have him in the main pen with 5 does, and 2 wethers.
He's pretty much bred them all even tried to breed the wethers many times too :confused::rolleyes::eek::crazy::doh::laugh:


So we've seen him breed 4 of them successfully, not sure on the 5th. 4 had the white discharge.
There's a doe I really didn't want to have bred, but he pretty much got her when he first got here. She just weaned babies.
BUT, he seems to really love her, she's bottom of the pecking order, and gets run out of the hay, etc. and if he's there, then she knows she is safe next to him.

Well... Then I started looking at possible due dates if they did take.

From Sat to today would be due.... Dec 31st-Jan 3rd.

AHH!!! lol I guess going anywhere again this year for Christmas or New years is out of the question! We didn't have one due this year until a week into the new year, but geesh boys n girls did you really have to end any hopes of going to a New years Eve party or something?

Ok...well...it'll just make the holidays all the more fun.
But first we'll see if they come back in heat or not.

Anyone else starting their breeding season?
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Not yet, still really hot here. I might be looking at November breedings!
But that's ok, my alpine bucks are only 4 and 5 months old right now, the younger one is still figuring out he's a boy, lol.
I'm fine with spring babies, it isn't deathly cold out at that time.
I once had one born on Halloween, THAT was something special for an Alpine.
 
#5 ·
I'm in the process. My husband finished our other barn to keep the babies and young does in while the bucks are out. We've already set the poles for their fence and will be putting the fence up this weekend. Then the bucks will be coming out of their pens. I let them out today for a few mins but kept the does on the other side of the fence. They got pretty excited as did the does. They started spraying their cologne....lol and the does started mounting each other and flapping their tongues like the bucks usually do. It was quite funny :D
 
#6 ·
I am anxious to get Daisy, my FF nubian, bred...but when I put her in with Dallas...she runs around screaming and staring at me like I have left her with an axe murderer.... :rolleyes: He is the type of buck that doesn't breed until they are ready, Freddy. He and his wether buddy do a lot of "showing off" but he has not tried to mount her. I think we missed this heat so I am watching her closely now.I am so new I am not sure of heat cycles yet :confused:

Glad your's are going to be bred when you want, Hoosier!

I am also happy for you nancyd!

This will be my first winter kidding if successful.....and my first winter milking...not so sure i'm gonna love that! :/
 
#7 ·
Haven't started yet. Still figuring out when I want to breed... Getting two does (hopefully) at the end of August, still trying to figure out when I want kids next year... lol
Not going to be breeding another doe till January or Febuary.
 
#8 ·
This is my first year with my own bucks and they are both young (the Nubian is almost 6 months, the Alpine only 3 months) the Alpine won't be able to breed until later this season. I want to get my Nubians bred as early as I can for earlier kiddings.
Tonight I put my Nubian buck in with my older doe to see if she had any interest. She smelled the scent glands on the top of his head, acting really interested then straightened her back all the way out. Then she started acting like a buck, blubbering and pawing at his side. He showed no interest in her but then they started to butt heads a little so I put him back in his pen. Hope to at least make her come into standing heat with his presence.
 
#10 ·
Have one doe due on Dec 23, and the other due on Dec 26. No, they wont have the babies on Christmas or Christmas Eve, but they just KNOW that I wont be able to do anything Christmas-y while I am on kid watch! Also trying to patiently wait for the third to give in and come into heat... :rolleyes:
 
#11 ·
LOL Katelyn! You guys might have to celebrate in the barn haha :)

I told my family we'd try to breed for mid January so we could have a little more freedom for Christmas day in case family wants to celebrate at my brothers house this year.
But, there is just no way I'd leave them if they bred successfully.

Of course I have no idea which days are for certain, I can only go by when I saw discharge. So I guess I'll have to pay close attention to udders and ligaments this time. Thankfully they usually give me plenty of warning, and I can usually tell when they are in active labor.
I don't like them kidding without me being there because 1 doe typically has very big kids, and if they have multiples they could need some help getting babies cleaned up. We had 3 sets of triplets this year, and the does really needed our help getting babies dry and warm.

We have 2 young does we may breed in Oct/Nov.

The goal really is for the fullbloods and older does to kid early, so any % bucklings the kids don't use as market wethers will be at market weight by easter so we can take them to auction <unless they sell privately>.
Hoping my youngest daughter will get a nice market or commercial baby from the 2 younger % does because her Jan wether this year was just too big for her to do much with as far as bracing goes lol
 
#12 ·
Anyone else starting their breeding season?
Well, one bunch should be bred unless Apollo dropped the ball - no pun intended. I can't bred the yearlings until the new shed and pens go up since they are sired by 2 different bucks and have to be sorted out to prevent breeding back to their father. I ran into time difficulties weaning the kids off the 3rd bunch, so I'm waiting to breed them until they are in better condition. Given the weather this summer, I might wait and breed them for May kidding. I'm not up for kidding out 20 does in blizzards with only 5 kidding stalls. :rolleyes:
 
#14 ·
Yeah I am not sure what to expect with the weather. It wasn't too bad last year, all the girls decided to kid during the day. I plan on weather proofing the barn a little better before kidding season.
We only have 3 stalls in the barn, but I end up making temporary stalls in the other part of the barn.

I really only wanted 3 to go, then the other 2 adults to go a couple of weeks late. Will be interesting to see how it goes if they all kid around the same time/within a few days.
Looking to probably get March or April babies from the 2 younger ones.
 
#15 ·
Ok thought I'd add to the excitement. He is definitely breeding my son's best fullblood doe today. She lost her babies last year 3 weeks premature, they were such beautiful babies too ♥ She did adopt a baby we got for her and raised him as her own, so we're praying she conceives and everything goes smoothly for her, she deserves to raise her own babies :) Thankfully she's 2nd in command now, so nobody picks on her anymore other than the herd queen, but I know if she stepped up she'd easily be the boss.
 
#16 ·
Well if our does would cooperate we are trying to breed them so we always have at least one in milk. So we have 4 Nigerian Dwarf Does one just kidded, one is due VERY soon and we will be breeding another in Late October/November for April/May kids. Then breed a FF maybe mid Jan.-March depending on how she is developing she will be a year old in September.

Bringing that up...when is a good time to breed a FF...age that is (we don't like to breed before a year)

Problem with goats is they go SEARCHING for the boys lol. That is why we have two right now...hopefully we get them on track for next year.
 
#18 ·
Fae had pepper last year dec. 10th. I wasn't even in the state, but it was pretty cold, but everyone did great! Its super tempting to pick someone to put Fae with and have dec/jan babies, but I probably will wait till Dec. to start breeding, and have may/june babies. Its just easier on everyone that way. We will see when it really comes down to it, I might do nov/dec breedings because I will be too anxious LOL.
 
#19 ·
I hear people talking about this breeding season.....would someone tell my goats its that time of the year lol. I have my spotted buck with all the girls and NO ONE will come into heat, tempted on some lute lol. But I am happy your girls know what they should be doing :)
 
#20 ·
I am eager for it to begin as well. What's the earliest you guys would use a buckling to breed? Mine's around four and a half months, maybe around 60 pounds. Not sure, haven't weighed him in a couple weeks. I'm not in a hurry, but I would like to get my girls bred as soon as possible.
 
#22 ·
Byccombe

I wouldn't put him with to many.

Make sure he keeps eating well during breeding.

I had a 4 month old Boer buckling, when I started out with goats, breed 24 Mature Does, all took. So he is old enough. If he can reach and there is a will and a way, he will do the deed.
The girls with laugh at him at first, cause he is a kid and doesn't smell yummy for them, until they are in season, then Walla, they will take him more seriously.
 
#23 ·
I figured he could do it, but I'm thinking I'll wait a while longer. He'll most likely only be used for three does at first (our older Alpines), and then three doelings- I think I'll wait till they are big enough and then let him breed all at once, or maybe a month apart. Six isn't too many is it?
I don't think any of them have been in heat yet anyway, but not sure.
I'm sure he can reach- we used a PB Nigerian once for our girls and he didn't need any help, lol. And my Alpine buckling is taller than the ND buck I have now.
 
#25 ·
I'm aiming for breeding in late October, maybe early October. With my work schedule, kidding in the really cold is out of the question this coming season. Once the barn is finished, then I will breed for March kids again. This past year my son was living with me and watched out for them when they kidded while I was at work. He's not at home any more.

I noticed my buck is starting to stink.
 
#26 ·
I figured he could do it, but I'm thinking I'll wait a while longer. He'll most likely only be used for three does at first (our older Alpines), and then three doelings- I think I'll wait till they are big enough and then let him breed all at once, or maybe a month apart. Six isn't too many is it?
I don't think any of them have been in heat yet anyway, but not sure.
I'm sure he can reach- we used a PB Nigerian once for our girls and he didn't need any help, lol. And my Alpine buckling is taller than the ND buck I have now.
He will do OK, if you spread out the 6 breedings.

All at once for a youngster may be a lot. ;)
 
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