Milk goat breeding?
 

Do you have to normally dry a milk goat off before she starts cycling and rebreeds? I've got some dairy girls that need to see the buck soon and they are still milking pretty heavy. My meat goats just breed whenever they feel like it but I wasn't sure about best practices with the dairy girls.

It really depends on you and the doe.... I do know that you need to have her dried up 2 months before kidding...

I begin to dry mine off at 100 days bred.

No need to dry them off before breeding unless you want to. I'm still milking ten does and three of them just got bred.....waiting on the rest to cycle.
Some does get fat if dried off too early.
You are familiar with dairy cattle, right? Same principles. They breed while milking and need two months of dry-off if possible.

I just bred my mini alpine & my standard alpine.....both are in milk & producing well.... I'm going to milk them through the first 3 months of pregnancy, them dry them up 2 months before kidding.

I accidentally milked a doe through an unplanned pregnancy. She gave a gallon of milk the day she kidded.

Problem is: I haven't seen the tell-tale signs of heat cycles that I see in my cattle. These girls seem to be a little shy about letting me know when they're ready! So............thus far, they are both 5 months+ into their lactations and I haven't seen them breed. They are in plenty good shape and milking well. They were exposed to a mature buck in the months of May-June. However, I think the HOT weather might have played a part in them not breeding during that time.

Right now, the only buck they are around (and it's through a "buck proof" fence) is a couple of nubian buck kids from this year. Those boys seems to be interested in anything on the place but haven't shown any interest in getting out of their buck pen.

You never know, these gals might be bred. Lord knows they're fat enough. I guess I could have them ultrasounded or blood tested for preg checking.

The full size dairy does might just now start coming into heat - they are fall/winter breeders

Normally you milk a goat for 10 months dry off 2 mo before kidding.

So yes you milk them while they are bred.

As far as cycling it depends on the goat and on the year.

There is a thing called, and excuse my spelling post kidding anestrous.

Meaning that a recently kidded doe sometimes will not come into heat.

What recently encompasses varies.

Some years some does will come in raging heat and the next year it's hard to tell unless a buck is really close.

Also in my experience your heavier milkers will have less discernable heats early in the cycle.

But if the goat is milking well there's really no reason to breed her unless you want kids for some reason.

A good % age of mortality in a goat centers around kidding so if you can keep milking her without re breeding it will possibly prolong her life as long as you can keep her from getting fat.

Many breeds of dairy goats are strongly seasonal breeders - meaning they only have heats in fall/winter. Breeds that aren't seasonal would be Nigerians and Nubians - the rest tend to be very seasonal. :)

My does (Saanen and Guernsey) haven't started cycling yet. I am seeing behavioral changes that tell me that the hormones are starting to change, but I don't really expect them to start cycling for at least another week (some years they don't start until the last week of September/first week of October).

Somebody better tell my Nubians that. They only cycle when the weather cools off in the Fall.

No, we don't dry ours up before rebreeding. We give them six weeks to two months off (dry) before kidding.

I'll make sure the boys and girls are separated well and try to put them together on a planned cycle so I can have an idea when the deed is done. I might even put them close together so the buck in the next pen turning cartwheels might clue me in to a heat cycle!

Dunno, some of our bucks turn cartwheels when in the next pen, even if the does AREN'T in heat! :shrug:

I do run mine very closey together, but not in the same pen. So far out of four does bred this year, three were silent heats and except for VERY close observation I would not have known they were in heat. Its crazy here at the moment and I don't have time to go out and "goat-watch" several times a day to see if anyone is throwing sly glances at the bucks! Yes.....its ticking me off.:hair
It would not be unusual for goats running with a buck to breed on the sly. Much less fuss is made by both parties if they are living together.
But it would also not be unusual for them to not come in heat till about now. Most goats are seasonal breeders. My bucks have been in heavy rutt since June, but my does are just starting to cycle......and they live side by side.

I've got one nubian that starts showing heats in october but never actually catches until december. well, once the day after thanksgiving....

I haven't seen any obvious signs of my two young bucks rutting but it shouldn't be long. They're frisky about anything and everything but I attribute that to their youth. I think putting them in pens side by side and watching them a few times a day might give me a good idea.

It's just that as soon as one of my milk cows calves, she's still running in the pasture with a bull. I usually see the jersey girls calve on about an 11 month cycle and I very, very, very rarely ever see any signs of heat or breeding. They just get it done. With the goats, I want to be more practical and have a better idea of calendar date so I can have an idea when the kids are coming. I sell all the kids I can get my hands on because our local market is very good right now. The milk is just a plus.

If you want to know if your does are bred, send blood samples to BioTracking. They have recently lowered their fees for goats to $6.50 per sample. If the doe is 30 days or more pregnant, it should show on the test. If your doe tests pregnant and you don't know the breeding date you can dry her off at that point.

All my does except two I have witnessed getting bred, that includes a Lamancha, Nubian and a Saanen and its been right at 95 degrees here, I didnt expect them all to come in so quickly but very happy about it, the floozy Saanen started it all, I swear shes a look at a buck and in heat kinda girl.
I second the sending blood off, I have ten more days before we will be doing it so I can make better management choices as if they are bred, I will be having a Nubian buck for sale asap!

I put my Alpine in with the buck on the 10th and the deed was done within 30 seconds. I left her in for the night and took her out the next morning. I guess I'll see if it took a few weeks from now.