Letting doelings grow out

I think it depends on how raised and each goat. I don't have the desire or set up to house my yearlings in a seperate pen from the adult does, all does are together, all bucks are together. I have a ND doeling I held over just cause I didn't feel like breeding her. She was good sized and fleshed, now she's "big", bratty and will be very well fleshed when she freshens. I'm considering breeding her to freshen in fall - same for a mini mancha doeling. However, I bought Hollywood, a ND that freshened in march at 364 days old and she's tiny and boney. The farm that bred/raised her till I purchased in late fall doesn't feed much if any concentrate and only grass hay. I don't think they should breed their yearlings to freshen. I also didn't want to overfeed Holly and get large kids. She could barely get her buckling out and he wasn't large.

I actually like to breed mine so they freshen around 15-18 mos, but that of course leads to odd kidding seasons and if you show, isn't very handy.

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ADGA Nigerian Dwarf and MDGA Mini Mancha goats for show, home use and pets www.dbarjacres.webs.com Located in North central Wisconsin

This is something I was debating as a newbie, as I only have a starter herd - one doe and her daughter plus 3 wethers for the freezer. Because the daughter was dam raised and weaned late (she's very tame and sweet), she has ample pasture and a handful of grain each day she is large, sleek and heavy enough that I decided to breed her to kid as a yearling. If she was as small or thin as a couple of the freezer boys I bought in I would definitely have waited, but she looks like a doe rather than a kid at 8 months. I didnt see the point in holding her over this time. I do expect my goats to 'pay their way' much as I love them as pets they are livestock too for freezer or milk. As has been said, I guess it all depends. I may revise my decision if anything goes wrong(praying it doesnt), but I guess in then end it's up to you and every situation is different. Good luck deciding!

I usually breed does to kid out as yearlings, but it's not a set in stone method.

All of last years doe kids made it to the required 90lb minimum at 8 months.....One doe made weight but still looked very immature. Was moving & forced to sell my bucks so I bred everyone before the move. She had triplets in March and even though she's in good flesh she still looks babyish in a way, so I'm drying her up early to let her grow a bit before next breeding. I kept her daughter and if she takes after her momma in the maturity department, I'll likely hold her over..... My Nubian yearling however was sporting FAT ROLLS behind her elbows at 8 months old....lol So no way could I have held her over as a 2 year old FF. She kidded with easy, healthy twins, is milking well & is in good flesh.... So I base breeding times on the individual.

I had one May born kid last year & left her open as I didn't want any kids born after March......She looks amazing, though I'm having to watch her diet as she's getting plump

I always advise newbies who buy from me to wait until kids hit 100lbs, then they can breed. Has worked well for them

I feed my kids lots of milk for 4-6 months, plus lots of grower pellet & alfalfa, so I can easily breed to kid out on their 1st birthday.......If you aren't going to feed well & let them grow out slower then I'd definitely wait and freshen them later.

I have always bred our goats to Freshen just after their 1st birthday up until this year. We had switched to just mini nubians(no more Nigerians) & had bought a set of twin doeling born June 4th, 2012. I had planned on waiting on them until this fall but I notice 1 of the sister looks like she may have a small baby bump & I did find everyone together in the barn early in February, not sure if Dh or I forgot to latch the boys gate to their section or with goats jumping on both sides of the gate trying to get to each other jiggled it open but I really didn't think anyone was in heat & didn't act like it when I found them in the a.m. all running together.\

It could be a hay belly too but the sister doesn't have one & they eat the same!

The girls both weighed around 94 pounds in late fall when I weighed everyone to worm them before breeding my 3rd FF for this springs babies.

Now reading everyone's posts & all the mishaps & train wrecks this year if she's PG I'll be a nervous wreck until she kids.

My 3rd FF that is due to kid in a week was bred as a yearling & she weighed 140 pounds the end of November so it didn't hurt her growth but she is a 1st generation too & I think when talking mini's the generation makes a difference in size.

That's one thing I have to watch. I give my kids lots of milk and don't wean early. I definitely don't want chunky yearlings. I'll just look at it as a case to case, only because I don't like saying "always and never" and then having to eat my words later

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the great thing is there is more than one way to skin a cat and everyone has what works for them, personally as long as they are not under weight to begin with they will be bred for yearling delivery or soon after, if they need to grow more thats fine but they need to get with the program,