how long do you wait to re-breed your does?

[TxCloverAngel]

My pygmy girls both had twins in Jan. I have read so many things...
some say to breed them again soon after birth.
others say wait till babies are weaned....
then some say wait longer than that...

what do you do?

thanks!

[KSALguy]

if they are in good condition there is no reason not to breed them back the next heat cycle, as long as you want more kids and she is in good condition

[mygoat]

Dairy goats are bred once a year. Meat goats are generally bred 2x a year. I preffer to breed all my goats 1x a year because I believe and have heard of private studies done that a doe will be generally more productive over her lifetime if bred once a year... You will get more babies per breeding that are healthier as opposed to 1-2 kids per 'litter' that may not thrive. Once again, this is whait I've heard. Also, your does will live longer, and that's been proven by a couple of my other friends that raise goats.

[DocM]

I breed all my goats once a year, sometime between mid August and January, staggered so I continue to have milk, and so that everyone has an udder during show season. My boers and percentage does are shown too, so breeding them twice would mess that up.

[HazyDay]

If you are milking them then once a year but if she is raising her kids go for it! but wait atleast 1 month after so that she will wean at 3 months and still have a 2 month break.

[neehifarm]

Yep. Once a year here too. Think about it this way....how fast would a human body deteriorate, if pregnant ALL THE TIME. I work with too many women who are breeding mills themselves, I guess!!
Maybe rotate your breedings so you'll have one doe have kids in the spring, one in the fall...

[Jim S.]

Production is the deal on my place, as it is a meat goat farm. Twice a year, and I cull the ones who have trouble with that.

Even with all my work to minimize costs, my enterprise is not economically feasible without high fecundity as a paramount trait. They are not pets; they must at minimum break even. High fecundity is the way Nature designed the goat to work, after all.

I feel very deeply that high fecundity (along with some other desireable traits) is being bred out of many registered meat goat lines as a result of every kid being saved, regardless, due to the price they can bring if they have paperwork. That's why papers are not primary to my enterprise. Fecundity, kidding ease, rapid mass gain and robustness are. The goat that exhibits them gets a good long stay. I never do get there all the way, which is why I keep culling.

[Jcran]

Mix of both; some does have been bred back when kids are three months old and ready to wean, so they don't have to feed a kid AND be pregnant. Some does saved due to local fair and county fair schedule AND/OR due to the specific availability of the buck we want to breed to. This year, 3 does will be bred back in June when kids weaned, and 4 does will not be bred until late Fall for late Spring babies. Mine are all meat goats.

[FarmGoddess]

Once a year is about all I can handle, although there have been times when the does have pulled a fast one and I get a surprise baby.