Spring breeding success rate in Boers????

Milk n' Honey · #1 03/24/07, 04:55 PM

I know that dairy goats are seasonal breeders. I also know that Boers are known to breed year round. We don't think many of our goats breedings took from last Fall so we have put our buck back in with the does. What is the success rate on getting them bred this time of year? I'm asking what your personal experience with it is. We have Boers but we also have some Boer/dairy cross does. I suppose they could be seasonal or not?? We are just hoping for kids here. Our buck will be a year old in April so he has a little more age on him now. That should help things. Thanks for your input!!

Sher · #2 03/24/07, 06:50 PM

It can be done. Mick bred four 50/50 Nubie/Boer cross does..at about the same age your buck is and all four conceived and each had twins that year. Crossing my fingers for ya!!

Oops..I am editing this to say that I would NOT breed my dehorned saanen doe at that time of year. She would over heat as she does not take the heat well, never has. But the boers and dairy/boer crosses..I would not hesitate to do.

annie716 · #3 03/24/07, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sher

It can be done. Mick bred four 50/50 Nubie/Boer cross does..at about the same age your buck is and all four conceived and each had twins that year. Crossing my fingers for ya!!

Oops..I am editing this to say that I would NOT breed my dehorned saanen doe at that time of year. She would over heat as she does not take the heat well, never has. But the boers and dairy/boer crosses..I would not hesitate to do.

Would she over heat because she is dehorned?

Jcran · #4 03/24/07, 09:12 PM

I posted on another thread that a woman from Sacramento told me that IF she gets the does in with a buck by March 21st or so, they go through a cycle and tend to breed in mid to late April. This gives her Sept/Oct babies, which is what she wants for the Spring show circuit/market kid shows. I just put two young does in with my almost 1 year old buck. Not even a hint of "love" yet, but I'm hoping she's right and I'll get Sept kids. Last year, I took two does down to Willits to be bred in mid March and picked up on or around the first of May. One doe didn't conceive and the other kidded on Sept. 1st.

ozark_jewels · #5 03/24/07, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annie716

Would she over heat because she is dehorned?

Saanens are famous for not taking hot temps and direct, hot sun very well. I never noticed any difference in heat tolerance between my horned goats and my disbudded goats. Not a bit.

Jcran · #6 03/24/07, 09:29 PM

Hey, that makes me think...we live on the north coast of California, basically a temperate rainforest; cool, foggy lots of the time; maybe my goats will breed year round because they think its Fall all the time :baby04: no, I do think it's day light hours but MAYBE daytime heat has a little to do with it?

stanb999 · #7 03/25/07, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Saanens are famous for not taking hot temps and direct, hot sun very well. I never noticed any difference in heat tolerance between my horned goats and my disbudded goats. Not a bit.

Well technically the goats horns are the radiator system. They will help cool them in the hot months. But as goats originated in Persia they would be accustomed to much hotter temps historically.

ozark_jewels · #8 03/25/07, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanb999

Well technically the goats horns are the radiator system. They will help cool them in the hot months. But as goats originated in Persia they would be accustomed to much hotter temps historically.

Well...either way, there is no difference in the way horned vs non-horned take hot humid summers in Missouri.