New Goats, some Q's

YoungOne · #1 07/08/08, 09:22 AM

We are about to benefit from some unfortunate circumstances of our friends close by.

They are losing everything and are giving us a Doe age 5 (mixed breed, awesome milker. We got her daughter and get 1.25 gallons a day) and a Nigerian Dwarf Buck.

We figure to add the milker in with ours and see were the new higharchy lands but with the buck we are at a loss. We are also recieving lots of fencing and building supplies and will put up a pen for the buck but the question becomes HOW BIG?

He is used to a pretty big run 80X40 with an olg pigmy doe as a play mate. He gets along fine with other bucks and with does but wethers cunfuse him and he drives the wethers crazy trying to figure them out. Should we put our old goat age 9 in with him and just let her raze any possible kids till butcher (she's down to a quart a day) or should we take on a second buck?

We are a small herd family with what will come out as 4 does in the end so realy no need of a second buck. Any theories or ideas?

QoTL · #2 07/08/08, 05:44 PM

I'll leave most of this for someone far wiser than I, but I just wanted to warn you- by leaving your 9 year old goat in with him you are putting her health at risk. Meaning- if you want her to live longer, don't breed her anymore.

Of course, it is your choice, but I had read that most does die while kidding around 10- but if you stop breeding, they live much longer (I believe that was on the Fias co website).

Sorry to hear about your friends' misfortune. Sounds heartbreaking for them.

Meghan

Freeholder · #3 07/08/08, 06:02 PM

A healthy, well-fed and cared for doe can kid past the age of ten -- some go to twelve or older. That's something you have to figure out for yourself.

You could keep an old doe with the buck, but what happens when she dies? She's likely to die before the buck if she's a lot older than he is. Then he'll have to get used to a new companion. Personally I'd just get a second buck. It won't cost any more to feed a second buck than it would to feed the old doe, or a wether. This way, when you want to keep some daughters of your first buck, you'll have the second buck to breed them to.

Kathleen