goat breeding dilemma--no true heat

[JoannaCW]

I'm having trouble getting my 4yo Alpine doe,Amahl, bred. She doesn't seem to be coming fully into heat. I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions.
I don't have a buck; before I've been able to tell when my does were in heat and drive them to a buck. In 2005 I bred Amahl successfully in this way. In 2006 she seemed to show normal heat signs but got no interest from the buck. We had some reason then to suspect a buck problem. In 2007 she showed fairly weak heat signs (flagging, slight discharge, often opaque brownish) and when I took her to a new buck neither she nor he showed much interest, though that buck impregnated our other doe.
This year I tried giving Amahl Lutalyse. She seemed to be showing weak heat signs at 21-day intervals. A vet scheduled to give her the first shot 10 days after one of these heats. Unfortunately, on day 10 she appeared to be in heat again. He gave the shot anyway--2 mL in the caudal thigh muscle, straight into the back of the leg. . No results. I gave her another shot 9 days and a few hours later. (Possibly bad timing. One vet and mentioned giving at least 7 days after the first shot; one online site mentioned success with shots at 4 and 8 days, another recommended an 11-day interval; another vet suggested 14 days; the one who gave the first shot said 10 days but admitted he didn't know much about goats; I chose based on my convenience.) 2 days later--yesterday--she was flagging vigorously in the evening. This AM she was flagging again and, I thought, discharging slightly. I took her to the buck. No interest.
Now I am wondering:Should I have waited longer to give her the second shot? Would it make sense to give her another on Monday (the 14th day since her first injection)? Is the caudal thigh the correct placement? I've seen diagrams indicating a muscle on the side of the hip instead. What might make a doe fail to cycle naturally or to respond to Lutalyse? She appears healthy, produces plenty of milk despite not having kidded since 2006, is vigorous and has a good appetite. There is selenium in her feed and in her mineral salt block.
Thanks for taking time to read this.
Joanna

[genebo]

There is a whole world of phermones that control the behavior of goats. The buck's stink is just one, but may be an important one.

You might get better results from getting a "teaser" buck to put in a paddock next to her. Their proximity will allow the phermones to pass back and forth and should bring her fully into heat. Then you can expose her to the buck of your choice.

Of course, the buck needs to be ready, too. If he's kept near does, he should be ready, but if he's kept alone he may need a "teaser" doe to prepare him.

It's not just a matter of throwing them together for a day and it working. If it does, you're lucky.

Chemicals like lutalyse are just one part of the picture. Using them on a goat is like using a baseball bat to kill a fly. It brings them in, but often creates other side effects that mess up the natural cycle.

Genebo
Paradise Farm