Oldest doe you ever freshened??? Or had???

allenslabs · #1 05/19/11, 09:05 PM

Just curious....what is the oldest doe that you ever freshened? Or ever owned for that matter? Just curious....LOL!

dosthouhavemilk · #2 05/19/11, 09:35 PM

Ridgeland-Farm Kiss Me Kait delivered a single doe for us at age 11. Admittedly it was only her third or fourth freshening. She lived almost another year more.
Snow White delivered twins at 10 years old last year. We have a few spry 9 year olds that I expect at least a couple more years out of. They were homegrown though and that can impact how old a doe lives. Also their lifestyle will affect how old they can get and continue to reproduce.
We had another doe deliver twins this year at 10 years old. Similar situation to Kait and came to us from the same farm. Kidded for the first time as a 4 year old.

freedomfrom4 · #3 05/19/11, 09:56 PM

An old goat keeper I ask for advice has one that freshened at 14 and one that dies at 17.

Alice In TX/MO · #4 05/19/11, 10:02 PM

My old LaMancha doe that I got from Emily (OzarkJewels) is eleven. She just kidded with a single buckling, 10 1/2 pounds. This is probably her last kidding.

Her daughters are incredible. Good udders, milkable teats, great production for homestead milkers.

Thanks to her giving me a buckling this year, we are looking at retaining him and doing some line breeding. He's half Saanen.

Backfourty,MI. · #5 05/20/11, 12:05 AM

My oldest doe is 8 yrs old & had a single buckling this year.

yarrow · #6 05/20/11, 12:34 AM

Both Bella & Jenna are nine.. Bella had triplets last month.. BUT.. she had a hard pregnancy & delivery. She is now retired. Jenna is actually a little older then Bella.. but she has had a super, easy pregnancy.. she is still feeling & looking wonderful... at the head of the herd every morning as they leave for the woods... still at the front, when they come back at night. She is due to kid on Monday.. unless something drastic changes, I have no plans of retiring her for quite a while..

susie, mo ozarks

victory · #7 05/20/11, 01:45 AM

Swirl had two sets of quads her 10th year. Two years later she had a single hermie...
she lived to be 13..

steff bugielski · #8 05/20/11, 06:33 AM

My oldest and one of our first was 13.
She had 36 kids one of which was my buck for many years. She threw does with wonderful udders and huge amounts of milk.

saanengirl · #9 05/20/11, 12:44 PM

My parents freshend a 10 year old and an 11 year old this year. The 10 year old had triplets and the 11 year old had a single. My oldest doe is 7, but I expect her to keep producing for several more years.

RedSonja · #10 05/20/11, 01:39 PM

If I'm reading tattoo years right, my Madeleine is 11 years old. She had twin doelings a few weeks before I bought her and I'm hoping to get a doeling from her before she dies. She has the best udder and teats I've ever milked.

-Sonja

arcticow · #11 05/20/11, 08:31 PM

Oldest freshened at 10, lived to over 11. Was a reliable gallon milker. Udder never broke, but gravity did take a toll.

Kasidy · #12 05/20/11, 08:36 PM

I was really interested in the replies to this thread. I freshened a 9 year old Nubian and a 10 year old Alpine this year. Before the last few years my animals had to earn income so I culled rigorously (does and ewes) but do not have to do this anymore. The few that are left will die on the ranch (what a relief!) But I noticed quite a drop off in milk from the Alpine. The Nubian is only down a little from the last six years. It sounds like most of you keep breeding them. I had wondered if it would hurt to keep breeding them? The Nubian quit eating for a day after she kidded with four (ouch!) but having CMPK and propylene glycol poured down her throat convinced her to get her appetite back. I do not put kids on them and milk twice a day for 10 months. (I raise lambs and calves) I thought I might dry these two old ladies up early in the fall this year. Do most of you just keep breeding and milking them til they produce very little milk?? thanks for any input.

arcticow · #13 05/20/11, 08:45 PM

What I have noticed with older animals, goats, cows or sheep, is that they seem to really miss the whole motherhood thing if not bred. Not that they HAVE to produce, when they hit a certain age they have earned the right to coast into old age. And most will not breed the last couple years, but still want to "mama" little ones.

allenslabs · #14 05/20/11, 10:07 PM

I am loving this. I always hear people talking about their does but never hear much about what age is too old or an expected life span. Am I right in thinking bucks live shorter lives? I had a doe give me quads (3 does and a buck!!) at 8 years old but only gave me a single the next two years. She is now living with a friend and I think had a single for her as well and at 11 or 12 aborted.
Keep em comin'!

Alice In TX/MO · #15 05/20/11, 10:16 PM

If you keep doelings, you wind up having to rotate out your bucks to avoid inbreeding. After a while, they are sold for meat.

allenslabs · #16 05/20/11, 10:48 PM

True, didn't think of that so most probably don't know how old is old for a buck. I would just imagine that they live shorter considering they are probably all like mine....in lust all the time, pacing and looking for action of any kind LOL!

rranch · #17 05/20/11, 11:10 PM

That is a very good question. I have a 9 year old doe who kidded last year. I kept her kids, both does, so she would not miss having them near by and being a mama. But she still seems to have the desire to kid again. I think it took a lot out of her last time to keep up with them. I would like her to just retire but I don't want her depressed either.

chewie · #18 05/21/11, 11:43 AM

extremely timely thread, thanks!! my oldest is now 9, and gave us a single buckling this spring, and he's pretty handsome. since i'm only breeding for freshening/milk, i am planning to keep him to breed this fall, he's boer/saanen. and at 4 weeks, he was fully aware of his being a BOY. eek.

i have 5 does, all saanen and crosses thereof. this old gal, ethel, is not easy to milk and had been foundered way before i got her, so she can no longer get on the stand either, and is short. she still makes alot of milk tho., just a pain to get it. it makes her mad, but i'm letting the 2 orphan doelings nurse her in the mornings.

since i have too many to milk, (as per my other thread of not selling so cheaply!) i think i will just let her raise her boy, and keep him company for a year. if she breeds again, fine, if not, better yet.

i had thought to sell one FF, her udder isn't attached real well, but she produces a good amt of milk, and is easy to milk--a real 'duh' moment! do not sell that one, just stop milking the old one!! but then i wondered exactly this--how long will she keep going? and should i let her kid again? i think i will, and just not milk her at all, as she does love being a mommy, and she kidded very easy this year. this is the one doe that will be kept til she passes, she has been so good to me.