Breeding first timmers

[ONThorsegirl]

Just curious,

Do you breed your doelings by size or age?

Im just curious if I should breed my doelings this winter, or wait. How old and/or whats size do you acheive before breeding your girls?


I have Nubian/Boer Crosses
Melissa

[FrogTacos]

You are going to find the answer to this question will vary widely from one farm to the next. It is pretty much up to you to decide what is best for you, your goats, and your goals.

I personally don't go so much with size as I do age due to maturity of the goats. human example: My 12 yr old daughter is almost the same size as me, so size wise she could 'handle it' - this in no way means she would have the maturity level to raise a child.

I personally like to wait until my goats are 16ish+ months old before breeding them. Many have done it younger with great success, many also wait until they are older.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Most folks breed their full size breed doelings so that they kid about their first birthday. Minis wait to breed older.

80 to 90 pounds before breeding is a good rule of thumb.

[saanengirl]

I use several criteria:

Minimum age: 7 months
Minimum weight: 90 lbs or the Saanens, 80 lbs for the Guernseys
Body condition: ideal to slightly over-conditioned
Earliest Freshening: May 1

I do not like to breed first fresheners to freshen earlier than May 1 because all my yearlings regardless of birthdate have a growth spurt in April (or March if the winter is mild). I breed them to freshen after their growth spurt. I also feel that body condition is a better indication of how they will cope with the stresses of pregancy and lactation than actual weight, although I do use a minimum weight. I prefer my young does to be carrying a little extra weight (but not obese) because they will lose a lot of weight after kidding when they come into lactation.

[Clovers_Clan]

I have percentage Boers as well. I usually breed around 7 months if they are of good weight/condition. They have all done well with one caveat... I have a line of does that have birthed HUGE singles as ff. First the mother with a single doeling. All went fine except Boers have those big wide foreheads. So it took some effort. This year the daughter(that same baby) birthed a HUGE buckling. They both made it through without injury or illness but scared me to death, and the poor doe went through so much! I won't be breeding any of these girls offspring until the second year.

Here are some pictures of Mr. Bean the buckling. His front legs and head were so squished in the birth canal it took a long time for his legs to straighten out...

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