11 week old doeling in heat!

[CJBegins]

I am so glad I got rid of my buck and my bucklings are banded. This little gal is flagging and standing to be mounted by the other "babies".

Oh, I learned my lesson last year. Had my 8 month old doeling give birth on her 8 month birth day. She actually has done very well. Her kid is huge and she produces nicely for a 10 month old milker.

Guys, watch those doelings! They can and will get pregnant at 3 months.

[TRAILRIDER]

Good to know. I had heard that and separated my boys and girls early too.

[AuntKitty]

What type of goat is she?

[emanuelcs34]

I had a buck start peeing on himself at 5 weeks old last year. Surprised the heck out of me. Luckily I noticed before he got anyone pregnant. Just because it is not common, doesn't mean it can't happen.

[Ford Zoo]

Is that like "precocious puberty"? Wow! I have read that if a buckling can extend his business, he can breed. Nice little note to be conscious of!

I would have thought she was just playing if it hadn't been for your other doeling! What's in your water??

[CJBegins]

The doeling that is in heat is a mini togg and her brother, who is banded, was obliging her happily. The stinker was even peeing on himself. If I didn't know better he was able to also complete the task....with blanks.

[CaliannG]

Hon, how long has he been banded? It, ummm, takes a while after banding for them to be true "blanks".

And yes, folks, it is no joke. I have an Alpine her who got herself knocked up at 3 months old. She went into heat too young AND out of season, and managed to time it for a buck breakout. Separate your doelings...they are wanton lolitas.

[CJBegins]

Caliann, don't tell me that..............please. He has been banded for 2 weeks. If this one gets pregnant I am sending her to you.

These babies haven't been weaned yet, how am I supposed to separate? This does happen to be a brother/sister..........darn it, darn it, darn it!

I thought I had this under control. Gonna go cry now!

[Otter]

After 2 weeks you should be ok. Does he even still have his testicles? They should be falling off pretty soon.

[CJBegins]

The testicles are shriveled up and about ready to fall off.

[CaliannG]

He should be nicely sterile then. No need to send me any baby goats.

[CaliannG]

After 7 days, banded boys are generally safe. That's why a lot of folks band at 8-10 weeks.

[CJBegins]

You mean I can stop crying now? All I could think about was that little body growing a baby at 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 months, just like my Tulip did. It absolutely amazes me that she has done so well and grown as much as she has. But, I don't want a repeat.....ever!

[CaliannG]

You can stop crying....if your little doeling is pregnant, she didn't get that way from your banded boys. I never rule out Divine Intervention, though...Zeus was known to be sneaky.

[K Epp]

...Okay Brutus my almost 4 mth old buckling will be living in the chicken coop and not the barn with the 4 doelings. I have saw absolutely no sign of testosterone in him yet thank goodness.

[CaliannG]

K Epp, he needs to have a friend, either another buckling, or a wether buddy. Else he will be terribly unhappy.

This biggest problem with breeding too young is the terrible, feared, "huge, single buckling" birth. Size is important in the number of eggs a doe drops. The smaller she is for her breed, and the skinnier she is, the fewer eggs she will drop. So very young does will often only drop a single egg.

Which means a single birth. Singles get bigger than multiples, as they don't have to share the nutrient supply...so they get REALLY big. So then you have the serious problem of the too small, too young, FF doeling giving birth to a kid that a full grown, experienced doe would have trouble delivering.

I have had singleton bucklings born with horns. Not nubs, not bumps, but 3/4" HORNS that had already broke through and were growing. They were that big and that developed.

So yeah.....avoid the early breeding if at all possible.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by K Epp

...Okay Brutus my almost 4 mth old buckling will be living in the chicken coop and not the barn with the 4 doelings. I have saw absolutely no sign of testosterone in him yet thank goodness.

Hate to tell you - just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. Some goats (along with some stallions and I hear some bulls) are "night" breeders. The term came about because you never see them show any interest at all, but sure enough everything crops up pregnant, so the joke goes they wait for cover of darkness.

[Dreamgoat Annie]

Our neighbor in Minnesota had a Shire stallion who was a night breeder. Never saw him service a mare during the three years she own him yet his mares all foaled, year after year.

It's astounding how precocious some goats are. I wouldn't have believed it had we not gotten Iggy and Ozzy.

Ozzy started courting Iggy about a week after their arrival. They were 4 weeks old and as you probably remember, they were itty-bitty preemies born almost 3 weeks early. He wasn't "play humping". Ozzy has a huge blubbering repetoire, he stomps his front feet, flehmens, and hooches while 'breeding'.

Iggy started a week ago and now we hear them blubbering, chittering and screaming at one another as they take turns in the middle of the night. Their high-pitched Nigie teeth chattering makes them sound like weird jungle birds. Amazing!

They still have tiny scrotums but considering their ardent behavior, I'm not taking chances. They won't join Modo, Sweetie and Spike until they're castrated.

Sue

[CarolT]

Vet told me not to consider them safe until they had... ummmm had ummmmm....... until they........ you know how they sometimes....... help themselves? Ummmmmm until they... Oh, why am I beating around the bush, I know ya'll ain't gonna be embarrassed! Until they have an ejaculation.

[CJBegins]

Carol, did you ask your vet how you are supposed to tell when they have their first ejaculation........that had to be an interesting conversation.