buck service question

[InHisName]

I just got my does back from buck service, here is a question.
The fee was $70 for two, they were there just under 14 days. I was not sure they were in heat when they went, the breeder did not see any breeding, nor use harness.
Last year I used same service (she brought them back in about same amount of time) (friend), paid them same amount, hay, and the goats were not bred. (no refund)
I have had one of these goats bred by taking it to someone else before, one has never been bred. The previously bred goat has had kids 3 times.
What would you do? I cant keep pet goats, no milk, just not financially smart- they are our dairy goats.

[Doug Hodges]

Two weeks isn't long enough. They should be kept over 3 weeks to be sure.

[Clovers_Clan]

Try a breeder that guarantees or at least gives you the option to bring the does back if they come into heat. When pasture breeding it is vital to keep them a minimum of 24 days to ensure everyone has gone through at least one heat cycle. And its not unusual for a few still not to take.

Another option is to determine when the does are in heat and do a "driveway breeding". However, depending on your situation, it can be a challenge to drop everything and escort the goat to a date. You have a 12 hour window, and goat code states they must go in to heat mid-week when you have a big project at work, have to stay late, the truck is in the repair shop, the kids have to be at soccer practice...

Most important is to only use a tested, clean buck(and herd). If your main objective is the milk and you're not raising registered or show goats, you can go with any reasonable buck of any breed just to get them bred. Don't expect to get top dollar for kids, but a kid with quality "mixed" parentage is better than a purebred with crappy parentage. There's still a market for healthy mixed breed utilitarian goats. The offsprings' chances of a healthy, happy, quality of life depend upon them being well bred to the best of YOUR ability. So there is a balance between finding the perfect buck and what you can reasonably afford. The other option is to breed to a meat breed buck, a "terminal buck" to have market kids for the freezer.

[InHisName]

thanks for these great tips. I contacted the breeder, they had 20 goats to be bred, she said they did see ours with the buck.

Today a goat friend and I are going to look at a Saanan buck (and doe in milk) that someone is selling- getting out of goats, sticking to milk cows- so that goat may come here and stick around a month, just to be sure these goats are bred.

The breeder I did take them to did offer for us to either bring them back, or bring the buck here for a visit. She also suggested using a buck rag to help the girls go in heat- which is new to me.
Our main objective is milk, but I have beautiful does, from healthy flocks, and do not want to risk them.