Pygmy breeding age??

[minny67]

I currently have two pygmies (buck and doe) I'd like to get another girl for breeding.
I'm going to look at some pygmy does tomorrow-they have 2-1 year olds that might be pregnant, and a 3 year old that is an excellent mother and usually has twins.
I'm thinking that the older doe who has successfully kidded before would be best-but I can't find any information on how long you can safely breed pygmies.
Since she's three years old, how many years of breeding does she have left?

[dosthouhavemilk]

Originally Posted by minny67

I currently have two pygmies (buck and doe) I'd like to get another girl for breeding.
I'm going to look at some pygmy does tomorrow-they have 2-1 year olds that might be pregnant, and a 3 year old that is an excellent mother and usually has twins.
I'm thinking that the older doe who has successfully kidded before would be best-but I can't find any information on how long you can safely breed pygmies.
Since she's three years old, how many years of breeding does she have left?

Our mostly if not purebred, pygmy, Velvet, is around eight years old and I am sure she will kid again this coming year. I expect she is due 1/6/05. She was definitely bred at by William this year. She has kidded five times now (we took a year off from breeding).

[stellie]

Originally Posted by minny67

I currently have two pygmies (buck and doe) I'd like to get another girl for breeding.
I'm going to look at some pygmy does tomorrow-they have 2-1 year olds that might be pregnant, and a 3 year old that is an excellent mother and usually has twins.
I'm thinking that the older doe who has successfully kidded before would be best-but I can't find any information on how long you can safely breed pygmies.
Since she's three years old, how many years of breeding does she have left?

It all depends on the goat, really. We've had a few that would breed well up to 10-12 years old and they're perfectly healthy animals -- does and kids. Then we have a few that won't do much of anything after year six.

[minny67]

Hey Roseanna & Stellie, thank you for the quick replies! You were a big help!
I did buy the 3 year old today-she's plump, healthy, and a real sweety. Hopefully I'll have kids in the spring!
Thanks again!

[Al. Countryboy]

Hi Minny67, I feel that you made a wise choise. I had a young doe pygmy that was given to me that was bred at about 8 months old. She had to have a c-section. She had one buck kid that was half as big as she was. I was told that with first kiddings that if a young doe that has only one kid and it being a buck that you are in for trouble. Have a neighbor that has a pygmy doe that has triplets every time and they are about the size of a house cat, not mine. :no: :no: The vet. bill was $272.00. for the c-section.

Originally Posted by Al. Countryboy

Hi Minny67, I feel that you made a wise choise. I had a young doe pygmy that was given to me that was bred at about 8 months old. She had to have a c-section. She had one buck kid that was half as big as she was. I was told that with first kiddings that if a young doe that has only one kid and it being a buck that you are in for trouble. Have a neighbor that has a pygmy doe that has triplets every time and they are about the size of a house cat, not mine. :no: :no: The vet. bill was $272.00. for the c-section.

Pygmy goats are more prone to having delivery problems than other breeds of goats in general. I have a buck who was a single birth and he was of average size when born even though he was a single birth. I have never bred a doe younger than a year old and if they are on the small size than I wait an extra year. This will lessen you chances of having birthing problems due to the does immaturity.