[Anitajoye]

Or is it?! (Excuse the cheesy title, i couldn't help myself!)
This is my first time with goats. I have two females, one would be going into her first heat and then one would be her second year breeding.
They are both saanens.
So, the signs....
Twitching, flagging tales, head butting each other, mounting each other, but not from the back, more the side.

I will have a kiko-boer buckling in about ten days, but dont have a male till then. Should i expect that in about three weeks they will cycle again? Is the tail twitching the first sign or the last?... Can you guys help me out with timing?
Give me the scoop if you can and tell me what i should and shouldn't do.
Any special nutrients they should have now before we breed?

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yes, about three weeks to recycle.

Does should be treated for worms, as you don't want to do that for at least the first 50 days of the pregnancy.

Some folks give a BoSe (selenium shot) before breeding.

That's about it!

 

[Caprice Acres]

Heat cycles are every 21 days - there may be a buck response to exposure to a buck which can bring them in sooner. I'd be sure to leave them together for around 7 weeks to ensure they don't recycle.

About 2 weeks pre-breeding I trim hooves, evaluate worm load/body condition, and give Copper and BoSe. I do the same for the bucks.

About 4-5 weeks pre-breeding season, I start the does on grain or slightly increase the grain intake. This puts them on an increasing plane of nutrition and tells the body it's a 'time of plenty'. This will cause them to ovulate more eggs. Its technical term is called 'flushing'.

If you plan on just tossing the buck in with the does, I do strongly suggest you use something like a marking harness so you can write down the exact day they breed. Sometimes they make it obvious they are breeding, but sometimes they don't. You may be able to get away with it with only 2 does, but I found it very helpful to have when I have several does breeding.