hello, we are a family of four, living in Seattle on our tiny urban farm of  half an acre. We welcomed our two does last July , mama Peaches (almost 3 years old) and daughter Loosa (almost 2 years old). We would like to breed them both this winter but have been a little overwhelmed with all the things to consider. People have told me that I can look up the lineage of potential sires on the ADGA website but I can’t seem to find that anywhere on the site. Peaches is registered but Loosa is not. Her sire is registered. Is it necessary/ advisable to become ADGA member? Or just register her? We won’t show her or anything like that. 

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  • Yes, it’s pretty frustrating but what can you do ? We have learned a lot and will be ready next time around.

  • Oh, no! I'm sorry to hear that! 

  • Thank you, Suzan.  My husband said last night that sometimes the goats are the only thing keeping him sane, so THATS a good thing.

    As Deborah predicted, Murphy’s Law stepped in for our breeding plans. We had finally got everything lined up, breeder, tests, transport plan, then just before predicted heat, Loosa came up with a case of mites. And didn’t come into heat at all. And Peaches didn’t come into heat either. Fail. Ugh.

    But they are lovely little beings that add so much to our lives. And the garden is benefiting from all the manure!

  • Welcome and glad you are enjoying life with goats.  They do keep it interesting for sure

  • Yes, I'd breed the younger one ASAP, but as I said, not all does come into heat in the spring, so you might want to breed whichever one happens to come into heat -- if either of them do. Too bad you don't have a crystal ball. As soon as you breed Peaches, Loosa will probably come into heat because Murphy's Law is a real thing in goats. That means that if you see Peaches in heat and don't breed her, Loosa won't come into heat until fall.

  • Thanks all. I found the genetics site and that is most helpful. Also joined ADGA.

    Deborah, you mentioned our does might be getting a little old for first freshening. Loosa will be two in May ( Peaches is her mom so not a first freshener, she’ll be three in April) . We were thinking of only breeding one of them this spring, then the other in the fall. I was thinking Peaches in the spring, then Loosa in the fall but maybe if there’s a downside to letting Loosa get much older, it should be the reverse. Any thoughts?

  • Welcome to the group, and congratulations on your goats!

    If you want to breed your girls, I'd suggest sooner rather than later. They are getting a little "old" to be first fresheners. If they come into heat now, you can breed them for late summer or fall babies. Not all NDs can be bred year round, but many can.

    I'd suggest asking your goats' breeder about other breeders in your area who may have buck service -- or perhaps he or she has a buck they could be bred to. You could also just search online for "Seattle Nigerian dwarf goats" or "Washington Nigerian dwarf goats" to find breeders who may have a website.

    Hopefully Glenna will chime in. She lives in that area and knows breeders.

  • If you are an ADGA member and you get the "subscription" list then you can pull bloodlines that way.  I have been loving that option!

  • Thank you, Rachel. That is very helpful information. A lot of info to assimilate in this goat business! We are so enjoying the girls, they have added so much to our lives.

  • Congrats on your new does! 

    The site you're looking for is adgagenetics.org. There you can search pedigrees and production history, etc. Adga.org is the regular, main site with forms, member services, etc. 

    Being a member will save you money in the long run if you're registering several kids, but won't make a huge difference with only two goats. However, you also have to be a member to participate in DHI (milk test) or linear appraisal, if that is something you want to do. 

    For Loosa, if both her parents are ADGA registered you can register her as well, but you will need paperwork from the breeder. You'll need a registration application, a service memo from the owner of the buck if the breeder who owned her dam didn't own her sire at the time of breeding, and a signed transfer as well (which is present on the registration application). 

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