My LaMancha doe, Ruby, is almost 2 years old. The breeder she came from said to wait til she was 80 pounds before breeding. She didn't quite make it last fall, so we waited.
Plan was to breed her to Peppernut, my Nigerian buck. I am wondering where I've dropped the ball in my goat care, because Ruby has kept cycling all fall, even after being bred several times.
I've kept notes on my calendar of each time she cycled and I put her back in with the buck:
- 1st breeding was October 25th.
- 2nd was November 15th
- 3rd was December 5th. She also got copper that day, as I noticed her coat starting to look bleached. She's black.
- 4th was December 26th (today), as she is back in flaming heat again. :(
This summer/fall I had some family issues to deal with, so I didn't get to watch my herd as closely as last year except for signs of cycling. I think she probably needed copper before I noticed. Is not conceiving a symptom of copper deficiency?
Are there other deficiencies that could cause her not to take when bred?
I've been searching the Internet but haven't found much. :/ I'm going to be talking with my vet as well. I just wondered if anyone has experienced a similar situation and might have thoughts.
I didn't think Peppernut was the problem, as he bred two does (Nigerians) over a month ago, and they have not cycled again. I wondered if maybe Ruby is too tall and Peppernut just isn't quite getting the job done. I've watched them and it *looks* like he does. I figured I better review my management first to find out if I'm doing anything wrong.
Any advice is much appreciated.
Replies
I agree about the copper and selenium. I was having trouble getting does bred last year and I believe it might have been a selenium issue for me. The buck who wasn't successfully covering anyone got two does pregnant this year and all but one of my does has conceived. I was using selenium gel to supplement and I don't think it was enough. I switched to using what Deborah uses free-choice and things have improved. When I first put it out they ate quite a bit, now they eat very little.
I use Sweetlix Meat Maker mineral (non-medicated) from Jeffers as my free choice mixed mineral. I'm not sure what Deborah uses, but Sweetlix is a popular brand for goats. I've also used Golden Blend from Hoegger and it seemed equivalent.
One thing to consider as well if it seems to not be a mineral problem for you is a hormone issue. Does can become cystic and fail to conceive. They may also appear to constantly be in heat. You can read more about that issue at this link: http://articles.extension.org/pages/19727/goat-reproductive-failure... And here: http://kinne.net/infert1.htm
I have a doe who was falling into the "always in heat" category. She was blubbering and mounting on a daily basis and never conceiving. I worked with my vet and he prescribed hormonal medication for her, but it hasn't been long enough for me to test her for pregnancy yet. She did stop the crazy behavior, so I'm hopeful. We'll see.
Argh, I meant to come back and say thank you for your help!! I did give Ruby another dose of copper. Gonna get this goat thing figured out one day. :)
What mixed minerals do you use?