Which buck to use first

[Kimberly Mondragon]

We have a 9 month doe that might be coming into heat.  This will be her first breeding.  We'd really like to breed her to Apache ( a nice sized yearling buck) however, a friend suggested that we bred her to Tater ( a smaller 8 month buck) does it make first time kidding easier if you use a smaller buck the first time?  Or will the does kids be about the same size no matter the size or age

of the buck?

[Kimberly Mondragon]

Hi Jane,

Thank you for your response!  We raise paints and quarter horses and never breed our mares until they're at least 4 and most of them are quite a bit older. We've even waited until some of are mares are 8.  I totally agree with you that growing animals shouldn't be pushed to raise youngsters.... You're information on the bucks size helps.  That would be like a low birth weight bull.  It's the genetics not the size of the animal.  Makes perfect since!  Thank you!

 

[Jane Wagman]

Glad to see that you have decided to wait to bred her.   I try to time it so my does are freshening for the first time when they are about 2 years old.   Yes they can produce kids at younger ages, but it seems counterproductive to good health and longevity to ask a still growing goat to grow babies too.

 

Oh and the bucks adult size doesn't always correspond to kid size.   I've seen big bucks that throw small kids and small bucks that throw big ones.   When possible I really like to know what size kids a buck tends to throw before breeding him to a FF.

[Kimberly Mondragon]

Hi Arin,
That's where we were. Everything seemed to be rush, rush...and we felt
pressured to breed are does.  Now we are just enjoying them... (they
really are too cute)  Laughing!  The does that we've purchased have
some great bloodlines and we've paid quite a bit for them, so
eventually it'll be nice to raise a few kids to recap some of the
initial cost.  But that's not the main reason we've got them.
Take care,
Kim

Arin Groner said:

I was in a hurry, just because they are so stinkin' cute, but now that I heard that it could stunt her growth, I'm going to wait and just breed her at the same time I do her mom NEXT fall, when she will be exactly 18 months or so.  My doeling is particularly small despite being 1/4 nubian. I think she is more ND than anything and want to find a local ND stud to breed her to. The only one I know of around here is her father so that should be interesting. That was part of why I was interested in this group, I was hoping to find the right stud (although now I have longer than I thought!).

[Arin Groner]

I was in a hurry, just because they are so stinkin' cute, but now that I heard that it could stunt her growth, I'm going to wait and just breed her at the same time I do her mom NEXT fall, when she will be exactly 18 months or so.  My doeling is particularly small despite being 1/4 nubian. I think she is more ND than anything and want to find a local ND stud to breed her to. The only one I know of around here is her father so that should be interesting. That was part of why I was interested in this group, I was hoping to find the right stud (although now I have longer than I thought!).

[Kimberly Mondragon]

Thank you for your response!  I like your advise about 18 months or 40 pounds!  (It makes since) We decided to wait to breed our does until late Oct. or early Nov. so we aren't having kids in such cold weather and our does will be over 18 months by then   We really enjoy are little goats and there's really no hurry to breed them. 

[Arin Groner]

Sounds like your hay question got answered, but I wanted to chime in on your other question. What matters is the size of the buck when full grown, it will not produce a smaller kid to breed to a younger buck. I would look at the size of both parents of the buck to determine the size you are actually breeding your doe to.  I was going to breed my ND doeling at age one year, but after reading that other thread on this forum, I think they made a good argument for waiting until she is 18 months, or 40 pounds, whichever comes first.

[Kimberly Mondragon]

I didn't respond back yesterday because we went to Powell.  It's  about 90 miles from here.  We brought back 11 ton of mixed hay that we loaded by hand.  That's always a lot of work for a Saturday.  Anyway, I'll start feeding the grassier bales to our nigerian goats.... Thank you for the advise!  It's greatly appreciated!

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

Oh, and interesting you mention the minerals... my oldest doe (and now my pregnant doe) never really seemed interested in the minerals, BUT the other day, she came out of the barn with minerals ALL OVER her mouth... so I knew for sure she's eating them. I just thought it was interesting that she's eating them now that she's pregnant and didn't seem as interested before... :)

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

I'm pretty sure Deb told me no alfalfa for pregnant does until the very end of pregnancy and continue through lactation. No alfalfa for bucks and wethers because alfalfa is very high in a few things that cause them to have urinary issues that can kill them. (Calcium and Vit C...? I think.)

[Kare]

I don't think the size of a young buck would make a difference, but like Rachel said, it would be more about the size when he is full grown.  I have also heard that feeding the doe grain makes the kids bigger.  Alfalfa is definitely known as a hay for does in milk.  As far as feeding it to pregant does, I don't know if it makes a difference or not.  We are feeding all of our goats (dry does, lactating doe, bucks and kids) a grass mix with very little alfalfa in it.  I want to see how much they give without using alfalfa hay since this hay is easier to find.  I have heard that you should not feed bucks alfalfa hay, but I don't remember why.

One very important thing to do for your doe while she is pregnant is have a good mineral mix available at all times. (for all goats this is very important, but definitely for a pregnant one)