What is the time frame if any, when a buck starts showing interest in the doe before she goes into heat? The buck has already mounted once but I don't think she's in heat... 
They are doing their ritual and head rubbing together and such, but I don't know how long to keep them together separated from the rest (the others interfere esp the wether.)
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Some people breed at 35 pounds, but you're counting on the doe to continue growing at a pretty decent pace when you do that. I know of someone who wound up with c-sections on two first fresheners because they didn't grow as much as she expected. And it helps if she has twins or more because they'll be smaller. But since there are no guarantees on either of those things, I prefer to wait until 40 pounds. With a little luck, it can work when they're 35 pounds.
Deborah, attached is the recent pic of the herd. the white on the left is my wether. the next brown is baby 10 months, the next brown is Queenie a little over 2yrs (both small). the white one between the two brown is the buck who is smaller than my wether and the silver one (not shown). neither of the browns are not even 40 lbs. just weighed...close as I can get is about 35 lbs. she is almost as big as Queenie. The buck is about a year
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Age doesn't matter. Some goats are not big enough to breed until they are 19-22 months old, so they are kidding at 2+ years. I almost had to have a c-section on an 18-month-old goat because she was only 35 pounds and was carrying a large single kid. My daughters and I couldn't get the kid out, so we took her to the vet. It took him a long time -- him pulling the kid, and my daughter and I holding the doe so he didn't pull her off the table -- and once he finally got the kid out, the doe was so traumatized, she wouldn't even look at him. We tried milking her but she dried up pretty fast. She never came into full milk production.
Young does tend to have singles, and singles are bigger than twins. Unless this buck is 3 years old, he is not fully grown, and even if he is, you can't count on him throwing small kids. No buck will throw kids small enough for a doe that is too small to be bred. After my very traumatic experience with that 18-month-old doe, we take the scale out to the barn and stand on it while holding every single doe before breeding her, even if she looks big. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose by breeding a doe that is too small.
My thought was if she got pg then she would be 15 months.. she is a smaller size goat anyway. The buck is smaller as well than the rest of my herd. Queenie the one I was talking about is smaller as well.
Since you mentioned one of the does is only 10 months old, I thought I should ask if she weighs as least 40 pounds. Size is more important than age when it comes to breeding, and you don't want to breed a doe that is too small.
Thanks Rachel... The buck has blue eyes and the baby(s) will be pretty. If my 10mo. old blue eyed girl gets pg, they it's almost absolute they will have blue eyes... My other doe is very vocal when she is starting/in heat. So with Mia I will know LOL Interesting the two older does were given to me at about 1 1-1/2 years old because they weren't getting pg...hopefully it is just a maturity thing ..
There are things to look for, like bagging up, but like Margaret said, that indicator can vary from doe to doe...
And I can tell you, the first time I was waiting for a doe to deliver, I read ALL SORTS of indicators. Turns out, the doe wasn't even pregnant. lol You'll get better at it! Even seasoned breeders miss indicators. Also, no matter how exact you DO know a due date, they can STILL surprise you. I had nearly given up on Ginger this year before she kidded. At least you have a *slight* idea of when breeding took place. Some folks don't have ANY idea, and that makes it REALLY hard to predict.
Trish said:
Oh boy, this ought to be fun LOL
wow... so there really isn't an indicator if she is pg when she would ready to drop?
Not really a lot of help though! Because like everything else, it varies a lot, from doe to doe! A few won't fill up much til right before hand.
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