This is the first season where I will be doing hand breeding. I only have two does to be bred and our new buck is 10 months old. I do not want to pen breed because I would like to keep an eye on things to see how this new buck does. He is 15 1/2 inches tall, but is slightly on the roly-poly side. My does are 19 1/2 inches. I just want to make sure I can observe everything so I can have more confidence that the does get bred and what will be their due dates. Our older buck is going nuts to get to them (I know that's not a good indicator of heat since bucks can be a little nutty all the time) and they seem like they might be coming into heat. I've seen a little tail flagging and there's been some vocalization. One doe seems to be getting some discharge, but neither really look puffy or 'red'. I have turned the does out with the younger buck two days in a row for a bit. The first day there was an awful lot of head butting and he kept trying to mount, but the girls wouldn't stand still. I separated everyone again (they did have a short time where they were not being watched) and put them together once more this morning. The one doe was more accommodating, but she still would not stand for him. I hope they are just coming into heat and not coming out. I have not been able to get up to the barn for several months due to a tough pregnancy and now a special needs baby so I don't really have any dates to go by for their individual heat cycles. My older children did a great job of caring for the goats, but alas, documenting heat cycles was not something that got done. lol If they are coming into heat, I'm afraid I will miss their standing heat. How often should I check and try putting them together? I don't want to have to go through all this again in a few weeks! If I can catch them in standing heat, I can help our little height-challenged buck out by holding the does on the downhill side for him (our place is sloped). I just really can't live in the barn till this all happens, but I will get up as often as I need, too. It is just going to drive me crazy if I don't get out there in time and then have to wait some more!
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I'll be watching! I've got the dates marked on the calendar and I'm crossing my fingers that when 3 weeks roll around everyone will look settled! Thank you for your help!
You could just leave them together for the rest of the day at this point. Now that he knows what to do, it should be easier for him. I used to breed Nigerian bucks to full-size la manchas, and they'd get the job done.
One thing to keep in mind is that if the buck is quite young, his sperm count might not be high enough to actually get both of them bred. But you have to play the hand you're dealt, so I'd be breeding them both and hoping for the best. If they're in heat, it's your only option. I just mention that as an FYI, in case one of them comes back into heat in 3 weeks.
Wendi Gunter said:
Went up this morning and both does were in standing heat. I found a good spot outside to place does lower and that seemed to really help. One doe really hunched and squatted afterward. The other one not so much. I will go back up again in a bit.
I'll just leave them together then and trust love will find a way. lol
Those boys can be pretty darn small and still get their very long penis where it needs to be. I have a video of my little guy breeding my doe but I can't figure out how to upload it since it's not on youtube. In height, he was probably half her size!
OK, so I did go ahead and put them back together (better sure than not). It was a good thing I did. When I went up this morning, one of the does was in definite full-fledged standing heat. I got my wish and got to witness the buck trying to mount her. He wasn't too successful and you could tell she was getting impatient. He's barely getting his armpits up on her hind end when he mounts and tends to roll off (he's a little chubby, but not really over weight). He would also try mounting her from the side (inexperience or foreplay???). I tried holding her on the down hill side of a slope and also getting him something to stand on. Nothing really seemed to help. Something must have happened previously since they both had dried goo on their tails, but I'm not entirely sure how it might have happened. I am confident of their height measurements. Even though there is not much overall height difference, his legs are not that long yet. Thoughts? The other doe looked like she may be coming back into heat, too.
When I decide to pen breed, I leave them together for at least a month unless I actually see a breeding.
This is his first breeding season so definitely crossing fingers for babies in the spring! :)
Sounds like the little guy got the job done and then was ready to not share his food anymore LOL! Fingers crossed for you they settle!
I did go ahead and separate them and I will keep watch. :) It was kind of amusing though since he is so little compared to them. He does love his feed though and lets them know! He was just standing guard by the manager and would butt at them whenever they got close. They were getting a little irritated with him!
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