Just curious...I will have 3 girls bred this year. Do most people breed them all to kid right about the same time or a month apart or what?
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Just curious...I will have 3 girls bred this year. Do most people breed them all to kid right about the same time or a month apart or what?
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Chaverah farm has an exciting approach to this, and more importantly, there answer stresses the fact that there really isn't one right way. You and I both along with many others will probably try a couple of plans before we figure out what works best for us. Sounds as if Chaverah has just about gotten there plan down.
I thought I was going to have some in October and then maybe February. Both nice times of the year here, hopefully cool but not cold. Now it is starting to look like I won't have many if any in October. But they sure seem fired up and in love right now. I am beginning to think that the goats valentines day is near! LOL!
What I will not do, is sit here for another 4or5 months thinking they are bred and February roll around and not get kids, then have to start all over. I will keep exposing them so that if not February, then March, or April, or May! I really do want them to kid twice a year though, so I can have a little more consistency to the milk supply and bust up the work and fun a little.
You will probably get as many different answers as the people who answer =) One year I had one doe give birth in the spring and the other doe the next spring, but those were bigger goats. With the Nigerians I only had one kidding last year, in March. This year I hoped to have one per month starting the end of April, through July, and it almost worked, but I didn't get the May kids - she didn't take =) I did discover that where I am (M0ntana) the March and April kids had more lice than the ones who were born in the summer. As far as the parasites, I have not had a problem with them so far. We mostly feed hay and when I do pasture, we use a dog kennel and move it around the property. Plus March has strong possibilities of being very cold here (although it could also be warm!) As far as ease for you, it is nice to have it all over with in one month, but it might be a stressful month??? Also, all the kids would be the same age and all leaving at the same time. And then you will have all your does peak at about the same time too, so you will have LOTS of milk and then they will all drop their supply at around the same time too. I like the way we did it this year and plan to do the same next year with kids hopefully coming in late April, May, June and July. =)
What a remarkable story, Margaret! I'm thinkin' you should consider writing a book. :-)
Oh wow, that was an exciting month!
About twelve and a half years ago, I had my nubians and was very pregnant myself. That was when we had our first kids born. We didn't know squat about when they were due. We owned the buck and they ran in about 2 acres together. So naturally we were gone visiting and came home very late in the dark and my kids went out behind the huge barn on our return and heard kids. Our search produced beautiful twin doelings out of a FF and a sr doe in labor so we set in for what we thought to be a normal delivery only to wind up with a huge single buck that just couldn't come out and a stressed screaming doe.
So here I am huge pregnant and no one that knew what to do but me. Thank God at least I did have help. Hubby' friend talked to and soothed mama while I straightened his screwed up head and found his legs, when we finally got him right I braced myself with my feet against her rump and hubby was behind me with his arms locked around me under my arms. When she pushed we pulled. He finally came out, solid white, gorgeous and paralyzed from the stressful delivery. Got over it within a week with intensive care and was a spoiled brat! We named him 'Beam me out "Scotty" '(Hubby' friend at the delivery' middle name was Scotty).
Pregnant goats and pregnant women can be challenging!
I couldn't agree with the two of you more! Life is an awesome miracle. I'm a doula (as I believe Deborah was?), and I NEVER get tired of seeing babies (and new families) born. The one thing I don't recommend is having clients with a human baby due when your goat kids are due. I was in that situation last spring. My first goat babies were born on the human baby's due date, April 23. The last goat babies were born on May 2, a week before the human baby made her appearance. It was a crazy three weeks of waiting, and some stressing! The human baby was even more of a miracle than usual, born with the LONG cord wrapped around her neck three times, and perfect as could be!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I'm with you 100% Margaret! I just love birthin' babies!
Margaret Langley said:
Geez, Marin, I wonder what a plane ticket would cost for me to get there. I would be in heaven helping out in your barn during the month of March! I have always said, I could stay up every night of the week to watch babies being born. I still feel the same way! I don't care what kind they are. It is without a doubt the most wonderful thing in the world! I would watch a mouse have babies if given the chance. No offense to any one who is like this but, I have nevr understood the people who freak over how gross and horrible it is. I just don't see that...never have...messy...even scary, when something doesn't look right... But ALWAYS Miraculous! Life is the most awesome miracle!
Thirty!!! I can't even imagine...
Yup, January is bad. We're planning on mostly March kiddings in 2013. We're actually going to attempt to have 30 goats kid that month. My husband will be taking some time off work, but I suspect we may end up declared insane by the end of it:-)
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I don't have my calendar with me, but I'm pretty sure that if you breed next week, you'd be looking at mid-February babies.
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