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Size for a breeding doe based on weight or height?

Posted by Katie L Zollinger on February 11, 2012 at 2:52am in Breeding

I was asking a breeder about a 11-mo.-old doeling today, and she said she's hoping to get her up to 35 lbs by April so she'll be ready to breed.

I have a 10-mo-old doeling who looks much too small to me to be bred, but she's certainly near 35 lbs.  However, she's short--not more than about 14" or 15" high at the shoulder.

I don't plan on breeding her right now, but I am curious--what makes a doe the right size to breed?  Height or weight or a combination of the two?

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Replies

  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle February 12, 2012 at 10:07am

    I've never heard anyone mention height. I have also heard age -- not breeding them to kid before a certain age, like a year or 14 months or even two years, but weight is really important because some yearlings are definitely too small.

  • Katie L Zollinger February 11, 2012 at 8:42pm

    So is height an issue, or just weight?

  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle February 11, 2012 at 6:40am

    I used to breed at 35 pounds, but then if a doe doesn't grow as much you expect, it's not fun. Now I wait until 40 pounds.

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