I was hoping to catch someone in heat for a fall kidding so I could have milk through the winter. However, my does and Mother Nature had a different plan. Today, I finally caught Summer in heat so she went to visit Stuart (Poppy Patch CW Stuart) who will make a great dad for her babies. He comes from an excellent line of dairy goats with outstanding milk records. If she settles from today’s breeding, her babies will be due February 22nd – Washington’s birthday.
Summer is currently giving a pint of milk at day 546 of this lactation, very good for a second freshener. Her kids were born last year on April 4th, eighteen months ago so she will surely enjoy having babies again next spring. She is an excellent mom and likely misses having kids. As soon as her pregnancy is confirmed, in about six weeks, I will dry her up so she has a long rest and all her body resources go to her babies.
To be honest, I have missed having kids this year. I have suffered from serious kid withdrawal. It will be great to have some bouncing around out there again.
A compliment to my doe - the breeder asked if Summer had any bucklings if she could get one! She doesn't have a son from Stuart yet and wants one to carry on his bloodlines. Some of you might remember my breeding dilemma back awhile when I was trying to figure out a way to get my own buck and finally decided it was not going to happen. It turned out that the two bucks I had available to me, Legend and Crazy, were great bucks. Sadly, Crazy died two years ago. I had bred Capri to him but she had a horrible delivery that spring and had one surviving kid, a beautiful buckling. Not knowing at the time that Crazy had just died, I had the buckling wethered. It might be that Stuart is the only male offspring from Crazy.
Please keep your fingers crossed for me that Summer settles from this breeding. It was funny, while the breeder and I were talking afterward, Summer had snuggled down in her crate, went to sleep and started snoring. I told Justine that she had her cigarette and went to sleep! I sure to love that little girl; I still cannot believe she was my "extra" doe - she has turned out to be such a great doe. She has a permanent home here even though I can legally keep only three. Like my older hens, her earlier performance will carry her through to be a long-term pet.
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Summer is not overweight - everyone says she is just right - so that isn't the issue. I'm thinking it is more likely to be the buck, seriously. Twice and fail and that's it; she was definitely in standing heat with successful couplings both times. She was easily bred both times before so maybe she doesn't care for the driveway breeding thing and wants to spend some with her guy. Or maybe she wanted to see Legend again - they do make beautiful babies so in the future that is who I will take her to. Legend and her mom's dad are both Camanna goats so the bloodlines are great.
It was Ginger that I was concerned about not getting bred because she is heavier. Test show she is pregnant. I would like to think I felt babies kick a couple of days ago and again this evening. She talks to me a lot and would like goodies which she gets only at bedtime. Other than a bedtime treat, she (and the others) get only orchard grass hay. It took Summer a while to accept that since she has been getting grain while being milked.
Of course, I want to be posting pictures here of Ginger and her babies the first week of March. I will be one super-happy goat momma!
Sorry to hear that, Glenna! I am starting to wonder if extended milking is really a good thing for does. I have one now that's been milking for 3 years, and we had bred her, but she isn't getting pregnant. She is also overweight.
Last year when I saw that Vera was again looking pregnant at two months, I had the vet come out to do an ultrasound to see how many she was carrying. Because she was between 2 and 3 months at that point, the vet could only see 3 at a time but admitted that there very well could be more in there, but they were so big at that point that they could easily hide behind each other. You can't really say how many there are unless you are seeing them all at the same time. She did have five again. My husband had even pointed out to me that there would be nothing I could do if I knew she was carrying five again, and it would not affect my care for her in any way. Years ago, I had heard that boer breeders would do ultrasounds and increase the feed for does carrying 3+ but I learned with Vera's mother Coco that you don't want to feed them too much if they're carrying multiples because if those kids get too big, it's harder to maneuver the kids if they get tangled up. Since I have never had a case of pregnancy toxemia in my herd, I don't worry about that and just continue to feed my does sensibly, even if it appears they have multiples in there. I know how much you love your girls, but hopefully this helped a little bit.
Words cannot express how disappointed I am -- Summer (after two apparently successful breedings four weeks apart) is NOT pregnant, test results back this past Friday. I dried her up wanting to give her a three-month rest after milking her for over a year and a half. Now, the soonest I will have milk for me for certain for people is June or after!
Ginger, breed to the same buck, is due Feb 28 (Day 143 which seems to be the day around here) or during that week after. She miscarried last year so I am concerned. Her weight is also a cause for attention (heavy even though food is grass hay).
By the time Dancer and Dollie came in heat again, the same day, it was to blazes with driving them 45 miles to a buck that I had such high hopes for. Dollie is bred to Legend and Dancer to Charlie (not registered yet) since Legend is Dancer's dad. They are both due mid April, bred the same day. All of my girls are Camanna grandchildren except Dancer who is both grandchild and great grandchild - wonderful bloodlines!
I cannot express how much I wish I had again bred Summer to Legend - both sets of triplets as a result of that combination have been outstanding. It is going to be quite a challenge to catch her in heat now since I noticed no signs of heat this past two months she is apparently not being super strong now as in November. She would have been due mid-March from the second breeding.
Friday, I talked to the vet about having a scan done on Ginger so I would have an idea of how many she might be carrying. He is very straight-forward and asked me if it would put my mind any more at ease. He did mention that multiple would be smaller babies, but given her mom's history of large kids (huge quads in 2013) he asked if it would really put me at ease and would it be worth to risk stressing her to take her in for x-rays. It is definitely something to think about.
So, I am asking for prayer for all to go well for Ginger. Please understand, they all matter. However, she is my first baby born here and she will be four at the end of March. She is so sweet and loving to everyone that I know she is going to be a fantastic mom. From the one time I milked her after she mis-carried, it seems she will also be an easy milker.
I don't know that it contributes to a heat cycle starting but it gives evidence they might be in heat.
If they are not in heat, they ignore it. If they are, they react. My senior doe urinated by the jar the rag was in and didn't leave the jar; however, with her I didn't need a buck rag since she screamed her head nearly off when she was in heat.
Dancer, the younger doe I took three days in a row, thinking she was in heat, ignored the buck rag when a couple days later she was later out there yelling her head off, moist and tail wagging. I didn't take her as I didn't want three litters in two weeks, but she clearly was ready to go but had ignored the buck rag. <big sigh>
If you have a buck rag and present it to the doe and she is interested, she is likely in heat. As far as I know, it is not absolute but it can help you. Summer, bred a week before, was interested for a bit but I think she was smelling Stuart who she had seen just as if it were another goat's smell. Ginger tried to pull the rag out of the bag but she had no other visible signs of heat but her keeping her nose in the bag and mouthing the rag was telling. Yet, she was clearly in standing heat since when she got to the buck there was no messing around; they got directly to business. Her little hump after each of the two matings was very pronounced, not like her sister at all. Even the breeder was surprised at how pronounced it was.
I absolutely love this little buck. Not only is he well behaved, he is a real gentleman and sweet talks them. I've never seen an animal "whisper" in another's ear before.<g>
Julieanne Cook said:
Sounds like you'll have a busy (but adorable) spring ahead of you. Question - how long after letting the does sniff the buck rag does it generally take before heat starts?
There is an excellent chance your girls will be in heat very soon if not already. The weather change seems to have put their systems back on track with it being more normal weather for this time of year. Right after Summer was there, the breeders does starting going into heat and she has since had several successful breedings.
Dancer made *three* trips down with no results. Then I passed around the buck rag the other day, and both Summer and Ginger were interested. Summer stuck her nose into the ziploc bag it was in and then walked off. Ginger, however, stuck her nose in and tried to pull out the rag. There was no other indication she was in heat, but when I took her to Stuart, she was quite definitely in standing heat. So now, if both settle, Summer is due February 22nd (based on her two previous gestations) and Ginger is due the first week of March.
And guess what?!! Dancer was screaming her head off both Monday and Tuesday - the little stinker. I told her she would just to wait until next month. Three litters in two weeks would just be a bit much for my space. Last kidding season, the six-week interval was perfect. Also taken into consideration is that Ginger is overweight so if she needs assistance, it is better for her to be the only one kidding. Summer has been a very easy kidder both times so my concerns for her are at a minimum.
So . . . if all goes as planned, it will be busy here in six months with lots of kids hopping around.
Here is wishing everyone good solid heats and successful breedings!
Julieanne Cook said:
Wow! That gives me hope, we have a cold snap coming up. Glad it went so smoothly for you.
Bev Sieminski, Winding Rvr Farm said:
I just said that I had no does coming in heat - we had a very cold night in Lorane, my hubby said it was 39 when I went to do chores. Today the does went crazy -and the bucks. Three girls came in this morning so two got bred and hopefully the deed is done. The third girl only birthed in Aug so will not bred her.
My oldest buck was so agressive today also. Not his usual self at all. I think the past two night being cold here started all this.
I saw some white discharge, so I'm hoping that means we're back on track. Looks like spring/late spring kids in 2016, dontcha think? ;)
Literally everyone to whom I've talked about this has said the same thing, a lot of flagging (or a little) but no real heat cycles. It is a 45-mile drive to the buck I want so I would *really* like to catch them in full heat so they will be in standing heat when we get there. Over the last few months, I sometimes see moist lady parts but not like in full heat - and they are not reacting to the "buck rag." Frankly, they seem to be getting very tired of me holding their collars and lifting their tails to look.<g>
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