I would like some opinions if anyone has the time- for background info on this situation please read the "congested udder" thread.
I have a 6 y/o ND doe who had two bucks six weeks ago (Annie). After 12 hr seperation overnight I am only getting 1/2 qt out of her which for me is disappointing. I bought her because she was the twin sister of my other ND doe (Penny) who was a solid 1/2 gallon milker after her twins last year. Penny is giving me 3/4 qt on 12 hour seperation from her 5 week old singleton. I think Annie is holding her milk back so I have no way to really know how much she might really have.
My #1 interest is milk, that's why I raise the goats. We don't show & besides enjoyign them as pets we just want milk.
I really like Annie, she is a very good cooperative girl, never kicks on the stand, never really gives me any trouble of any kind. Annie's got a really pretty udder, too. Penny, the better milker, is a snot on the stand and not as pretty of an udder.
I have an opportunity to buy a La MAncha a few months into lactation still giving 1/2 gal a day down from a gal at first, she is a FF. I found out about her because I like my mini mancha so much I was asking around about more minis or full La Manchas. I also like Miyagi's kids so much I really wanted another bigger girl to breed him to, I can't breed him to Penny or Annie because he is too big and sired to whopper kid that sent Truffle to the ER
Hubby says I can only get the La MAncha if I sell another doe, and Annie's on the chopping block because her production kind of stinks. But then it seems kinda silly to sell the nicer doe and keep Penny...but Penny does milk reliably.
OR I can just forget the whole thing, keep my NDs & no new manchas for awhile.
A
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So, Juliana, what did you decide to do? Did you keep Annie? Because I had to make a similar decision, I am especially curious.
One of the reasons I am asking is because I sold Capri which was very difficult to do. She went to a pet home (with her two oldest from this year) and will not be bred again. My "success" rate with her was 50 percent loss of babies born in the three kiddings (counting the single which was fine but 4.5 lbs.). Second kidding here was quads and lost three of them, mainly because of their size and her not being able to deliver them without aid. This year it was quints and lost two because I was not there and they were born too fast and she didn't get the bubbles broken on the last two. I still feel horrible about her leaving but felt it was more important for her to not be bred and I might change my mind and chance it again.
It's always difficult for one to leave but she was my first milker and the sweetest little goat around. She was difficult to milk because of small teats and orifices but her milk was outstanding and worth the effort. They left November 4th and I still miss her terribly and am constantly reminding myself it is the best thing. I kept her youngest daughter from this year's litter who promises to be a good milker (per my goat person). Of course, I have her first girl (an excellent milker) and her girl she birthed her my first year with her (hopefully bred as we speak).
Rachel- youa re correct about the the breeding of the whopper baby, it was an accident where the buck got tangled in the electric fence while I was in a dog training appointment. I sent hubby to rescue him, and he got him loose not realizing that he could not let him run with the does for 5 mins while he fixed the fence. About 2 seconds later, Truffle was pregnant at 5 months old and she was small to begin with and terribly narrow in her hind end
Penny had had twins by miyagi with no problem the year before the Truffle thing...but still I am kinda scared to breed him to a normal sized Nigerian because I just can't handle the stress of wondreing and/or the money /stress/possibly losing a goat in a bad delivery I could have prevented. Miyagi is mature now and he is legitimately big. Last measurement Miyagi was 24 inches tall & he is thicker than Bliss (my registered buck) too. Wish I had a platform scale. But you're also totally right that it might not be all his fault about the whopper baby...
I have felt pretty bad about the prospect of selling Annie...I really like her, she is just a real sweetie. Annie was in real bad shape when I bought her & she was just so grateful to us for helping her Plus I think she is polled and that is something I really want more of in my herd. In a perfect world I'd have two Manchas and two NDs (Penny & Annie) so maybe I ought to just stop being impatient cause hubby might change his mind and let me buy one next year without selling one of my other girls.
Anyway Miyagi is young so I have plenty of time to breed him & with his health he'll probably be fertile and breeding for the next twenty years.
All things considered, I would have to agree with Rachel about everything she said! And if you did do this and the other doe turns out to have problems, you or Hubby neither one won't be very happy!
by "bred her" I meant when she was bred? I think I remember that she got in with the buck or the other way around on accident?
Rachel Whetzel said:
Here's my two cents:
If you believe that Annie might simply be holding back on you, I vote keep her, and work on getting her to let down fully for you. At least through this kidding/milking. Give her some time. You would be trading one unknown for another if you choose the mini over Annie... Personally, I would probably keep the NDs for a while. See if Annie becomes a more trusting milker, and then sell Penny. I would rather have an easy time getting a little less milk (if you can get her to let down better) than work hard and fight a doe at each milking. I'm not showing, so unless udder looks are impacting function, I don't mind an udder that isn't pretty looking. lol
Re your buck and large kids:
It seems to me that your buck might not be the reason for the problems you had with Truffle... Wasn't she very young when you bred her? There are so many factors in how big kids can get. I feel like there were too many other contributing *things* that could collectively resulted in the large kid... Her size/age... the fact that she had a single... so many things. I have seen such a wide variety of sizes from a single buck. From runts to monsters... I just really think there can be more...