# Looking for advice on older ND doe



## Sweetened (Sep 17, 2016)

Hey guys.

I am looking for some input on a double bred doe I have. Daisy had twins January 7th and was accidentally rebred and had kids again July 5th. I was going to not breed her and wait for summer kids but I DO NOT want summer kids. I have heard NDs can have problems if left longer than a year without breeding. She is going to be 8 years old.  If I support her with grain and supplements for body condition, could I rebreed her for this winter? If yes, SHOULD I? Would you? She would kid february march and not be rebred again until the next september or october. 

I have attached some pictures of her, taken last night, to show her body condition. I am not milking her, did not milk her at all this lactation, and she has only been feeding her doeling for about a month and has almost weaned her on her own.

Thanks for your honest, candid advice.


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## Latestarter (Sep 18, 2016)

@OneFineAcre @babsbag @frustratedearthmother @Goat Whisperer  Others? IMHO, she looks fine and in decent shape. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't breed her for spring kids... I mean in the wild, if she came into heat, she'd get bred.


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## animalmom (Sep 18, 2016)

Nice looking teats! (Shhhh I can say that here, maybe not in public but certainly here!)  In the last picture she looks a little thin in the topline, but it could be just that shadow... then again I like a little more meat on my goaties.  

Yes, I'd breed her if she was mine.


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## Sweetened (Sep 18, 2016)

animalmom said:


> then again I like a little more meat on my goaties.



Me too. Daisy is a little lighter in weight than she went into summer with, but has definitely packed on the pounds. Im going to be worming everyone here shortly, which should help. Been a perfect year for parasites here.

Thanks for your opinion!


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 18, 2016)

I think she looks pretty good, especially for a doe who has kidded twice this year!  I think if you have parasites under control and you give her the best nutritional support that you can, there's no reason not to go ahead and breed her.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 18, 2016)

I think she is a little thin and needs a little more body condition.
I see no issue with re-breeding here but I would give her feed and gain a little more condition over about a month period, reevaluate and if looking optimal then rebreed. I would continue giving some food throughout if necessary. I think a 2 months break after kidding is the minimum I'd do. 3 months for many ND's is plenty long for them. They stay in condition easier IMO than Standards.


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## Goat Whisperer (Sep 18, 2016)

She looks thin to me. 
I would get more weight on her before breeding. 

How many kids does she normally have? Does she carry them with ease? How does she kid? All these things play a role. My one doe has huge litters (4-5) but bounces back well now that she is a mature doe. She could be freshened 3 every 2 years with no issues (as long as she doesn't have birthing complications) and be fine. I don't do this because she does get uncomfortable with such a big load.

These are all factors. If she can gain weight and carrying kids doesn't physically stress her body too much I think she'll be okay. 
Keeping her on grain would probably be in her best interests. As always make sure she's UTD on copper and selenium etc. 

Older and stressed does will have a harder time fighting off things like ketosis and milk fever, so this is something to watch very closely. 

Why is she trying to wean her month old kid? This would make me think she's kicking the doeling off so it doesn't drag her down even more. I would be very concerned about this. If this is her norm then it might not be a big deal, but if it's not I wouldn't re-breed her.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 18, 2016)

Goat Whisperer said:


> Older and stressed does will have a harder time fighting off things like ketosis and milk fever, so this is something to watch very closely.
> 
> Why is she trying to wean her month old kid? This would make me think she's kicking the doeling off so it doesn't drag her down even more. I would be very concerned about this. If this is her norm then it might not be a big deal, but if it's not I wouldn't re-breed her.


good point


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## babsbag (Sep 18, 2016)

The doeling was born July 5 so that makes her about 10 weeks. Not sure what she meant by 


Sweetened said:


> and she has only been feeding her doeling for about a month and has almost weaned her on her own.


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## Sweetened (Sep 19, 2016)

babsbag said:


> The doeling was born July 5 so that makes her about 10 weeks. Not sure what she meant by



what i meant was her two bucklings got pulled at 6 weeks, so for thenpast month she has only been feeding the doeling.

She has been pushing the doeling off since day one. She never rejected her, but never let her nurse for as long as she did the boys; perhaps because she weighed twice what the boys did at birth.

She is a very good mom, I was told she usually has quads and has had triplets and she had a set of twins (January) and a triplets (July). The twins were because a young buck spread his seed far and wide. She births with easy. She put the triplets on the ground in less than 40 minutes unassisted. Because of the double breeding, I made sure not to milk her to add additional stress.

Thabks for everyones input!


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