# Breeding Nigerians



## NannaSue (Jun 15, 2012)

I  have a small herd that is growing slowly.  I recently purchased a two year old registered Nigi. She is staying at the farm to breed with the Nigi buck there.  I also bought a buckling with really pretty colors and a wether from there.  If the doe isn't actively pregnant when I bring here home, can I breed her to the buckling? He was born in Feb this year(2012) and it's June, so I think he can be sexually competent?  Now down the roads say 1&1/2 yrs I would breed her again, but to him specifically.   I am interested in milking my does for family use, so I plan to spred out the pregnancies.  These three NDs are AGS registered.  I also have my favorite little girl I got from Dean's Funny Farm.  She has the AGS and NDGA registration.  I don't know if she is just beautiful to me or if I could show her.  How could I find out?  I was going to breed her to the new buckling around Dec/Jan.  I didn't investigate before hand and thought that all the new goats were able to be registered with NDGA. But they aren't.    So can I breed the doeling who has two registrations to the buckling with just the one?  If I wanted to show her babies, would they only be acceptable in the AGS, but not NDGA?  If the older doe bred with the buckling's sire, can her offspring be bred to him the buckling? I don't know about animal breeding.  is there an easy to understand book about all of this?  I have heard terms of "line breeding" and such but haven't found simple clear definitions.  Help?
Thanks yall!
Sue


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## lilhill (Jun 15, 2012)

On your registration question, any AGS and/or ADGA goats can be registered with NDGA.  NDGA only registered goats cannot be registered with AGS/ADGA.

If your doe did not settle with the first buck, you can use your young buck for breeding.  Some older does want mature bucks to mate with.  The younger buck may not have his technique down yet and the adults get impatient with a "beginner".  So the little guy "could" breed her.  Bucks mature at different rates and he should have no problem breeding at 6 or 7 months of age, but really, any younger and whether he has figured out exactly what to do depends on him.

As the old saying goes, if the breeding produced outstanding progeny, then it is line breeding.  If it turned out badly, then it is inbreeding.  As a breeder, I want to breed my animals to the standard and that means for conformation and milk production.  After all, Nigerian Dwarf goats are milk goats.    Everyone has different ideas on what they want in their breeding program, so you have to make that decision.  Good luck in your new venture into the goat world!


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## hcppam (Jun 15, 2012)

Some breeders will re breed if the doe didn't settle.


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## NannaSue (Jun 17, 2012)

Thank you LilHill, for your info.  
I would like to breed my does for their milk, but also bred well enough that they have solid well bred offspring that will carry good genes and be worth breeding.  Is it common to take a doe to another farm to breed her to improve your herd?
I have had two Pygmy does for a little over a year.  I was considering breeding one of them to the buckling/buck next year to have a milking doe and have hopefully doeling Nigi-Pygmy s that in another year + would be bred back to the buck to have milking does.  Is this common?  I understand that none of the them are registerable  with anyone, but would be strictly milking pets.  The Pygmy doe is the mother of the other Pygmy and kidded with no problems a single birth. Or should I just keep my Pygmies as they are, pets and only breed the registered does? Any advice is welcome!  
There  are very few books specifically for Pygmy or Nigerian Dwarf goats, but I've been told that the majority of information regarding goats is applicable to teeny tiny goats as well as regular sized.  

Thanks y'all.
Sue


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## lilhill (Jun 17, 2012)

If you find a buck to breed your girls to and you feel he has the qualities you want in your herd to make improvements, then certainly taking her to another farm to use that buck is good.  I have a breeder friend that lives about an hour away from me and even though I maintain 7 bucks here, she has a starred buck that I will probably be using on a doeling when she's old enough to breed, that I am bringing in from Baton Rouge.  I want his strong milk pedigree to go along with the ones in the doeling's pedigree and his lines are different from what I have.  So it's a win/win situation for me.  If you do use a buck from another farm, make sure they are free of any diseases you don't want your doe to get and bring back to your farm! 

If it were me, I'd breed the registered does to registered bucks.  You can get more for kids when you go to sell them.  Since you want to use them for milking does, breed to bucks with good milk lines.  It is really your choice on how you breed your non-registered does, but there again, if you are satisfied with the milk they give you, then go for it.


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