# Finally Found a Farm and Bucks to Breed my Girls With!!! *UPDATE PIC!*



## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 3, 2012)

*I finally found a great clean tested farm and some really good bloodline bucks to breed my purebred girls with. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I've spoken with the lady a few times and got all the details worked out and set up for the second week in September. She is going to board them and hand breed them for me. I have 4 or 5 does to take to her, (not sure if I'm going to take my American Nubian yet). 

This is my first year having goats and my first time breeding and having babies, and I am really really nervous. Is there anything I should know, or look for, or expect, or anything!??!

Thank you for any advice you can give!!!!!




Edited to Add: Wanted to ask first if it's ok to post a picture of the buck and get some feedback on him?*


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## Rebbetzin (Aug 3, 2012)

Not much to do at first but wait.  And if things go well, the does will have easy  deliveries, 
and be good mamas and you will just have to be there to watch and enjoy the experience. 


So, far we have not had any troubles when the goats deliver, did have some "nursing" issues
with one of the does, but after a few "forced" nursings she got the hang of it. but maybe having
triplets was more than she counted on!


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 4, 2012)

*OMG soooooo cute!!!! Adorable babies congrats for you!!! 


Two concerns: 

I have 6 goats to have bred. 


And I want to pull and bottle feed the babies... *


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## Pearce Pastures (Aug 4, 2012)

Wow are you going to be busy! Will you be bottle feeding until they are weaned or are you planning on selling them on the bottle?  Lets say all 6 get pregnant and are due all around the same time.  If each has 1-3 kids, you might be feeding 6-18 kids three times a day for at least 56 days (8 weeks and I sometimes bottle up to 10 if they need it).   That is 168 bottles per goat that you will need to feed, so somewhere between 1008 if you had 6 kids and 2688 bottles if you had 18 on the ground.  That is a lot of feedings in a short time.  Plus there is the time you will have to take to wash and thoroughly clean those bottles and the expense of purchasing nipples and whole milk (if that is what you will be feeding them instead of the dam's milk---if you are feeding back the dam's milk, that is a whole other task too).


So here are my thoughts.

1) I LOVE bottle babies and pull all of our babies (no need to cower about that decision---lots and lots of people do it for good reason). But if I were to have more than 3 or 4 babies at a time, I think I would consider trying out pan feeding, though I am not sure if it creates the bond that the bottle does. 

2) If you are going to be selling them, I'd get some advertising out there well before they deliver so you can cut down on the number of feedings and the costs of doing so by having them picked up sooner rather than later.  

3) Consider staggering your breedings, say three does in the fall, then 3 does in the spring.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 4, 2012)

*Thanks!!! Good info! I've been pondering and yes it does seem like a lot of babies to be bottle feeding. The breeder we got some of our does does it by hand whien they are little (maybe up to like 3 weeks old) and then she does the bucket feeder with nipples. 


I want to bottle feed so I can sell the babies as soon as possible after birthing. Hopefully they would be sold long before the 3 week mark. I do want to keep some of the doelings.*





*
Edited to add: I do have another almost identical thread to this one where I wanted to talk about the babies and care. I had intended for this thread to be more about what I should expect, what I should do, look for  while I'm taking the does to be bred...*


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 5, 2012)

*There are two bucks to choose from and I think I am going to do half my girls to one and half to the other. 


What do you guys think? *Not my picture; belongs to Mojave Farms*

Kastdemur's Santa Ana Breeze
DOB: 3/13/10

S:  Kastdemur's Time in a Bottle
SS:  Kastdemur's LH Full Service
SD :  Kastdemur's Temerity
D: Kastdemur's Sea Breeze
DS:  Kastdemur's Full Disclosure
DD: Kastdemur's Breeze




*


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## Blackhereford boy (Aug 5, 2012)

He is veRy handsome.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 5, 2012)

LOL He looks like he's smiling! 

 I certainly like the looks of him, beautiful buck!


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## GLENMAR (Aug 6, 2012)

Sounds like you can't go wrong with that guy.
I hope ypu plan to make a lot of cheese with all that milk. I only bred one doe this year, and she is giving me 3/4 to 1 gallon a day.
(Nubian FF)


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 7, 2012)

*My 5 girls are in milk now (purchased them that way)  and yep we make LOTS of cheese, kefir, and yogurt! 

My girls at the tops were giving me about 4 gallons a day, now I'm getting 2-3 per day. *


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## treeclimber233 (Aug 7, 2012)

Not sure if I am seeing things but he seems to have a swelling on his jawline.  Is that normal for bucks or do I need new glasses?  After looking again his whole face seems swollen......


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## SheepGirl (Aug 7, 2012)

I noticed the same thing, treeclimber233. I just never did post anything


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 7, 2012)

*If you look closely his beard is actually blowing back up against his jaw. *


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## treeclimber233 (Aug 7, 2012)

The swelling seems to be going around his jaw and up to his eye.  His whole face seems swollen.  But I do see where his beard is blown back under his chin.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 8, 2012)

*Hmmm.  That pic was taken when he was 2 years old.



Here he is at One Year Old:








And here is the alternative buck; born in february; he will be 7 months old when I take my girls there.



*


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Aug 8, 2012)

LadyIsabelle2011 said:
			
		

> LOL He looks like he's smiling!
> 
> I certainly like the looks of him, beautiful buck!


He knows all the ladies (human ladies, LOL) want him 

LOL!!


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## Catahoula (Aug 8, 2012)

I see SPOTS!!!!!    Hope you get some colorful kids.


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## sawfish99 (Aug 8, 2012)

If the bucks are not related, definitely split them.  That allows you the option of keeping a doeling and breeding to the other buck next year.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 8, 2012)

Catahoula said:
			
		

> I see SPOTS!!!!!    Hope you get some colorful kids.


*Yay me too!!! I have a spotted gorl and I am hoping for more spotted babies, I just LOVE spots!!! *


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 8, 2012)

sawfish99 said:
			
		

> If the bucks are not related, definitely split them.  That allows you the option of keeping a doeling and breeding to the other buck next year.


*
Ohh great idea. I will have to double check. 

I had planned on breeding them all, keeping a few of the doelings and then possibly purchasing an unrelated (to all) buck next year...*


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 8, 2012)

*I will definitely check everything out including the bucks before I even unload my girls. Just to make sure there is nothing "odd" that I can see. *


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