# Breeding age for first time does



## Arabiansnob (Jul 17, 2012)

Hello, I have 2 doe who were born in April, and I was wondering when I could breed them?  Nigoras ( Nigerian dwarf x Angora).  The buck I am breeding them to is my Nigerian dwarf buck who is quite small.


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## marliah (Jul 17, 2012)

I'm no pro, but my doe who was born in April will not be bred til this next spring when she is close to a year old.


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## DonnaBelle (Jul 17, 2012)

Yes, you definately want to wait until a first freshener doe is old enough to bear the pregnancy.  I have Nubian dairy goats, and I  wait until they are at least 9 months old. And weigh at least 100 lbs.

The smaller breeds, I don't know about, but I'm sure one born this April would not be anywhere near ready to breed this summer.

DonnaBelle


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## crazyland (Jul 17, 2012)

I heard 8 months and 80 lbs. 
Your does are still way to small to breed. 

I have 2 alpines born end of feb. they are very far size wise to breeding. 

Some does need 2 years to mature to breeding size.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jul 17, 2012)

Meta goats can be bred at 8 months or 70-80% their full weight. With smaller goats (Nigerians, Pygmys, ect) I would wait to about a year. Some go to a year and a half but that is over kill. I would wait 9-12 months to breed her depending on the time of the year.


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## lilhill (Jul 18, 2012)

With my Junior does, I breed them at 8 months provided they are of good size and mature enough to breed.  I do not want them to freshen before they are a year old.  Some I have waited until they were 12 months simply because it took them that long to mature, mentally and physically.


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## NachoFarm (Jul 19, 2012)

Hmm, just popping in on this thread here...so what's more important, age or weight?  And how do you determine if a doe is "mature"?  Our girls were born the beginning of February this year so they're currently almost six months old and just over 50lbs.  We were going to breed them this fall but should we wait?  If we wait does that mean we have to give them another full year and breed in fall 2013?  If they go into a heat, doesn't that mean they're mature?


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## Pearce Pastures (Jul 19, 2012)

In my opinion, going into heat doesn't make them really ready for pregnancy (feel the same way about my daughter-ten years old is NOT old enough   )

I think both factors, age and weight, are important.  People say Nigerians can be bred at 8 months but when two of my girls were eight months, they were still quite small, probably due to the horrible bout of coccidia we had to deal with when they were 3 months (pretty sure that it slowed their growth but they recovered and are healthy weights now).  I waited until they were a year to breed them and I don't think I'd do it any sooner than ten months no matter what.  I want them to have time to use the nutrients they are consuming to develop themselves fully before diverting to produce kids.  

I understand the other side of this though.  If you are producing lots of kids for a profit or for the dinner table, the longer you wait, the more it will cost to feed and house goats without making anything from them (other than the satisfaction of just owning them).  Just a few months extra for a handful of goats isn't going to put much of a strain on a pocket book though.  It would be better if you are going to use the dam for breeding to allow her to more fully mature.


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## NachoFarm (Jul 19, 2012)

So they will be 10 months old in November, how do I make the decision about whether to breed then or not?  Like I said, besides weight and age, what constitutes maturity?


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## drdoolittle (Jul 19, 2012)

NachoFarm wrote: 





> So they will be 10 months old in November, how do I make the decision about whether to breed then or not?  Like I said, besides weight and age, what constitutes maturity?


I think it would be fine to breed them in November.


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## lilhill (Jul 19, 2012)

When I am deciding on which Juniors to breed and when, if at 8 months of age they look like adult Nigerians, then they get bred.  If they still look like babies, then they need to wait a bit longer.  That is about the easiest way to explain the maturity thing, body-wise.  Mental maturity is a whole 'nuther thing.  You just have to compare how the adults act and then look at the young doe ... is she still "acting" like a baby?  If yes, then give her a couple more months before breeding.


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