At what age can I breed a female Pygmy?

[Jenn27]

So, we have decided to sell one of our adult pygmies since breeding her has become a problem because of her udders. We lost one of our babies because she couldn't nurse both and she refused the bottle. So we are bottle-feeding the one we have left and decided to keep her. She is nowhere related to our two original goats, so we are planning to breed her. Problem is how early can she get pregnant? I don't want to do it too soon, but I want to introduce her to the other too as soon as she is eating pellets. She is almost four weeks old now. They are all Nigerian Pygmies. Thanks!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I have personally known a pygmy that gave birth at 7 months....meant she was bred at two months. I would be very concerned about putting her with intact males...they don't care how old she is and they will breed her with no problems at all.

 

[TAH]

The youngest any goat really should be bred is 6-7 months old. I prefer that they are over 8 months closer to 12. It is your choice just sticking it out there.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I agree with @frustratedearthmother PLEASE don't run her with your buck! That is something I always ask, and if someone wants to buy a kid from me and run her with a buck, I won't sell to them.
I know you love your goats and you may not be aware of that risk

Many think "it can't really happen" or "yeah right". I know someone who called and said she is doing a serious walk of shame, that she came out and her 7 month old ND was giving birth. She didn't think it was a real issue and kept pushing that thought to the side. She has learned her lesson. Thankfully this doe had a wide rump for her age.

I don't know pygmy's well, but when breeding goats one needs to take into account other factors. It should be based on how mature the animal is, not just age. The earliest I have bred a doe was at 9 months, she was a big doe and was very mature in her body. We felt she was fine to be bred at that age. I have another doe that I waited for almost 2 years, she was a tiny thing and I wanted more hip width on her, her line also tends to have large litters. I am glad I did, she had quads as a FF and needed assistance as the kids were tangled and trying to come out at the same time. The next time she kidded she had quints with no problems.

Another friend bought a Nigerian/Pygmy kid, she almost died kidding because the breeder had her running with a buck.

I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the point

That is another thing to consider, are you going to be able assist if she has a rough delivery? Is the doe physically large enough? Most kiddings happen without any issues, but its always good to have that in the back of your mind.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sorry, I answered in a rush this morning and didn't give a complete answer. The goat that my neighbor owned that kidded at 7 months.... it was a nightmare.

I'm pretty good at pulling babies - most of the time if I can get in I can get that baby out. I couldn't get in; owner couldn't get in. We took her to the vet. He's a big ol' guy and there was no way he was going to get a hand in that doe. He did an epidural and before jumping in to the C-section I tried again. The epidural relaxed her just enough that I could finally get a couple fingers in and figure out that the baby was trying to come crown first. Popped the nose up, and we got her out, but she hung up on the shoulders too. Amazed that the baby lived through it, but we knew as small as mama was that we were probably going to need help so we didn't spend a lot of time trying to pull her - just grabbed her and headed to the clinic.

Give that gal time to grow up and get mature and then she can go on and have a long life and lots of babies for you.

 

[ldawntaylor]

I agree with frustratedearthmother it is best to wait.

It is possible she wouldn't get pregnant early but there is also a good chance she would.

Another thing to consider you would be running the risk of stunting her growth. That stunted growth might end up being permanent.

When I first started with goats I had a doeling kid at 7 months. I was very fortunate that all went well. I went out to the goat shed and there the newborn kid was. To my inexperienced eyes and my dad's more experienced ones she hadn't even really shown signs of being pregnant.

The kid has done well and is now the oldest member of my herd. Something was never really right with that doeling after she gave birth. In fact, she only survived about 6 more months. I still don't know if that was related to the pregnancy or some other reason.

 

[Jenn27]

I forgot I put this thread up here. But, yes, we've decided to wait until I am sure she can handle getting pregnant. Thanks so much for all the replies!!

 

[Jenn27]

I have personally known a pygmy that gave birth at 7 months....meant she was bred at two months. I would be very concerned about putting her with intact males...they don't care how old she is and they will breed her with no problems at all.

Wow!! I would never put her out there that soon!! We are going to wait until she is at least 8 months!