Breeding small does?

[K Epp]

I have two does that are really small both around 35-40 lbs. One is a pygmy x Nigerian cross who turned 1yr in December. The other a Nigerian who will be 1yr who will be 1 in June. I would like to breed them in the fall so I will have spring babies next year. I worry they are still to small. They are healthy other wise. I do not have a buck and have had goats for 16 months. Does anyone have any advice about this.

This is my first post.

 

[SA Farm]

Typically pygmy/dwarf goats are full grown by 6-8 months. You're planning to breed them in the fall, so they will be plenty old enough as long as they aren't underweight (as in too skinny for their frame, not the actual weight). The key with small does is a small buck. Make sure your stud is a pygmy or dwarf or cross thereof preferably on the small side as well.
Hope that helps

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Welcome! Good luck with your does!

 

[OneFineAcre]

We go by the standard of 40 lbs for breeding a Nigerian.

We've bred at 8 months old. We breed most at 1 year old.

You should be good to go this fall.

 

[taylorm17]

Not sure about the weights for Pygmy crosses or even Pygmy's at all, but as long as they are full grown and healthy otherwise, they should be good. And like SA farm said, A smaller buck is better too, but definitely needs to be a dwarf or pygmy. Good luck and welcome to BYH!

 

[OneFineAcre]

I don't agree with the idea you always want to breed a small doe to a small buck.
You definitely don't want to breed a dwarf breed doe to a larger breed of buck.

Nigerians dwarf does can be from 17" to 22 1/2" at the withers. If you only bred the smaller ones to smaller bucks, they would just get smaller.

And besides, a goat doesn't completely stop growing until they are 3 years old. So, really how do you know how large they are going to be when they are a year old?