first timer - found a billy to breed to! *questions*

[RareBreedFancier]

Sounds like it. Does will stand and pee for the buck so I guess she's hoping she'll attract one.

 

[dwbonfire]

silly girl.. ok now that i know shes probably in heat, if i miss this cycle as far as getting her bred, how long until her next cycle will be?

a man called me about two bucks he has that he will let me use to breed to. one is lent out right now and wont be available for a month or two. he said hes the smaller of the two bucks and real pretty.. i am specifically looking for a small buck because my doe is real small. i havent had much experience with goats at all, but the woman i got her from said she was the smallest doe she had and she thinks she might be considered a mini.. if i measure how tall she is will that give a better indication of her being a standard size or mini?
he has another buck that is bigger, but im affraid if she is infact considered a mini and the buck is alot bigger that she will have trouble kidding and i sure dont want that.
he said he charged her $30 to take the buck and i assume he'd charge me the same. is that average? i got offered a 9 month old billy for $35 but i just dont know if i want to keep a buck here all the time..

 

[Chirpy]

Goats cycle every 18-21 days. So you can watch at that time period to see if she shows signs again or can plan a breeding for that time.

I, personally, would never use a large buck with a very small doe... it's not worth the risk of losing her or her kids because they are too big for her to give birth to. Some small bucks throw larger kids... you should do some research to find out what kids this buck has on the ground and what size they were (of course the doe has lots to do with size also so there are no absolutes but general ideas).

Can you post a picture of your doe? That would help us help you know the possible breed and give you better ideas on what size buck to use for breeding.

As for breeding fees? It's different everywhere... we pay a minimum of $50 here (that's for a good buck not just a backyard buck). The better the buck the closer to $100 the fee is.

You are doing a great job learning... keep it up and keep asking questions.


edited for spelling error

 

[dwbonfire]

i had opened a new thread with pics of my doe and yall seem to think shes an average or big pymgy! i was thinking the opposite lol, so anyhow i found a young billy that i can take and keep here as long as i need. i have done dealings with the man and his animals are healthy so thats not much concern. im not sure she is still in heat right now, so i might end up missing this cycle. however if i havent then i counted that she will have a mid- June baby. if i missed this cycle and shes bred next month then a mid- July baby. i am in NC so my summers are hot, is a mid summer baby an ok idea? i dont want to have bad timing.. what do you all think? i see a lot of kidding threads this time of year so it seems a lot of people have kids fall/winter. do you all have a second crop too or just breed for fall/winter kids? i was told my pygmy is not a seasonal breeder so she could have kids anytime, but i just want to know when is the best time weather-wise.
thanks!

 

[Chirpy]

I've had kids in winter (January) all through the spring and into early summer (June). Our weather is very different from yours but I much prefer late spring or summer babies. There is always a concern when kids are born in cold weather... newborn kids get cold really, really quickly and can have life threatening issues. Kids born in warm/hot weather seldom have body temperature issues (I think the only concern would be if they were born outside in the rain and weren't able to get dry right away).

I don't know what potential negatives there would be where you live for summer kidding... possibly issues with the doe being to hot?? I hope someone who lives with your weather temps chimes in.

 

[dwbonfire]

thanks for your input!

well i picked up a young billy from the man that i know. i think i missed this cycle but im hoping for the next one we will have success! i will take some pics of the billy, hes only about 9 months old and hes very small and pretty. i was told he should have no problem breeding my doe, he will find a way! hes brown with black.

he was wormed with cydectin right then before i took him, and i was thinking i might should worm my doe before i put them together and shes bred? i havent wormed her since i got her, and im not sure when she was wormed at her previous home. she appears fine, but i thought it might be a good idea so i wont have to worry while shes pregnant. what do yall think? i figure i will worm my calf and ewe at the same time since they all run together. is cydectin a good choice for her and the rest of them as well? its quite pricey and i would like to eventually get some but im not sure i can afford that right yet, so is there a less pricey but still effective wormer out there i could use?

thanks! i will post pics of the billy tonight.

 

[cindyg]

I don't think it's a good idea to worm them just in case. It's pretty cheap to get a fecal examination to check worm load and the vet will then recommend worming or not. Mine had not been wormed since I got them, and I was thinking the same thing, just in case, but the exam showed extremely light/no worm load, so you never know.

 

[dwbonfire]

well i missed this cycle which is not a bad thing. it gives me some time to get a fecal done and see if shes got any worms and time to treat before shes bred. also to keep the little billy in quarantine for a couple weeks, not that i suspect anything wrong with him. hes enjoying his stay next to the turkeys lol they arent so thrilled but hes very intersted in them so i guess they keep him entertained.

here he is, isnt he so cuute!

im supposed to be just borrowing him, but hes got such a darling little face and expression i dont know how i will give him back! i do have option to buy him, so i just need to figure out if its worth it for me to keep him around for just one doe.... i think i just need to get a couple more does

 

[Missy]

He is sooo cute! He looks like a mini Oberhasli(I know he is not

 

[Chirpy]

He is a cutie.... I love his color.