Getting ready to breed for the first time...advice?

[cjulian214]

I'm getting ready to breed one of my two Nigerian Dwarf goats for the first time in a couple of weeks. We are only breeding one at a time, since we are new to this, and decided to breed Pegasus first, since she is a little bigger. She is 40 lbs and will be a year old Oct 2 (She is the white one). The other goat, Cassiopeia, is 32 lbs and will also be 1 year old on Oct 2 (different parents). Here are their pictures. Cassiopeia won't be bred until March-ish. Any advice for what we should do to prepare them? We are breeding them to a buck on the property of the lady we bought them from. She said she bought some breeder markers she is going to use that show when the goats have been bred, since I have had difficulty determining when my girls are in heat. She is giving us a loaner whether while Pegasus is at her ranch.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

There is no way I would breed them at that weight. They are way to small. I would wait until they are at least 50 pounds.

 

[cjulian214]

I definitely worry about how small they are. They seem tiny to me. They get alfalfa free choice, loose minerals and a cup of grain per day. Am I not feeding them enough? I don't regularly treat for worms or coccidia at this point but I do regular fecals on them and they did test positive this summer after a good couple of rains&the vet treated them. Do you think I should run another one or do any basic pre-treatments on them? Their poop is normal and so is their behavior. I'm so nervous about the breeding process as it is!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Glad you are looking first at their health. Some breed first and then are concerned about parasites and body condition. I think you are right to wonder about getting a fecal done and see if they are carrying a worm or coccidia load. What are they currently getting in the way of food/minerals?

 

[cjulian214]

Well, we were using the dumar goat feed? (I'm sorry...I forget the name!) With the coccidia preventative meds in it and we just switched them to the nonmedicated purina goat chow. The loose minerals are free choice manna pro and the alfalfa is free choice. What about their conformation? Do they look ok other than being small? Does it seem like their body structure will handle kidding ok? And are there certain things that stand out as really "off"? I'll plan on getting another fecal sample done. I've never done any worming or coccidia treatment on them other than just the one time this summer.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

For conformation, it is kinda hard to see in the pics....is there anyway you could make them bigger? The darker one looks to me to have better angles but I can't really see the lighter one very well.

You didn't mention any hay and if they aren't eating hay as the bulk of their diet, that would be a change you should consider making.

 

[cjulian214]

I'll try to figure out how to make them bigger And yes, they get free choice alfalfa.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Oops, missed the alfalfa part before.

 

[Southern by choice]

I am a newbie to goats, only had my ND for a little over a year. When we bred our first one I was very worried too. Some breeders wait til 2 years while others 18m or 1 year. After a lot of reading and talking to different people the advice that seemed the most consistent (with ND) was she should be at least 80% of her adult body weight. Nigerians average 75 lbs.(according to the NDGA) So good weight and as you know, in good health. With your girls they do seem a bit small still, but there are A LOT of people on this forum who really know their stuff. I am just a total freak on weight ( my ND's are weighed at least once a month as well as all my LGD's and other dogs- I even weigh my chickens) skin, body condition, ears, hooves, nails, and the list goes on. Yes I am a dork... and slightly OCD. On the UP side- if you end up waiting a few more months then your girls won't be kidding in Feb. when its nasty cold.