Goat Whisperer's & SBC's kidding thread: kidding storm

[Southern by choice]

 

[OneFineAcre]

We try to have most of ours kid in March, but Shea just got bred this week so she will be kidding towards the end of April, so she will be around a month fresh for Memorial Day.

I would say that I wouldn't want to take a goat to a show that wasn't at least a month fresh for the sake of her and the babies.
I wouldn't want to take babies any younger than that to a show.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but there are some folks that have been mentored to have a doe you think will be competitive freshen a week before a show so the udder still has edema (swelling).
The doe that was the Grand Champion in rings 1 and 3 in Rocky Mount had freshened a week before the show. Of course, you may have a point, she wasn't at the state fair because she was already dry.

You wouldn't skip a milking that early in lactation. You might observe how much she is milking and time so that she is at her best during the show, if it might be 12, 14 or 16 hours. Probably not any longer than that for any goat in the first few months of lactation. But, say for the memorial day show where you are going to show again on Sunday, you would milk that doe out completely at the end of the show on Saturday.

Of course, that is completely different than for the state fair where they are all 7 months into lactation.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Ruby was exposed to Olaf over the weekend (11/ 19-20 /2016)

Don't know if she was bred or not. She was acting like she was in heat but didn't stand nicely for him. She wants another man… not gonna happen

If she got bred kids will be PB Nubian.

"Baby" Olaf is over 120 pounds now

 

[Southern by choice]

Yesterday GW and I went out to the field t o just walk around and say hi to the goats... pretty day and just wanted to love on them.

That is when we both went...

Leah, Lucy, and Ruthie ( all Nigerians) are HUGE. They are 2 months bred. This was not food or hay belly... this was baby belly!

Ruthie -gets big anyway so you never know but I will not be surprised it she has 3 or 4.

Leah- ... well Leah -who knows hoping maybe only 3 this time but ya never know.

Lucy- She is the one I am really going She is as big now at 2 months than when she kidded for first time in March. I am thinking triplets easy.

Zephyr (Lamancha) is looking lovely! I think twins.

Mariah (Lamancha) Looking very robust. I think twins.

Millie (Lamancha) Hides her kids so we never knoww

Bingo (mini mancha) she is such a hearty robust doe it is hard to say but I think twins for FF

Emmy (Mini Nubian) I am thinking single

Ruby, Saffy, and Trouble- too soon.

With the 10 does minimum kids will be 20 We are thinking possibly 26 kids from this group.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Yep- the girls are looking huge! I'm shocked with Lucy too. She hid those babies last year. She is more mature now but isn't hiding those kids by any means!
This is over a week old and not the bust but y'all can see Leah is getting a big belly now

She's had 9 kids total in two kiddings.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Jane is getting big! I still look at her as a baby LOL She is standing next to Ruby the Nubian. Ruby is the biggest of the dairy does, about 140lbs. Maybe more now.

 

[Fullhousefarm]

We try to have most of ours kid in March, but Shea just got bred this week so she will be kidding towards the end of April, so she will be around a month fresh for Memorial Day.

I would say that I wouldn't want to take a goat to a show that wasn't at least a month fresh for the sake of her and the babies.
I wouldn't want to take babies any younger than that to a show.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but there are some folks that have been mentored to have a doe you think will be competitive freshen a week before a show so the udder still has edema (swelling).
The doe that was the Grand Champion in rings 1 and 3 in Rocky Mount had freshened a week before the show. Of course, you may have a point, she wasn't at the state fair because she was already dry.

You wouldn't skip a milking that early in lactation. You might observe how much she is milking and time so that she is at her best during the show, if it might be 12, 14 or 16 hours. Probably not any longer than that for any goat in the first few months of lactation. But, say for the memorial day show where you are going to show again on Sunday, you would milk that doe out completely at the end of the show on Saturday.

Of course, that is completely different than for the state fair where they are all 7 months into lactation.

We will show a doe fresh- even very fresh- but if it's on the first week or two I don't udder her up at all. Babies are separated no more than 1-2 hours. We had one do very well and she kidded the day before the show. She kidded later than expected, though, we didn't plan that on purpose! If she had been anything but spunky and ready to go we would have scratched her from the show- but she had a quick easy birth and looked great.

Our Lamancha who had been in milk 11 months also took first in her class (4 yr olds) earlier this month. She's not due for 3 months and just wouldn't dry up- so we showed her!

In a perfect world where does freshen when *I* want them to, I'd have a batch freshen in December for our two biggest shows- late January/Early Feb. They'd be 1-2 months fresh. Then, I'd have another group of yearling FFners (Nigerians usually) and my unregistered girls freshen in late Feb/early March. I had partial cooperation this year.

 

[luvmypets]

They are all so pretty

 

[Southern by choice]

We should get a weight on Jane.
If she cycles Late Jan or early Feb I may just go ahead and breed her.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

@frustratedearthmother when are you going to get one of these earless beauties?