Is 7months to young?

[Egg_Newton]

I'm trying to figure out my breeding plan for this fall. I have a 4 month mini nubian buckling. I'm not sure if he will be able to get the job done with my older girls (3 and 5 years). I have a doe who just turned 7 months. I know the general rule of thumb is 1 year, but she will be a year old by the time she gives birth. Just looking for opinions...

 

[Egg_Newton]

Just found my own answer! Thought I would post it in case anyone else had the same question. So, I will weigh her and probably end up waiting a couple/few more months.

How do you know if your goat is mature enough to breed? Bucks (male goats) are fairly easy - they can breed as early as 3 months. If they are ready to breed they will and if they're not they won't. But what about the does (female goat)? How do you know if she is mature enough to breed? Does can cycle as early as 3 months old, but usually are not ready to support a baby that young. This article will help you tell when your doe is ready to breed.

What you will need:
Doe's date of birth
Weight tape or scale
Buck

Determine your does age. I like to wait to breed my young does until they are at least 9 months old.

Determine your doe's weight. For the full size goats, you can breed them when they are above 80#s, or about 2/5ths of their mature weight. For MiniNubians and other Mini-Dairy breeds 2/5ths of their mature weight is about 40-50 lbs.

If your doe is over 9 months and more than the minimum weight, you can put her with the buck. If her body is not ready, she will not come into heat. If she is ready, she'll breed and you will have kids in about 150 days!

 

[KWAK]

I was told that they are safe to breed at 7 months depending on their size...?

 

[SheepGirl]

We always breed our ewe lambs on their first heat (about 7-8 months). Don't know why you couldn't do it with a goat.

 

[Trigoat&pbrlover]

We always breed our ewe lambs on their first heat (about 7-8 months). Don't know why you couldn't do it with a goat.

Some breeds, like the Nigerian Dwarf, can go into heat at 10 weeks of age.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

My neighbor once bought a Pygmy doeling that was 12 weeks old. This little doeling kidded 4.5 months later - which means she conceived at 10 weeks. And believe it or not - she didn't have a lick of trouble. She had a tiny single doeling and did a good job of raising her. Not recommended, but it can (and did) happen.

 

[Egg_Newton]

We always breed our ewe lambs on their first heat (about 7-8 months). Don't know why you couldn't do it with a goat.

Some breeds, like the Nigerian Dwarf, can go into heat at 10 weeks of age.

I know they can but doesn't seem good to breed them taht young on purpose.

 

[meme]

I would definitely wait until she is at least 80 pounds. Bigger is better, and size is more important than age any day. I personally wait to breed them until they are 1 1/2 to 2 years old.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Rule of thumb for goats is 8 months and 80 pounds. MINIMUM. A year and a half is better.

 

[Egg_Newton]

Well, she's a mini so I don't know if she will ever reach 80lbs. If so it will be a while. I weighed her this afternoon and she was 35lbs. I'm going to breed my ND's tuesday and wait 2 months and the breed my minis. That way she and the buck will be a little more capable. I did notice today the boys are starting to smell a little musky. And Blue, my ND buck, had a yellow streak on his forehead....and so it begins....
I'm pretty excited this will be my first breeding season. I can't wait for babies and milk!