must they be bred?

[bj taylor]

i'm on the brink of getting rabbits and goats. i would love to get pigs in the future. i know about dogs and cats & how when they come in heat - it's desparate times for them. pretty miserable. my dogs & cats are always spayed or neutered. can i keep rabbits/goats/pigs without breeding them & have them live decent lives?
is it reasonable to not breed them except occasionally?

 

[pridegoethb4thefall]

I'll let the experts weigh in... I've heard pigs can lose fertility if not bred in the first 18 months of life.

Goats don't ever have to be bred, but again, could have fertility issues if you wait too long.

No idea about rabbits.

 

[SheepGirl]

I know with sheep, if they aren't bred every year, they get too fat. Which is bad for their health and their fertility. I assume goats would be similar. I would breed them every year. Then they give you a product (babies) to sell to pay for feed.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

They only get too fat if you feed them too much. I have an 11 year old sheep who has never been bred in her life and she's in great condition and has never gotten fat. She just doesn't get extra goodies when the pregnant girls do. My goats have never minded taking a year off from producing babies, being in heat doesn't last long and aside from being annoying if they are wailers it doesn't do anyone any harm. If you don't want to breed them every year for whatever reason don't feel like you have to. That's just goats though, I'm not sure about the other species.

 

[promiseacres]

Rabbits can be spayed or neutered....or you can have a couple of litters...then no more. It is really up to you...there are plenty of critters out there that don't get bred for many reasons.... just because you have a purebred doesn't mean they have to reproduce.

I would rather sell a animal to someone just wanting a pet vs someone who thinks they need to be bred just Bc they can be.

 

[animalmom]

If you keep your rabbits in separate cages then they will never breed. In Texas it gets too hot to breed in the summer so breeding takes place in the late fall, winter and early spring.

We've had girl pigs live quite happily without a male pig or ever being pregnant. They didn't seem deprived.

As to goats, if you don't want to go the milking route, just get wethers. Those guys are always looking for a good home and they won't have any bucky smell (I like the way my bucks smell, but that's just me).

Breeding or not all depends on what you really want to do with the animals...

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I'm not a commercial breeder so take my opinion for what its worth, but I don't think there are any animals that *HAVE* to be bred, better to space the breedings out if your breeding at all!