Okay this is probably a sill Question but....

[LilyD]

We purchased two sheep in the fall and were trying to get two goats but could only find a female Nubian. We are still looking for a male. I was watching them the other day and noticed that the Ram was paying a lot of attention to my little Nubian. Do I need to be concerned that he might mate with her or are they okay to stay together until I get her a pasture mate of her very own? Because she was young I didn't want to leave her alone and was hoping she could pal around with the sheep until we her boyfriend moves in.

Any thoughts?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Hey might try to breed her. It's always best to keep males separate, especially if you're not wanting to breed your ewe right now either. Can you pen the ram in an nearby pen so he can still see the girls? Or if you're trying to breed your sheep, can you pen your doe separate?


Edited due to spelling.

 

[LilyD]

That was the question that I had. We are trying to pasture breed the sheep so we are keeping them together but we didn't have anyone for our little Nubian goat to hang out with.

My next question would be when will it be safe for her to be bred? We are hopefully getting her a boyfriend this week who is also Nubian but I don't want to breed her too soon and hurt her. She is 9 months right now and will be a year old in April. I have heard conflicting reports from others about when goats are safe to breed and I thought I would ask the forum.

Thanks
Lily

 

[Roll farms]

The general rule is 8 mos / 80 lbs.

I try to give them a bit more time....

 

[julieq]

You'll hear arguments both ways. We have friends who breed their does to kid out the first time at about two years of age. But as long as a doe is healthy and of good size we like to see her kid out at about a year of age. So we're aiming for breeding the does at seven to eight months of age. We've done this with our larger Alpines and Nubians in the past and do it with our ND's now.

 

[rebelINny]

It really depends on their size. Some of my Alpines are ready at 8 months and my mini-Alpines aren't ready until they are closer to a year. I have one mini that is 9 months and she just isn't ready yet, she is still small.

 

[LilyD]

Okay that was my feeling too that it would have to be based on the goat herself. My doe is about 100 lbs right now and is 9 months this month. I just wanted to make sure that if she came into heat and was bred this winter it would be okay for her to kid out in spring. She would be about a year old then.