Should I breed her?

[KBS]

Good afternoon all. We have a Nigerian Dwarf doe that is quite small compared to our others and I was wondering whether or not it is safe to breed her. She is my son's 4H goat (and first goat) so we would keep her as a pet if that is the way it works out. Stats: Born - May 9, 2016 - 18.5 mo old, Height - 17.5 inches, Weight - about 30 lbs. We have two bucks - one is 19 inches and one is 20.5 inches tall. I have included some pics. Please let me know your opinions. Thanks!

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Have you weighed her on a scale? She looks heavier than 30#s to me, but the pictures may be misleading.

 

[KBS]

We have not weighed her. We were picking them up and estimating. The young man holding her is just over 4 feet tall - not sure if that makes a difference. I can try to weigh her tonight and get an official weight.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Rule of thumb is 40 lbs. I agree with @Green Acres Farm
She looks to be quite a bit more than 30 lbs.
Weigh yourself on a bath scale. Then hold the goat while on the bath scale and you can get a pretty accurate measurement.
let us know what she weighs.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I agree with the others, she looks to be bigger than 30lbs. I've bred a 42# goat in the past, she was 18 months and although small, we felt her rump was wide enough to pass kids. For some reason, that whole line is slow maturing, and once they kid they hit another growth spurt. I don't know why, but it happens with this line She is now 60 to 65# as a mature doe. (maybe a little chunky)
The doe kidded quads, the first kid came fine but the others were tangled. It wasn't a huge deal, but we still had to assist. This same doe has since had a set of quads, and a set of quints with NO issues at all. She is our easiest doe when it comes to kidding. This year she had 4 kids in less than 15 minutes (yes, we timed it!).

 

[OneFineAcre]

She seems to have a nice wide rump
I have kids from this spring that are 7 or 8 months that weigh 40 lbs and she looks bigger than them

 

[KBS]

I got her weighed. My DH is off on his weight guessing. She weighs 41 lbs. From what I am reading here, she should be ok to breed. Would you recommend the smaller buck or would either work?
I probably worry about these girls more than necessary. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Breeding smaller does generally is more risky. Will you be there for kidding? Do you have a vet if things go bad, do you know how to assist a birth and untangle kids?
This is something to consider when breeding small does.

We are present for every kidding. (Not as much with the Kikos though) We even have cameras in our kidding building.

We have bred smaller does, but we are prepared. Some does are fine, others aren't.

When asked, I generally tell people to look at the rump. Can you get your arm inside the doe to pull kids, if need be?

 

[KBS]

This is our first time breeding so I have never assisted with a birth. We had purchased an older pregnant doe in the spring but she delivered with no issues in between us checking on her at night. I work 8am-5pm so I can't guarantee I would be there if she goes during the day but I can check on them during the night. We can't get the internet at our house so I have been having problems finding a camera that would work. If anybody has any suggestions for one I would appreciate them. I could set something up for her in the unfinished part of the basement. I do have a vet I can call. She gives all the vaccinations and did the disbudding on the two in the spring so she knows the goats.

 

[RathdrumGal]

In my experience (NDG), first timers are more likely to need birthing assistance. Luckily, I have never had a tangled kid, but I have had to pull many of the first borne babies out -- kid #2 usually follows without assistance. First timers also tend to be noisier -- loud Baaing -- so you are alerted when the babies are on their way. Now that my does are at least on their 3rd year breeding, the babies pop out. We attend to dry and warm the babies, since Mamma is too busy birthing #2 to lick #1. We also help the babies find the teats for their first nursing. I also give a product called "Nursemate Lamb ASAP". I my opinion, it helps the weaker kids through the birth stress and gives them some calories until they can get nursing well.

We use 4 ft chain link gate panels to set up temporary birthing pens in our garage. We place down tarps and then cover with straw. I tie dollar store laundry baskets to the panels to make hay feeders. My husband makes wooden baby boxes so the babies have a warm snuggly place to sleep. Add a bucket of water and you have a birthing pen. We generally keep mother and babies in the pen for a week. Then we disbud the babies, and momma and babies go outside to the buck pen, since Papa is with the still pregnant does. When the buck pen gets too crowded, the bucks go back in their pen and the mommas and babies go in the larger goat pasture. The 4 foot panels get reconfigured out in the pasture as a creep feeder for the babies. We get the older babies used to eating grain in the creep feeder. This helps us corral the babies when it is time to sell.

Remember, you will to clean your birthing pen of wet soiled straw. Does your basement have a exterior door? I would hate to have to drag wet straw through my house (although I would do it if need be). The garage is an easy clean out.