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This lesson is about goat breeding and baby goat care. Find out more about Raising Goats here:
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Lesson 8 - Breeding and Baby Goat Care

Preparing Bucks For Breeding

For breeding purposes, bucks must be prepared for the important task by providing them with good nutrition, disease and parasite control, breeding soundness exam, and a general physical examination. The kidding rate is drastically affected if the buck is reproductively unsound. As such, a good physical conditioning of the buck, especially a young one, is necessary. Young bucks need nutrients for both semen production and body growth; otherwise a stunted condition may occur. Using the bucks too young or too heavily for breeding may stunt their growth or reduce their useful lives.

Pregnancy

A doe must be in good health in preparation for breeding as an overweight or chronically ill doe is not an ideal candidate. An examination by a veterinarian will decide if a doe is ready for pregnancy or motherhood has to be postponed for the following year. Many goat breeders schedule an appointment with the veterinarian by late summer or at the start of every fall to check on the health of the does that are being prepared for pregnancy.
There are special vaccinations that are recommended prior to breeding, such as Chlamydia and Campylobacter Antigen, along with Leptospirosis Bacterin. These are administered in addition to regular annual vaccinations especially in areas where a particular disease is prevalent.

When a doe comes into heat is the indication that she is ready to be bred. A doe in heat manifests changes in behavior such as vocalization or "calling", mounting other goats, increased interests in bucks, and "flagging" which involves wagging of the tail. Does in heat are also observed to have decreased appetite.

Determining if a doe has become pregnant after breeding is a tricky process. A false pregnancy is difficult to differentiate from a real one even if you are an experienced breeder. Heat detection ability is a good tool, although not an entirely reliable one, in determining pregnancy. When a doe fails to return to heat after breeding may be a good sign of pregnancy although it is possible for a doe to appear to cycle one or more times at regular intervals while already pregnant.

Pregnant Doe Care

Normal health and feeding practices must be continued on the pregnant does. The breeder must ensure that they get their usual minerals and feed for the first three months of pregnancy. Feeding may be gradually raised until kidding time but efforts must be exerted to not overfeed the pregnant does as fat can cause pregnancy problems. Correct feeding is certain to ensure a healthy lactation. It will also ensure that the doe will be in good body condition when she kids.

Correct mineral balance will be very important during pregnancy. Home-made mineral mixes can be prepared or commercial licks can be purchased but it will be a good idea to consult first with a veterinarian to find out what is best needed for the local area.

Stress should be avoided, or at least minimized, during a doe's pregnancy. Pregnancy in goats is maintained by the hormone progesterone which is produced by the corpus luteum, a structure formed on the ovary when an egg is shed. Stress can upset the function of the corpus luteum and can cause abortion. Stress can be caused by transporting the goats, presence of predators or other unaccustomed animals, and even declining nutrition.

Kidding

As the time gets closer to giving birth, 150-155 days of pregnancy, the doe's body starts to get ready. The doe's udder gets swollen with colostrums and milk but such will not point a definite day of kidding as some does bag up days or weeks before while others wait until they deliver before coming up with milk. The labia and vulva area becomes puffy, swollen, and a little loose. The doe's tail ligaments begin to open up also, getting ready for the baby to come through the birth canal. A doe appears really pregnant, with rounded belly, for about the last two months but she starts to look hollowed up, looking not pregnant at all, when she is ready to go.

The birth process starts when the water sack starts to come with the dam standing or laying down. You need not worry when the water sack goes back inside. No assistance is needed at this point; you just have to let nature take its course. When the water sack broke, the baby starts moving through the birth canal, sometimes you will have to assist in the process. The baby's feet will come out first, hooves facing the ground, and the nose will follow. No assistance is necessary at this point, no pulling must be made, as there could be another baby behind this one and the mother may need to reposition a few times to get the baby completely out of the birth canal.

The head will come out next and when you observe the mother struggling a lot, help is needed. Lubrication such as K-Y Jelly may be massage around the opening to help it relax and stretch, easing the baby out.

Once the baby is out, you have to help the mother clean it off. Use clean towel to clean the baby and to clean out the mucus out of the baby's mouth. If the baby is not breathing, you need to hold him by his hind legs upside down and help him to breathe.

Do the same procedure until all the babies are out. Let the mother clean her babies then take them to the kid nursery where you need to treat the umbilical cord and the bottom of their hooves with iodine. Milk the mother of her colostrum and feed them to the babies.

Raising Kids

After birth, the mother and the kids need to be together in one stall for the first few days, giving them time to bond and for them not to be bothered by the other members of the herd. This will also ensure that the kids have full access to their mother's milk.

Kids are given a dose of Probios on their fourth day; this will help them get their rumens going. Breeders or goat keepers must see to it that the kids are getting enough milk from their mother. Goat keepers must also ensure that the kids are nursing from both side of the udder; otherwise the unused udder will be very full of milk which could be very painful for the mother.

At two weeks of age, the young kids are expected to be spending much time with the other members of the herd. This will be a good time to start milking the mothers. The third week will be the best time for administering the kid's vaccines against Enterotoxemia and Tetanus.

At four weeks, the young males must be wethered or neutered. At six weeks, booster shots, if vaccines were earlier given, must be administered.

At eight weeks of age, the kids are ready to leave the herd if they are to be sold.

Goat keepers must not be particularly concerned with weaning the kids as weaning can cause undue stress to both the kids and the mother. The mother will naturally wean her kids as she knows when the time is right to let them go on their own. She will slowly do this until the kids are totally weaned she is ready to breed again in the fall. Happy goat raising! ~ Valik
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The new book, "A Beginners Guide To Raising Goats" teaches beginning
goat farmers absolutely everything they need to know about starting
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Goat Raising Mini Course

-- Lesson 3 Getting the Right Goat
-- Lesson 4 Goat Housing and Pasture
-- Lesson 5 Feeding and Nutrition
-- Lesson 6 Goat Care and Health
-- Lesson 7 Getting Ready to Breed
-- Lesson 8 Breedin and Baby Goat Care
-- Lesson 9 Goat Milk Meat and Other Products
-- Lesson 2 Owning a Goat
-- Lesson 10 Economics of Goat Keeping

Raising Goats Guide eBook Complete Guide

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