New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement. (A new Question...Page 2)

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Hi Kim, we haven't heard from you in quite some time!

What signs of heat are you witnessing? Flagging? Are your does more vocal than usual? Mucous? Swollen, puffy vulvas? Does hanging out at the fenceline of the buck pen? If you have a buck it is usually easy to detect your does in heat.

How often are you checking for heat signs?

Since my buck barn isn't really close to the does I parade a buck in the doe barn each night to make sure I don't miss anyone in heat. Most let me know but some are sneaky.

Sara

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

i am new as well, so no big helps cept that i experienced the same thing. one doe seemed in heat, i held her, he got busy. about 10 days later, he was all over her, she held still and did that back hump-up thing. so i wrote that date down as the 'real one'. what that first time was, not sure, as she was flagging, and mucas-y. i only hope it gets easier in the next few years!

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

I just did my first breeding today, and not even sure about it, so take this with a grain of salt! I didn't think the doe I wanted to breed was ready, but I put her w/the buck I wanted to breed her. It was about time for her to be back in heat, and her herdmates were showing definite signs, though she didn't really. Yesterday, all she did was run away and scream. Today, she stood pretty still for the most part. Sneaky indeed. We'll see.

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Why not just put your buck in with the does and lt him teach you when your does are in heat? If you check your does vulva twice a day you will see semen or nasty tails even if you don't see the actual breeding. Vicki

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

No! Not a repeat of this spring waiting for Solana to kid! :rofl

Sara

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Yeah but if new folks don't pen breed, than the goats will be dry next year

Penbreeding does not mean putting the buck in the pen and not spending time each day watching them and looking at evey single does tail everyday. Clip them to the fence if they won't let you lift their tail and inspect them. And then keeping excellent records. It's actually more work than hand breeding.

Because we all don't want a repeat of last years is she bred, is she not and vulva pictures Vicki

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

I just posted this on another forum......

If you don't have a calander filled already with tracked heats.....my older does had heats written down in July, 21 days later, 21 days later and then were bred.....so I know that my young doe born in March will be back in, in 2 more weeks and I will start the breeding of my young doe pen with her.

So if you do not have tracked heats yet and we are talking about November already you need to pen breed. Do you really want May or June kids? They are simply much harder to sell, and really hard to grow out to become all they can be in the heat. Then of course they are also not old enough to breed the first year and you have to eat the bucks because who is really going to buy a May or June buckling to use? Vicki

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

How long has this been going on? Are you sure they weren't bred the first time? Maybe they aren't showing clear heat signs because they are already bred?

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Kim..alot of folks up north are seeing there does come into heat late or light heats. This week I got alot of first heats . Your girls may have not cycled yet.


Patty

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Or, they could be like mine, and cycled and I didn't know it. The buck, who was out at pasture, jumped into the doe paddock over an electric fence and bred them. I thought no one had come into heat, so luted all to get heats, but four out of five aborted! I did not think these does were bred. Now the ones who aborted are all having heat cycles every 5 days or so. Three of the does that aborted were smaller when bred than I had wanted, so I am glad they aborted....now everyone is at weight so I am just trying like crazy to get them bred. I NEED them bred so I can check udders on these girls and make a determination on my buck. You're not the only one having problems this year, so don't feel bad.
For those of you with experience. Are these frequent cycles after luting normal? I breed them each time I see a standing heat, but those heats keep coming. How long does it take? Two of the does I need to breed to an outside buck, so wish I could figure out when they are really fertile, instead of hauling them back and forth for nothing.
Thanks
Anita

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

IF you are waiting to see white mucous on the vulva to expose the doe to a buck...you're missing the heat. Mucous will drain from an unbred doe same as a bred doe. The mucous starts out clear, then white streaked, then clumpy white (too late to breed). Some does show NOTHING in the way of discharge after heat. The mucous pools on the vaginal floor.

If you are not catching these does in heat...I agree with Vicki~pen breed. She will be in heat about 32-36 hrs. Surely in that length of time you will see the buck mount her, if you're keeping a watch on the does. Check early morning and late evening. Watch for the doe and buck laying near each other, away from the others. He's not going to leave her side as long as she's in heat.
Kaye

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

With my does, they all had discharge and flagged their tails.
I agree you should pen breed if you can't catch them in heat. That is what I would do if my girls weren't so obvious.
Also, my girls are checked 2x a day (AM & PM milking)

Goodluck!!!! Just write down the day they go in and the day they are removed.

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Yeah, just pen breed if you can't catch them in heat. I guess I've just been fortunate and I have almost never had a problem finding the does in heat and pen breeding them. I have a few does though that don't come into heat for the first time for the season until November-December, and they kid like that time every year.

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

It's pretty tought to miss Nubians

Also think about a barn monitor, girls in heat cause alot of rukus in the barn, nobody gets a good nights sleep. Vicki

 

Re: New to breeding...Need advice & encouragement.

Tell me about it! All my goats were out in the RAIN before 6 this morning screaming their fool heads off at the fenceline! UGH!