The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Mays on June 30, 2012, 07:46:17 pm
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Hi
when might I expect my ladies to start coming into season ? is there anything I can do to ensure early cycling, if anything?
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how old are your lady goats now?
As to regularity - I guess its down to the goat, assuming they are fed & watered appropriately... :goat:
If they kid at a young age, its said to prevent them growing very big ....
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Serious seasons can start at anytime but usually Autumn , we've had a nannie calling for the billy in July/August they will tell you when they are ready, lots of tail wagging and noise. this unusual weather might fool them this year.
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Ours seem to go for Sept - April. We don't have an entire billy on the premises so compared to some, we have fairly quiet seasons :) Savannah does annoy the living hell out of Reggie our wether though, jumping on him, chasing him and generally nagging. Poor Reg.
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Ours come in from august untill april every 3 weeks but they do have the occasional season at other times in the year
we didnt kid anything this year but next year we have 4 possibly 5 need to be kidded :o
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Can anyone tell me what age you start breeding with goats? Is it similar to sheep where it's better to wait until a year old? How old must they be before going to slaughter if bred for meat? Trying to decide what, if any, I should go for. Love the look of anglo-nubian but also the boer.
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Get a billy goat Mays. They seem to be easier to spot coming into season if there is a male present.
ScotsGirl, generally goats are put into kid around the time they are 18 months old, the pregnancy is 5 months, so by the time they kid they are around 2 years old. They can be put in earlier than that, and even before they are a year old, but it does have an impact on their growth, and also their milk production for the first lactation. We very rarely do that, but did do it last year as it happens. Goat was born beginning of March, put in kid in November, and kidded mid April. But her yield is already down to about 2.5 litres a day, and a similarly bred goat a year older (both of them had single kids) is still giving nearly 4 litres a day, and she kidded in February.
Beth
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Get a billy goat Mays. They seem to be easier to spot coming into season if there is a male present.
I will discuss this with my OH however I think I know the answer though ;) I started to be able to spot Toffee last year, especially whe she aborted as it was her tail wagging and nickering that alerted me that she was no longer pregenant :-\ I just want to get them all down as early as possible this year so that I have plentyiful supply of milk before lambing.
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I do not (yet ;D ) have a male on the farm, but hope there will be one next year...
However some of my goats are easy to spot (hear), and others are very quiet... Best way is to get them sponged in mid-september, then maybe an injection as well (I have not needed that but sponged in October rather than earlier). Then bring to board with a billy owner at the end of sponge-in time (just under 2 weeks, can't remember just now. vet will know) and she will be in season 48 hours after sponge comes out. Speak to your vet, they can easily do it for you (sponges come in packs of 50...). I do it every year.