Breeding Goats - 7 Truths You Need to Know When You Breed Goats

Many people believe that breeding goats is not an overly complicated process. You basically let them have their way and you will see a litter in a few months time. Although this could be an option in the wild, domesticated goats would need a bit more help in this department... especially if you are breeding animals either as a way to maintain your stock of productive goats, or for other purposes. So if you think you are willing to face the challenges of breeding goats, here are some truths that you really ought to know first.

Fact #1:
Among many things, the practice of breeding goats has one very important effect. Aside from the possibility of producing litters, the does or the female goats give off more milk than usual. In fact, there are some goat breeds that do not produce milk until after they have been mated. This is a good thing to remember especially if you are establishing a goat farm that leans heavily on milk production.

Fact #2:
Does can usually breed at 10 to 12 months of age, depending on the breed and the physical attributes of the animal. (Some animals do mature faster than its other herd mates.) However, male breeding goats or bucks reach sexual maturation only after their 12th month.

Fact #3:
Does become sexually receptive only after a short bleeding period (release of menstrual blood.)

Fact #4:
Does show very obvious signs of sexual receptiveness, which may include: frequent urination, bleating often, inflammation of the genital regions, secretions of copious mucous like substances in the genital area, wagging their tails energetically, and females also tend to ride other goats as well.

Fact #5:
Breeding goats should be carefully monitored, to ensure that fertilization happens. Many goat farmers recommend that the receptive does should be mated at twice a day (once in the morning and one more 12 hours later) by a carefully chosen breeding buck. This practice should continue for the entire length of the female goats' receptive period which lasts 2 to 3 days.

Fact #6:
Mated females must be separated from the rest of the herd, to ensure that the pregnancies will commence. Farmers usually check if the does are pregnant after 3 to 4 weeks. If the females remain relatively docile, this usually means that mating was successful. On the other hand, if the goats remain frisky as ever and exhibit the sexually receptive signs (from Fact #4) then these animals are usually re-introduced to the breeding male.

Fact #7:
Aggressive and older bucks are usually considered as desirable by the receptive does. However, you can also make the less aggressive and younger male goats desirable (especially if these carry the breeding traits you want in your herd) by simply keeping the other males away.