Goat Breeding

Goat farming is a common practice, adopted for production of milk and meat. It requires minimal investment as compared to other farming systems. Being a hardy animal, goat is also considered as the best choice for keeping in dryland and undulating lands, where rearing of cattle is not possible. And goat breeding is not new for farmers, who keep it as livestock. Even if you are raising goats as pets, breeding is a sure way to increase goat population.

Goat Breeding at a Glance

Whether you are looking for pygmy goat breeding or breeding Boer goat, proper planning and understanding the process are prerequisites. There is no room for negligence in any of the steps. As with any breeding process, the breeds with preferable qualities are identified first. Today, we have various types of improved goat breeds, each of which are developed to get desired qualities. The pygmy goat is a smaller version, commonly reared by hobbyists, while the Boer goat and Cashmere goat are maintained as livestock for meat and cashmere, respectively. Let's take a brief look on how to breed a goat successfully.

Goat Breed Identification
First of all, analyze the temperament and bloodlines of your goat. This will help you in identifying the type of breed that you own and also, in determining whether the goat breed you own can be bred successfully or not. Based on which breed you have, you need to find a biologically compatible buck for your doe. In case you have any doubt, take the help of a professional goat breeder.

Age Factor
On an average, a doe attains sexual maturity after one year. By this time, it's body becomes fully mature to complete the gestation period, and give birth to young ones. It is also not unusual for a 2 month old doe to become pregnant. But, make sure your goat reaches the ideal breeding age. Hence, if you are rearing both doe and buck, make a point to keep them separated till the ideal breeding period arrives.

Preparing your Doe
In addition to breeding at the right age, another important aspect is maintaining good health for the doe. Regular feeding your goat with grain, hay and nutritional supplements help in keeping your goat fit (about 75 pounds weight) for pregnancy. Proceed with the necessary medical checkups and follow the veterinarian's advice about changing diet, delivering booster medications and deworming procedures.

Finding Compatible Buck
Finding a buck that is biologically similar to your doe is not very easy. So, you need to plan ahead of goat breeding, and search for the compatible male goat in your nearby area. And to get improved offspring with desired traits from the parents, inquire about the various goat breeds compatible with your doe. That way, you can expect a hybrid version with varied traits.

Breeding Types
Based on the availability of buck in your area, you can select natural goat breeding. Either you can borrow the buck for some days, or you can choose the other way round, and send your doe for breeding. For both these options, you need to pay charges for hiring the buck, or additional fee, if you are boarding your doe. Nevertheless, if there are no compatible male goats around, the only option left is artificial insemination.

Selecting Breeding Option
As far as success story and affordability are concerned, natural breeding with a buck is a better alternative. Artificial breeding of this farm animal is not only expensive, but its rate of success is also lower. So, decide the method of fertilization before fall arrives, or the doe enters estrus (heat cycle). Signs of estrus are tail wagging, uneasiness, change in appetite, bleating, vaginal discharge and mounting over other goats.

Breeding Season
When fall comes, or during the breeding season, a doe becomes heated frequently, at an interval of about 18-22 days between two heat cycles. And it is best to undertake goat breeding in the early stages for good pregnancy outcomes. Since ovulation takes place within ½ -1½ days after estrus, delay in breeding reduces the possibility of successful fertilization.

Goat Gestation
Goat breeding is very challenging, but when bred successfully gives personal satisfaction to owners. After fertilization occurs, the doe will enter the gestation period that lasts for about 5 months. Take extra care about the doe's diet and health care tips, which are crucial for both the mother and unborn baby goats. Count the days and be prepared with the kidding kit. Most likely, you doe will give birth to one or two baby goats.

So, this was all about the basics of goat breeding. Before breeding your domesticated goat, do your homework properly, and research about breeding goats. With basic understanding about raising goats and their maintenance, raising goats for profit is a reliable approach for small-scale farmers. All the products are usable, right from milk and meat to their skin and feces. No wonder, it was one of the earliest animals domesticated by men!