The number 30 figures a lot in breeding goats. First, a goat pregnancy is 150 days long. Kids are typically weighed every 30 days and weaned at 90 . For the past two years, the bucks have stayed with their does for 30 days for breeding. Many breeders leave bucks in for 45 days, but we like a tighter window of when they will possibly kid. Thirty days after the buck is removed, we blood test for pregnancy. This year, all of the does save one tested positive for pregnancy, We did an embryo flush in mid-August and implanted ten embryos in five goats for mid-January. In mid-September, we used Steel as our cleanup buck and he had the open doe from the first breeding, two new goats, plus the embryo donor goat. These kids will begin arriving in mid-February, and finish by mid-March. That puts all of our kidding in a 90 day window.
Today we were about 30 days from the start of kidding, so we followed our standard, pre-kidding protocol. Each doe was examined for body condition and famacha score, had her hooves trimmed, and received a CDT vaccination. Kidding season is always busy, so it’s nice to take a quiet day and be thorough.. Fall and early winter in Central Texas can be a bit soggy, so the hoof trimming allows us to ensure that the does are at their most comfortable in late pregnancy and have smooth soles to help avoid hoof rot. We also handled all the doelings, which will soon be yearlings!
Overall, we are very pleased with the condition of the herd. During the past year, we had our rotational pasture setup completed, my husband built a new large barn where we can work goats comfortably, and we were able to seed for winter forage. Happy kidding!
Look up our Breeding plans!
We also have ten embryo flush kids on the way: WMB Mingo x MJI Dakota
El Rancho Asno Blanco 