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| Diableau in one of his few moments of rest. |
Each year we lease a buck for the month of December. Although this is the third buck to come stay with us, the excitement and peculiar nature of goat breeding is always freshly comedic. I figured I would try to take a few notes throughout his visit to share the fun with others who might be considering a similar arrangement.
Note, this year in addition to copper and hoof trimming, we gave all the does a shot of BoSe the week before the buck came.
Day 1&2- We picked up goat boy-Diableau after a day of teaching. It was a cold, rainy night so my plan was to unload him from the dog crate, treat him to some grain, and introduce him to his December roommate, our wether Don Pedro. After being penned up with a load of randy bucks at his house, I imagined he would relish this break from mega testosterone. I had expected to wait to introduce the ladies to him until the next morning when it was less wet out after he had had some time to settle in. Sonnet, our sweet blue eyed doe, had other plans. She came outside in the rain (goats avoid the rain at all costs, so her bravery was a true testament to the power of hormones) and yelled at bucky through the fence. I brought her over with the boys and the attraction was instant. He ran around her in circles wagging his tongue. She stood still and flashed her baby blues at him and in minutes, she was bred. Although he will try lots of times to get it right, I look for the time when the goat mama scrunches up her body as confirmation that she is likely pregnant. Her lust satisfied, she was then willing to go back in the barn to sleep with the doelings and the other mamas for the night. Early the next morning, I awoke to her calling to me. She was ready for round two. I left her for a day long date when I went to work, and by the afternoon she was done with him. Like middle school students, the crush had come and gone like a rain storm, and by dinner grain was infinitely more important than any goat man. She is our first polled goat (no horns), so with any luck her kids will be polled too and we will not have to disbud them.
Day 3-6- The buck is a sweetheart. Smelly for sure, but gentle and kind. His face is the cutest face I've seen on a buck so I can't wait to see his kids. But, in the days following Sonnet's love affair, he seems so docile I begin to worry if he is man enough for the job of breeding our 6 lovely does. He was plenty interested in the doelings (men!), but largely ignored the goats we are hoping he will breed. In the past we just put the does out with him each day. This year we are more carefully watching for heat to save everyone unneeded stress and so that we will better be able to plan for their deliveries. Just when I was beginning to think he was a dud, Tiger started calling to him on Day 7.
Day 7-8-Goat in heat for sure. I sent her through the gate and although she was interested, they begin a wild running race back and forth through the field. I think Tiger needed a few more hours until she was ready for her date, and there was no way I was going to go to work and let goat guy chase my girl all day and run her ragged, so I put her back with her friends. After school, she was in standing heat. Perfect timing. I sent her over to buckville for a few hours of romance before dinner and voila, pregnant goat number 2. The funny thing about Tiger is she hums when being romanced. The next morning, I set her out again for a breakfast date and by 7:30 am, she was done with him and settled into her sweet quiet mama routine. I went to teach happy that the buck was perfectly able, just unwilling to push himself on goats unless they were interested...or in heat.
Day 9-No goat love, so to amuse myself, I made a huge batch of delicious cajeta (Mexican goat milk caramel) which my friend Judy is going to use in her Martha Moon chocolates she has started to sell. Can not wait to taste them. It takes a good 4 hours to boil down 2 gallons into 4 1/2 quarts, but the result is truly too good for words. You can put cajeta on all sorts of things or dip apples in it, but I am ashamed to say much of the time we end up just eating it with a spoon!
Day 10-Chianti's turn. She makes the cutest kids of any goat on the farm. And we love her, but she is a crooked lady and not the best milker. Great udder and milk, but tiny holes which means you have to have a weightlifter's strength to get much milk out. We milk her anyway mostly so she feels part of the Sunflower Farm team. Interestingly her daughter Luna was a first freshener last year and was great to milk! Chianti woke up ready for her turn. It was a nasty, muddy, rainy day. But, a woman with a plan can not be dissuaded, so I let her out before work and again in the afternoon, and 3 is a charm. Who will be next?
Day 11-13-All is quiet on the goat front. No big chemistry. Don Pedro is having a good time with his new buck friend. No head butting really. At night they sleep in the little goat house in the field together. I think Don P. misses his favorite goat Bonnie, but otherwise is OK with our December arrangement.
Day 14-Bucky is interested in Luna. Before I brought her over, there was lots of peeing on his face and making insane noises to her through the fence, so I knew he was flirting. The girl goats lift their upper lip in a flirting smile (no teeth on top so it looks a little crazy) when they like the way the buck smells. I sent Luna (our first doe born on the farm!) over and buck spent the day making crazy noises to her. Almost singing. I could hear him inside with all the doors and windows shut! Saw him mount her a number of times. She seemed OK hanging out with him, so I left her on the boy side when I went to work.
Later that day after school, Go Go was acting ready. She likes to lick the bucks face and rub up beside him, very sweet. She is our most affectionate goat, so I guess it's no surprise she would love up the buck. Last year she kidded on the same day, in the same minute as another doe, so perhaps she is planning on another double header. My 13 year old Tess was the only one home when GoGo and Chianti kidded last year. She ran back and forth between the stalls and helped deliver 6 kids! By the time we got home it had ended minutes before and all their umbilical cords we dipped and everyone had nursed! I was so impressed with Tess! I'll leave GoGo out after dinner and put her back out in the morning. She and Bonnie are our best milkers, so I am not taking any chances with whether they get bred.
As a side note, today Tiger was eager to go see the buck and wagging her tail. I wondered if maybe the first time she was in false heat. Don Pedro our wether was interested in her, but the buck was not, so I was not sure what is up with her. Her last heat was 5-6 days ago when I thought she was bred. I went out tonight in the pitch dark to see if the buck was interested in her and he was. I fell over a goat pail in the dark onto the icy ground, recovered, then sat out under the winter stars so I wouldn't miss what was going on with Tiger. I was interested because it has not been my experience that a goat will go back into heat so quickly and I was certain she had been bred. There was lots of running in circles until she stood and hummed to him again. I think last week was false heat and that this is her real date, but we will see in May. I'll put her out again in the morning with GoGo and Luna. Big day for Bucky!
Just read...
5 day heat
Pgymy Goats Management and Veterinary Care By Lorrie Boldrick.
A doe will come into season [heat] and stand for the buck normally. We carefully enter the dates on the calendar and start planning for our babies in 5 months. But 5 days later, the doe is back in season and standing once again for the buck. He's happy, and so is she, but what does this do to our 5 month plans? Apparently the follicle produced with the first heat did not rupture (ovulate). But since it was ripe, it took only a few days for the hormones to build back up and prepare for ovulation once again. The majority of does will ovulate on this five-day heat and you should adjust your calendar accordingly. There is almost no chance that she would have ovulated at the first heat.
So, I think I will calculate her due date from today as was my initial instinct.
Only one left to go into heat is Bonnie. Unless she is just sneaky and we missed the whole love session! I can never tell when she is in heat, so I have putting her with the boys each day.
Day 16-Bonnie's turn. The buck was very romantic with her. Lots of flirting.
Day 22-Hmmmm, our second 5 day heat. Bonnie was ready for another visit today, waiting by the fence door to be let out to the outer field where our wether and the buck are this month. I am interested to see when Tiger and Bonnie have their kids! I'll be looking on both dates for sure...and lets be honest, I sit by the baby monitor all month! (Whenever I'm not at work that is!)
This year the buck has stayed in the pen we put him in! Last year our buck jumped out of one stall and into Luna's to breed her (she was only 7 months). It all worked out for her, she was a great mom and her 2 kids very healthy! Most of our kids are going to wait until next year, but there are two who are 7-8 months old who I am thinking about since they are so big. The NDGA says 7 months is OK if they are big enough, but most seem to wait a year or older. If the two I am considering go into heat at the end of his stay, I may let them visit the buck, but I am working hard to keep the rest way away from him!
Notes: Nigerian Dwarf Goats go into heat every 18-25 days. They are in heat for 1-3 days but in standing heat, (when they will allow the buck to mount them without running) for only part of this heat period. If they are bred and they do not go back into heat, they will likely deliver 145 days later (about 5 months). It looks like our first will be due on Tuesday May 1st and we'll be busy through the end of May!
