No Kidding Around! You've Goats To Be Prepared.

Written by Helen M. Davis

You’ve purchased a few goats and now you want to try your hand at breeding. If you’re lucky and you get babies, you might even want to try making soap and lotion out of your does milk. But there is so much to learn, and you have so many questions. Where do you even begin? How do you know when your does are ready to make the acquaintance of the buck? Goat breeding is a tremendous responsibility. Not only do you have the life of your does to consider, but also the lives of your prospective kids.

For starters, you need to educate yourself all that you can. Read, ask questions, read again. Learn all that you can and know that it’s not possible to know it all. Familiarize yourself with what you need to know to ensure success in the birthing process and in the health of mom and babies.

Typically, goat breeding age is from 10 months to a year, though a more responsible practice is to wait until the doe has reached between 70% - 75% of her adult weight. If a doe is large enough and of a good weight she can be bred to a buck in good health, though it is not recommended to breed a doe as young as seven months when the first estrus can occur. An early breeding such as this can actually result in stunted growth.

Okay, you say, my does are all old enough, so now what? How do I know when they are in estrus? Goat estrus lasts from 12 – 48 hours and there are several signs they exhibit to let you know they have loving on their minds. These include vocalizing, mounting other goats or being mounted, tail wagging, especially if near the buck and wanting to act come hither, and discharge from the vulva. If you see these signs in your vaccinated, wormed doe, she’s ready for action and it’s time to put her in with the buck. When you do, it’s best to leave the lovebirds together for at least an hour so they can be sure to get the job done. You may even want to put them together a second time the next day just to dot your I’s and cross your t’s.

Now you wait and anticipate. Are your does pregnant? Will there be the pitter patter of tiny hooves prancing about your farm in five months’ time? Determining pregnancy in a goat is tricky. If your doe does not go back into estrus, then chances are she is most definitely expecting. Goat pregnancy lasts from 146 – 155 days and each goat is different. Signs of a “baby bump” won’t show until the end of the pregnancy when the babies do their most growing and showing. However, you can have the large animal vet perform an ultrasound or a blood test or both to check for pregnancy if waiting until mama starts to show is not for you.

As birth nears, you should see mama’s udder begin to develop and, just prior to the blessed event, the pencil-like ligaments on either side of her tail will flatten as her bones begin to move into position for showtime. If you are really lucky, you may even be able to place your hand on mama’s side and feel her little ones moving about. First time mothers tend to have one to two kids with subsequent births resulting in twins, triplets, or even quadruplets. When the blessed event does occur, don’t expect it to be at a convenient time. It’s going to happen when it’s going to happen and mama may even give birth while you are unaware. You may also find yourself in the nursery/delivery room late at night on a very cold night and you will be sure your doe did this on purpose.

Labor itself has stages, the first being restlessness in your doe. She will look back at her side and she will also produce a white discharge. This characteristically lasts for a few hours up to a day. The second stage then commences and this involves the doe pushing and experiencing pain so that she might press her head against the wall of her safe, secure nursery with each contraction. Her waters may break and you may even glimpse a tiny nose or hoof as a kid begins to make its way into the world. The kid may appear in several positions, but you want to see a nose resting on toes. Otherwise, you may need to midwife. Should this become necessary, be sure to sanitize your hands and remove any jewelry to avoid causing mama and/or baby to develop an infection.

When the baby has arrived, it’s time for mama to get to work cleaning mucus out of her baby’s nostrils. You can also wipe it out if need be. It is essential that the kid(s) get to suckle and take in colostrum, also known as “mother’s gold,” within a half an hour and no later than three hours after birth. This is filled with antibodies the baby needs for good health.
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So, now you’ve experienced the miracle of goat birth and you are admiring those beautiful babies. The work is finished, right? Now it’s all in mama’s capable hooves while daddy congratulates himself on his prowess. Wrong. You must be sure there is fresh water available to mama and babies and if you should need to bottle feed, you will be doing so every three and a half hours at first, just as with a human infant. Kids can be fed either whole cow’s milk or a doe’s milk replacer. Opinions vary on which is best. You must also be sure the babies are housed safely and are thriving rather than just surviving. Kids can start on a bit of grain as soon as a week old but aren’t ready to be fully weaned until they are about four months of age. You might even want to milk your does and therefore, will need a milking stand and will need to practice good sanitizing of mama’s teats and your hands before starting. Milking stand kits can be purchased on eBay, or, if you’d rather, you can make one yourself.
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You might be a bit overwhelmed at first with all you have to do for your new families but take heart. You are but one of many who are many who are going through this experience and help is never far away. You might question your sanity from time to time in making the decision to breed, wonder what you could have possibly been thinking, but when you see those babies frolicking about in your pasture, their mama’s as proud as peacocks, you will know without a doubt that all the work, all the worry, has been worth it and, you just may want to do it again. 

Scarlet, (black and white doe) another possible expectant mama strikes a pose.

​Choco the proud papa.

Sage the goat herd queen and expectant mama poses in her pasture.