Things You'll Need
- Breeding stock
- Acreage (one acre per six does)
- Vaccinations
- Goat feed and nutrition (varies by breed)
- Veterinarian
- Milking supplies (bucket, cup and hygiene supplies -- dairy goat breeders only)
Instructions
Breeding Dairy Goats
Contact your state's dairy division. All states have regulatory requirements for breeding and marketing practices. To be profitable, your breeding operation must be in compliance with your state's governing organization.
Select a goat breed. There are eight dairy breeds recognized by the American Dairy Goat Association: Alpine, Nubian, LaMancha, Obehasli, Nigerian Dwarf, Sable, Saanen and Toggenburg. Your selection partially depends upon your desired market; for example, countries outside the United States statistically prefer the milk of Nubians, Alpines and Saanens. Your selection also depends upon your desired yield. Not all goats produce equal milk amounts. LaMancha does (a doe is a female goat) are renowned for producing great volumes of milk, while Nubians typically produce less than the average goat.
Select your breeding stock. Beginners should purchase kids (young goats). To gain familiarity and avoid becoming overwhelmed, you should start with a couple of does, and add a buck (male goat) once your confidence level as a goat producer increases. Select your goats from a reputable breeder, one with a scheduled breeding program. Avoid breeders who allow bucks and does to freely range and procreate haphazardly.
Practice milking your doe kids. This will give you the experience and confidence to milk a lactating adult doe. Regardless of whether you are hand-milking your does or hooking them up to milking machines, you must thoroughly clean the udders with soap and water. If hand-milking, squeeze a small amount into a small cup, and observe that the milk is clear and clean. If it passes your visual inspection, replace the cup with your milk bucket and begin milking. Proper milking involves grasping the teat between your thumb and index finger, and one by one, applying pressure with your remaining fingers, in the direction of the pinkie finger. Occasionally massaging the goat udder in between squeezes will better empty the udder, maximizing the milk volume.
When your kid does reach 8 months of age, weigh them. Plan to breed the ones that reach 80 pounds. A dairy goat's breeding season is from August to January. During this time, does typically enter estrus, or heat, every 21 days. She will "flirt" with other does and release a discharge. During these times, the doe and the buck can be confined together for short time increments (around an hour). To maximize the likelihood of your doe becoming pregnant, the doe and buck should mate at least three times within the hour.
A doe's gestation period is roughtly 150 days. If your does are successfully impregnated in the fall, at the beginning of the breeding season, they should give birth, or "kid," from December to January. The newborn kids should have priority of the doe's milk After the doe weans her kid (or kids -- goats often give birth to twins), you can milk her through the remainder of her lactation season. When you are beginning your breeding program, you will only have a few does that you can breed and milk. As your newborns grow and increase your breeding stock, you can rotate your does, milking some and breeding others.
Breeding Meat Goats
Select a breed of goat appropriate for your needs. By far, the most common meat goat breed is the Boer, due to its low maintenance requirements, large stature, lack of milking requirements and, after slaughter, mild flavor. Boer goats also have a corresponding governing association that serves as a registry and a breed standard that outlines the characteristics favorable in a quality meat goat. Kiko goats and fainting goats are the only other two breeds that have similar regulatory organizations.
Select your breeding stock. When breeding meat goats, you must invest in quality sires, particularly in bucks birthed of does regularly producing twins. Bucks and does should display a greater carcass-to-bone ratio, a strong topline and a deep body capacity.
Breed your goats. Unlike dairy breeds, some meat goats don't follow a routine breeding season, although most follow a similar pattern. When the does enter heat, typically in the fall, you can initiate mating in one of two ways: pasture or open. In pasture breeding, a buck is let loose with select does in heat. In hand-breeding, the buck is placed in a pen near the does, and any doe expressing signs of estrus (identified in the same manner as a dairy goat in heat) is plucked from the herd and placed with the buck.
Segregate the does when they near their kidding time. Like dairy goats, meat goats typically gestate for 150 days. When the does enter labor, they should be separated from the herd, and monitored from a distance. Most does do not require assistance during birthing. You will want to keep some kids for your breeding program, and some for meat market sales.