Tips for the Breeding Season of Goats

Goats are seasonally polyestrous, which means that they go into estrus several times throughout the breeding seasons in early fall and late winter. Whether you are planning to breed your goats or not, it's important to know basic facts about goat health and fertility during breeding season. This allows you to produce healthy kids if you are planning to breed and to avoid pregnancy if you do not want to breed your goats.

  1. Goat Breeding Basics

    • Goats, like most other mammals, should not be bred until they reach sexual maturity. This is somewhere between 4 and 8 months, with the average age of sexual maturity being 5 months, according to the Merck Vet Manual. Goats go into estrus every 18 to 21 days for two to three days at a time during early fall. Some goats may also go into estrus during the late winter.

    Breeding Season Behavior

    • Female goats are called does or nannies and male goats are referred to as bucks or billies. A doe may become restless during breeding season, digging and pacing more frequently than normal. She may bleat frequently and wag her tail back and forth. Male goats will fight with one another over females, so male goats should be separated from each other. Bucks also tend to become destructive during breeding season, especially in attempts to access a doe, so make sure that enclosures are thoroughly fortified. If you do not want to breed your goats, you must separate males and females for the entire breeding season.

    Breeding Season Odors

    • During breeding season, bucks emit a strong odor from glands on top of their heads. They also urinate on their front legs. Though these chemicals emit pheromones that are attractive to a doe, the odor is unpleasant to people. To minimize smell, wash bucks regularly. You can also rub petroleum jelly along the males' front and hind legs. This prevents urine from collecting on the legs, which can help to minimize odors and prevent bucks from being burned by their own urine.

    Breeding Season Health

    • Goats should only be bred when they are in excellent health. A veterinarian should give your goats a blood test for CAE, a form of arthritis that frequently afflicts young goats. Goats with CAE should not be bred. Prior to the beginning of breeding season, you should put any overweight goats on a diet. Avoid heavily restricting their food intake. Instead, focus on getting them a lot of exercise and slightly reducing the amount of food they eat. Pregnant goats should never be put on a diet, but overweight pregnant goats may suffer joint and other health problems, so a healthy body weight is vital for breeding goats, especially does.