Things You'll Need
- Bucket
- Cotton towels
- Paper towels
- Antibiotic spray
- Surgical scissors
- Feeding bottle
- Milk pump
- Hay
- Dry kid feed
Instructions
Breeding
Map out the heat cycle of your female goat, or doe. Any healthy doe should have a consistent heat cycle. Most come into season several times in the fall and usually come into heat every 18 to 25 days. Plan to breed in this season for a greater chance of success. Females should be ready to breed after they turn 1 year old. Know what it looks like for your doe to come into heat. It should exhibit several physical changes such as decreased milk production, increased vocalizing and flagging, or a vigorous tail wagging. Every time you think your doe is in heat, write down the date to determine a more specific heat cycle.
Make arrangements to find a good male goat, or buck, for breeding if you don't have one of your own. Always ask for the pedigree and veterinarian records to make sure you are getting the best buck possible for your doe. Once you have established your doe's heat cycle, you can plan for a breeding time. Generally, a doe will go to the buck's residence for breeding. Sometimes doe owners choose to leave the doe at the buck's home for a day or so to let several breeding sessions take place.
Look for signs that a buck has come into "rut" when using a buck of your own. "Rut" is the equivalent of "heat" for females. The surest sign of a buck in "rut" is when it begins to urinate on itself. This practice attracts females with the strong urine smell, which also helps bring them into heat.
Make sure your doe gets adequate nutrition before breeding. The doe should be fleshy, but not fat. A fat doe has a significantly harder time getting pregnant than a fit one.
When your doe is in heat and your buck is in rut, put them in a closed-in pen together. The buck will paw and stomp the ground with its front foot, and the doe will urinate, then wag its tail rapidly to indicate interest. They may stay in this "flirting" stage for several minutes. Eventually, the doe will stand still and let the buck mount. They can mate several times in a short period of time.
Watch your doe carefully after breeding to see if it comes back into heat. If, after 25 days, the doe has not obviously come into heat, it has probably been successfully bred. Go to a vet for an ultrasound to confirm your suspicions.
Prepare for the birth. Goats generally give birth around 150 days from gestation. Make up a "kidding" kit. This kit should include a clean bucket for water, clean cotton towels to wipe newborns, paper towels, antibiotic spray for umbilical cord cuts and surgical scissors. It should also include a kid feeding bottle and a goat milk pump to use in case a kid will not or cannot feed from its mother. Make sure that the birthing pen is very clean and disinfected.
Look out for signs of labor. The doe's udder will start suddenly to grow and the backbone near the tail will rise slightly. Right before labor is about to begin, the doe will become increasingly restless and will repeatedly lie down and get back up.
Monitor the labor when it begins. You should have very little to do in a normal labor. The doe will rip the protective membranes from the kids and cut the umbilical cords. Simply make sure that each kid's mouth and nostrils are clear of fluid and clogs. If you find a clog or excess fluid, wipe it clear with a paper towel. Directly after birth, rub the kids dry with a towel and trim any overlong umbilical cords. Finally, spray on a little antibiotic spray to the umbilical cord site once the cord is cut. Expect to wait 15 or 20 minutes between each birth. After each kid has been born, the doe will expel the placenta. Do not pull at the placenta as it can kill the doe.
Rearing
Once kids are born, make sure that all kids receive colostrum, or the first milk, within two hours. If the doe is having trouble giving kids milk or a kid is having trouble suckling, you can use a pump to fill a bottle with the doe's colostrum and feed newborn kids on your own. This milk is chock-full of vitamins and antibodies that are imperative to healthy development for newborn kids.
Leave the kids with the doe for at least four days under careful observation. Some breeders choose to leave the kids with the mother for as long as the mother is in good enough condition to feed them.
Make sure that there is plenty of hay and clean water available in the pen at all times for the mother. The doe will need sustenance to sustain milk production. Offer water and hay for the kid to nibble on during the first week of life. This will help them get used to solid foods to prepare them for weaning later on.
Make sure the kids are very warm all the time. Heat lamps or extra straw go a long way to protect and nurture newborns.
Provide a dry feed that contains 20 percent protein for the kids as they are being weaned. Weaning will be a very stressful time for the kids. Remove the mother and let the kids stay in familiar surroundings during this process to ease their stress. Kids should be at least 20 lbs. before they are weaned, and the process should begin rather abruptly.