Courtesy of Danielle Langloism, Wikipedia CCLPaternity
We’re not talking about the Maury Povich Show, we’re talking about your goat-daddy. A recent blog entry at Chicama Run Family Farm brought to mind an important concern when breeding: what to do about bucks.
You would think a farm with a couple of does and one buck wouldn’t have such concerns but say the does kid only bucklings. Now that farm has multiple bucks related to each another and one of the does, their respective mothers.
When breeding season arrives, the related bucks have to be separated from the does or line breeding will occur. This is why most goats farms wether their bucklings to butcher unless they plan to sell them as breeding stock or pets.
Conversely, what if they kid all doelings? Now there’s no unrelated buck to breed the doe kids to so, again, you have a case of line breeding.
Another point, getting back to Chicama Run, is breed size. If you’re raising Nigerian Dwarf does you don’t want to breed them to a Boer buck, however the other way around would work fine. Breeding a larger doe to a smaller buck works fine. Breeding a large buck to a small breed doe can result in pregnancy and kidding complications or dead kids. Size is an issue when it comes to kidding.
The importance of keeping good breeding practices and records can not be overstated. Only good practices ensure the health of the herd.
