Breeding Dairy Goats

When your dairy goat first comes in heat, wait several hours to breed her. A sign that your doe is in heat is mucus coming from her vulva or dried mucus. Clear slime is a good indication that it is a good time to breed her. If you wait until the slime is milky, it may be too late.  She will probably wag her tail more than usual and will "talk" more than usual. Sometimes she will stand apart from the herd and cry over and over. If you know someone who has a buck, ask them if you can wipe an old rag on his body. Keep the "buck rag" in a sealed container. When you think she has come into heat, take the buck rag out, and let your doe smell it. If she is interested in it, it is likely a good time to breed her. If she is revolted by it, it is a good sign not to breed her at that time.

Does generally come into heat approximately every 18 to 21 days from early fall until about February. Mark your calendar when she comes into heat, and then mark it again for 18 to 21 days later so you can keep an eye out for the signs if you want to breed her.

If she stands still for the buck, she will probably have bred. She will stay in heat even if she has been bred. If the people who own the buck allow your doe to stay in the same pen with him for several hours, or better yet, over night, that will increase her chances of getting pregnant.

After you breed your doe, mark your calendar 18-21 days to see if she goes into heat again.  If she doesn’t, gradually stop milking her so she can use all her energy for her growing kids.  Mark your calendar for when to give shots, when to shave her udder, etc.  Also mark the due date on the calendar.

If you don't have a buck to breed your doe with, find a quality buck in your area, and if they have buck service, they might be willing to breed their buck with your doe for a fee. If you want to register your babies with the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), you will need to get a service memo. You can find one on the ADGA website. The herd you want to breed with might be CAE free, and in that case you have to make sure your herd is CAE free also or they will probably not want your doe to breed with a buck from their herd.

Our family relies on our goat milk since several members of our family cannot tolerate cow milk, so we make sure we breed our does with quality bucks who have a family line of large udders, and who are large quantity milk producers. If you don't know of any quality bucks in your area, you might want to join 4H or go to the county fair and talk to some of the people who show their goats.

Pregnant doe needs exercise and good nutrition.