Breeding Season Tips and Tricks

Again, I want to stress some things about using your bucks and timing breeding season to best utilize your labor and avoid weather issues that take more labor and are detrimental to kid and lamb survival. If you have more than one pasture then I recommend staggering the days that you put bucks out in each one. Meaning, put some out in one pasture then wait 3 - 7 days to put some out in the other pasture. If bad weather arrives in kidding season you won't be in the heart of kidding in all pastures at that time. It usually lasts no more than 2-3 days in the spring. Cold rain is very detrimental to your bottom line in the goat business. My breeding season doesn't start till May. Sheep are much better at handling that cold and wet weather.
If you have one buck that you really like then put him out first and give him 2-3 weeks to get all bred he can then put in some backup bucks or maybe some young ones you kept back from last year.
Another thing I didn't mention but was brought up in the comments. Do not breed sheep and goats together as some may cross-breed then when the female aborts she will be out of estrus and not come back in for quite some time.
Finally, another reason to not kid too early is that the best markets do not usually arrive until Jan., Feb, March, you do not want your kids to be market weight before then as they will be too heavy and you have wasted resources getting them to a size they are less valuable at.

[@randybutler4772]

Thank you for sharing. HAPPY YEAR.

[@jeffdavis1720]

good information and some great tidbits to think about.

[@bertsnyder8492]

Enjoy your video Greg.

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

Thanks Bert

[@nickhudnall408]

When you breed, do you always keep your goats and sheep separate? Or have you bred with goats and sheep together? And if so have you had any problems in doing so

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

We separate sheep and goats for breeding purposes. You might have trouble or might not.

[@marianne8ate]

Nice vids! Thanks for sharing:)
Where are you located? Have you ever seen any evidence of your dogs killing anything? Or they just chase predators away?

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

If found coyotes that had the misfortune of getting caught by the dogs. Mostly their presence keeps predators away.

[@clintfullerton9535]

Do you preg check your does to sell the open ones?

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

No, we never have but I'm going to learn how to do it and then we might.

[@brianseymour6771]

How long do you leave your billies on for?

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

I may not take them out until I am castrating kids in early July. That saves me having to find a place to keep them and they are fine with the does till then but do not leave them in any longer as some does will start cycling in mid-July. As for Rams, I take them out earlier as the Ewes will start cycling sooner. They are not as much seasonal breeders as the goats.

[@jameswetterman2070]

How much trouble do you have with rams hurting each others from fighting? I have had a ram kill another over dominance as far as I can tell

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

@@jameswetterman2070 I don't know that I've ever had that happen. That being said I did have a Big Ram turn up dead this fall and no apparent reason so maybe that happened. They are in a pen together or on pasture together when not in use. I haven't seen any fighting like I thought they would kill each other but could have happened I suppose.

[@cacadecanary8146]

Are they Kiko goats?

[@grandviewlivestock3936]

Some have Kiko in them.