# when do you all breed your FF does?



## KLSpoultry (Dec 14, 2008)

My girl is 4 months now, but I'd like to show her next year as a FF, when is the best time to breed her? I was thinking November, but i'd like to know what everyone else does?


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## sealawyer (May 31, 2009)

I knowed I'm gonna appear to be a dumb Texas hick that I actually am by asking this question, what do you mean by FF? I ain't the fastest dog in the hunt! Fred V.


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## Thanatos (Mar 16, 2009)

First freshener..... And for a show for her to qualify as a FF does't she need to be in milk and less then 2 years old?

so I would say either OCT or Nov


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

For showing, there are yearling milker classes, and classes for 2-3 years, and a doe can be a FF 2 year old and still be shown in the 2-3 year old class.

Personally, I wait until they are at least 8 months, then at least 80-90 lbs. I only breed doelings that are steady growers, if they are not steady growers but grow in spurts, then I will not breed them.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

sealawyer said:


> I knowed I'm gonna appear to be a dumb Texas hick that I actually am by asking this question, what do you mean by FF? I ain't the fastest dog in the hunt! Fred V.


 Hey I know we have all thought that some thing at one time or another. So hey I guess we are all hicks.

I am not a diary person so I have no idea about all this. I try to wain until my does are two when they kid or very close to it. I did have all my what I call babies have babies right around their first birthday or right after it.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

With my mini girls I like to wait until the fall after they turn a year old....I know that some breeders do so earlier but I like the peace of mind it gives me to have them kid at or around their 2nd birthday.


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

it depends on her size and growth.. even if you want to show her as a FF you have to keep in mind that if she isn't ready to be bred, she shouldn't be

I breed my kids as yearlings, some even as 2 year olds.


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## K-Ro (Oct 14, 2007)

For the large dairy breeds I stick to the 8 month/80lb rule as long as they are growing steadily.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Our minimum law is 10 mos & 100 lbs, this is with Boers. By the time they get there its past breeding season & no bucks around so they are almost 2yrs old when they first kid.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

depends on what breed you are talking about. Some nigerian does can be bred at 9 months while others do better at 11-12 months while others best to give them even more time to grow.

for standard dairy goats I used as was stated 8months/or 80lbs as my rule of thumb for breeding.


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## KLSpoultry (Dec 14, 2008)

guess i'll wait and see how she looks at 8 months, i'll also post pictures and ask you guys/gals again

here she is @ 2 months and again at 4, what do you think? is she growing well?


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

she looks to be growing good. and she's cute. :wink: 


I use my instinct- if they are growing steadily then I breed at 85-90 lbs. and if they are a bit slower then i'll wait till I think it's safe.


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## sealawyer (May 31, 2009)

Thanks to you all for being patient with this dumb Texas Boer Breeder. I don't know a lot about the dairy breeds. Since we raise our goats on primarily pasture almost year round, they gow a tad bit slower than goats on feed. The doelings get creep fed until they are 3-4 months old. We usually don't breed until one to one and one half years old. We wait this long to allow their body to catch up to their reproductive system and we have less problems with the birthings. Out of 19 does that kidded in may we didn't have to help any of them and only lost two kids out of 38.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I typically breed all my yearlings, personaly i dont like dry yearlings. If they are 80 lbs by november i breed them. I hate waiting another year. I keep al of my doe kids every year and then try and breed them. I hate it when i have kids after the end of april because then i usually have to wait. 
I feel this way because i like to get an idea of how my does are going to freshen before i sell them. So i keep all doe kids typically five to eight, and then freshen them come spring. I start weeding out the not so great ones. I get my numbers down to one or two. I only can keep a herd of fifteen or so so this works pretty well.
beth


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## ksacres (Oct 30, 2007)

8 months or 80 pounds is what we go by. We raise standards, I know a lot of mini breeders wait longer.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

If they are well grown, and you can keep the nutrition up to them, you can breed them early to KID DOWN at 13 months. I've done it very successfully, but you need to have top notch nutrition and management


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## KLSpoultry (Dec 14, 2008)

OH, she has EXCELLENT nutrition :slapfloor: 

my goats are more spoiled than most peoples children. i think i'm going to take a bit of everyones advice and see how much she weighs at 8 months and go from there. i'd really like to not have her dry another year, but i dont want to jeopardize her health either.

i'd say she weighs 40-50 pounds now at 4 months, so i'm thinking she'll be ready this year, even if she's 80 pounds at 8 months, i'm still waiting till November to breed her

hopefully my buck (who is 2 weeks older than my doe) is ready to breed then too :ROFL:


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## ksacres (Oct 30, 2007)

KLSpoultry said:


> hopefully my buck (who is 2 weeks older than my doe) is ready to breed then too :ROFL:


That's the real challange LOL

I have had boys that didn't realize they were boys until long after I'd had need of them!


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

Mine are bred around the ageof 1 and 1/2


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