# First heat and breeding, 6 month old Nubian doeling.



## Hobbyfarmer (Sep 7, 2011)

I think my little doeling has reached her first heat. She's a papered Nubian born on 9/3/11. Which puts her just over 6 months old. This week I've noticed some behavior changes like being more vocal and very needy. Today I noticed some serious tail wagging/flagging. I still need to weigh her but she appears overall in great condition and health. No discharge but there is slight swelling of the vulva. Does this sound like a heat to you? Should I just write this down and see if it repeats in 3 weeks?

I would like to breed her asap for 2 reasons. 1) It gets cold here and I don't want winter kids. 2) I'm not attached to this doeling and I want to milk her to see if she worth keeping around. I would prefer not to feed her through another winter before find this out. It sounds awful but that's just the truth. Would you breed a Nubian goat this young? I've read it can be safe if the doeing is healthy and large enough.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I personally would wait til she is 80lbs and more than likely she isn't at 6 months. Many will tell you even that is too young. It does sound like she is in heat from your description. I am not saying it can't be done but it could be risky for her or her potential off-spring. I have bred mine 9 & 10 months old and they have done fine.


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## Natural Beauty Farm (Mar 18, 2011)

Sorry but you are not going to be able to evaluate her properly if she is bred this young. Just because a doeling comes into heat, does not mean her body is ready.

The younger a doe is bred, the less milk and development you will see from her for the first, second and even third kidding.

You risk 
A. killing her because she can not support a pregnancy and grow herself.
B. kid being too big for her to deliver if she is stunted.
C. Putting her overall development so far behind that it may take years for her to catch up with a sibling.

Things you can do:
A. evaluate her now. Does she have noticeable teats.
B. Has she been growing well for you
C. Does she have a nice wide barrel
D. What are her dam and sire's family like.

Even if you tried to breed her on her next cycle, you are still looking at early Oct kids.
If you are not attached to her, why not find her a new home now. Will things change with your feelings towards her if she produces a cup of milk a day, which you are going to have to milk out twice a day and then turn around and feed to a kid or two, maybe even have to supplement if she can not physically produce enough.
We all have animals that we just don't get along with, no shame in that. But we find them homes or put them in the freezer. Guess I was just raised with a different view.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

The key to your question lies in how heavy the doeling is. Usually I would say 6 months is a bit early, usually 8 - 9 months is a bit better if you want to kid her in her first year however if she is a very well grown doe (40 kg ... sorry you'll have to convert that) then it is ok. 

I do understand from a commercial viewpoint (ie. interest lies in milk and milking ability) that we often want to get t6hese girls milking on their first year rather than feed them for two years before knowing whether they are any good


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## Hobbyfarmer (Sep 7, 2011)

Thanks everyone. This was the reality check I needed. I don't want to jeopardize her long term heath and well being. I'll hold off on breeding till fall. One less thing to worry about right now. My husband keeps talking about wanting to train one of the goats to pull a cart. That's looking like a good option for her. 

@Natural Beauty Farms. Right now she's a companion to my other goat. I'm getting another milker next month and might consider selling her at that time. Unfortunately I'm already into her over $500 ($200 purchase price, $200+ scur removal at the vet, $45 full panel blood test thru WADDL, vaccines, copper bolus, selenium supplement) excluding food. Based on goat prices in my area I'll be lucky to get 1/2 that back. I just wish I would have considered my long term goals before purchasing her. She's been a great leaning experience for sure.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

6 months is way to young ...I recommend 1 year minimum ....they are more mature then and their bodies are more prepared for carrying... delivering and mothering their babies.... :thumb:


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

My doeling was 5 1/2 months old when the buck was here. Accidental breeding...he mounted her before I could prevent it! I do not think she settled, but if she did I will be there when she kids. I would not breed on purpose at that age. In fact I waited a year before I tried breeding my other doe...She just did not seem big enough to me at 8 mos of age when I bred her auntie. Better to be safe than sorry I always say!


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

From what ive heard, milk production isnt fairly evaluated for FF anyway as they produce more in subsequent years.
We breed our Boers no earlier than 10 mos AND 100 lbs; by the time breeding season rolls around they are almost 2yrs.


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## klingshirnm (Mar 3, 2011)

In my experiences (well what I have seen). Any does that were even bred at the 8 to 9 month and 80lb theory always were smaller than does that were held and bred to kid as 2 year olds. Now that may not be a big issue for some, but for the show side or for production they never produce as much and are usually smaller than others at the same age. Now I do see that feeding a goat for 2 years before getting any milk don't sound like a very profitable thing to do on the commercial side. So, I feel it comes down to what you plan on doing with this doe. I personally will never intentionally breed a doe to kid as a yearling, but I perfer a more powerful looking doe with a lot more strength going into breeding. Like others have said it's hard on a doe to have to produce for offspring from producing kids to producing milk for them and still have to grow and mature herself.


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