# Thinking of having my pygmy doe bred-lot's of questions!



## emmaandoscar (Jan 20, 2013)

Hi everyone...

I've been debating on whether or not to let my girl, Emma have a kid (or two). I have two goats, her (she's a pygmy) and my Lamancha Whether, Oscar. I got both of them when they were about 8 weeks old. I wouldn't mind having another couple goats and thought about just buying a couple more but keep thinking I'd like the experience of letting Emma have a baby or two of her own. I just don't know anything about the process or how to go about it. I know I either have to take Emma to a Buck or I have to borrow/rent a buck from somewhere and that is the extent of my knowledge. My problem is...If I take Emma somewhere, Oscar will be all alone and I'm sure he would freak out without her....and if I had a Buck come to my house....would I separate Oscar from the Buck and Emma or could they all be together in the same pasture?

Other questions...

*How do I go about selecting a buck for her?

*She is nearly two years old (born around April 2011)...is that a good age to have her bred?

*How long do I keep the Buck and Emma together? 

*I've read that pygmy's go into heat once a month--is that true?

*I'm worried about diseases if I take my girl to another farm or have a buck come to my house...what should I be concerned about? Do you quarantine first?

*Should I have Emma examined by a vet before I begin this whole process?

*Is there a certain time of year that is best in which to breed a doe? I'm thinking I would not like my girl giving birth here this time of year--it's been between 0-10 degrees in the mornings. This cold can't be good for a newborn baby kid.

I'm in Emmett Idaho; are there any of you in this area or do you know anyone in this area that has pygmy goat bucks for hire?

*Do the potential risks/problems of having kids outweigh just going and buying a couple goats? I guess I'm worried about getting diseases or illnesses if I bring other animals to Oscar & Emma. But if I bring a buck here, I think there is a certain amount of risk with that too.

I'm sure I have another hundred questions...but this is all I can think of for now. Thanks for any help with the answers to these questions! 

Carol


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Breeding a pet can be very stressful...between watching for heats and then finding a healthy buck then waiting for babies!Q
I'd track her heats, they should be every 18-23 days and last for 1-2 days, if you can find a healthy buck within an hours drive, it would be simple enough to just take her to him as soon as you know she's in heat, have them breed a few times then take her home. Be sure to check the buck over for lumps or scars from abcesses, and no runny eyes or nose before you take your doe out of the vehicle....even better would be to see if testing for CL is done but be aware that the same may be asked of you.

Her age is good for a first freshening, if she's over conditioned though, it usually makes pregnancy and delivery harder due to the extra weight.
Should you decide to have her bred, if you breed in May she'll deliver in October....early enough so that weather wouldn't be too cold.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Ditto what Liz said. Gestation is approx. 150 days. You want a time with few flies/pests, but, warm enough that you are comfortable with the multiple trips to the barn to check on your "due any day" doe who's holding out on you (oops, obviously I've dealt with the "does code" too often, lol)


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## emmaandoscar (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks ladies for your input...it's really helpful!

Liz, 

What do you mean by "over conditioned"? I spoke with my vet the other day, she really advised against breeding a pygmy goat, said there are lot's of problems with them delivering their kids an told me I should just get babies from people that are selling them since it's less risk  I was dissappointed in hearing that from my vet. I've read things on here and seen some youtube videos with difficult kiddings with pygmys and hearing her say it, made me think maybe I just shouldn't risk it. I know I can buy babies, but I really wanted to experience my little girl having a couple so she could take care of them and they have a mama. I don't think I want to get a couple babies to bottle feed and not have a mama for them. Anyhow...I know there must me tons of people on here that have had good experiences with pygmys kidding. Anyone want to chime in on their experience and how common it is to have difficult kidding with the pygmy goats? I did just pick up two 6 month nigerian dwarf whethers (in the avatar pic) and they're so beautiful. They have beautiful blue eyes. I was thinking about breeding my little pygmy with a nigerian dwarf buck. I was thinking they would be a good mix & kids could possibly have blue eyes? Any thoughts? Could the blue eyes be possible in this mix if the buck had blue eyes?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

we had Pygmy for a while before doing dairy...always had good luck with breeding and kidding. Over condition is a nice way of saying fat lol..Pet goats tend to be a bit more heavy do to spoiling, so if she is a bit over weight and you choose to breed her consider trimming her down a bit.. see that the buck you choose is not much larger than she is...get a visual of three times bred , write the date down..she should carry 145-150 days..we raise full size dairy goats...in the 8 years we have had goats...I have only had two birth related deaths of kids and two lost moms all in separate situations.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

You will hear "horror" stories, everyone has them sooner or later. On average, I've heard, that 95% of kiddings go fine, everybody lives. That doesn't help a "newbie" that is part of that 5% early on. We've all had that ff that freshens with twins, perfectly positioned. Then there was the time I spent 40 minutes trying to get a stuck kid delivered. 

The main thing I would tell a newbie is "know your limitations". If you don't feel confident, make arrangements early for more experienced help. If you suspect a problem...and you don't feel you can handle it...getting the doe to the vet fast can save lives. My Vet told me that most times, she doesn't get the doe for a c-section till the kid was already dead.

I've had 2 c-sections here, both big singles, before I learned how to feed a pregnant doe. Both does survived and rebred, lost 1 kid. However, I've had to "go in and get" numerous kids. It requires small hands with these mini goats. I may have had "Divine" assistance, once or twice. 

Mostly, everybody lives. But, we do loose goats, from time to time. I found that hard at first. Now, I've learned, we do our best, we come here for help, our patients know we love them. And, we move on. 

Welcome! Goat breeding is addicting, and we are all enablers!


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I forgot to ask...how tall is your doe? I used to hear that Pygmy does had more complications with births...but...I don't think these ladies agreed with that. It's been awhile since the subject came up. I wonder if breeding her to a smallish Nigerian buck would make a more "streamlined" kid?


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## Attackgeese (Feb 4, 2013)

If you know someone with a buck just have them come over its will tale about 15 minutes for him to breed her and 5 months for babies I have pigmys and boers usually not a problem. The male goat will get right to it the hard part will be getting him back in the trailer to go home.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

You need to really scrutinize your doe's body... if she is short bodied, she'll be most likely to have dificulties.
I have 3 pygmy/nigerian cross does here...2 have been bred and delivered kids with no problems, both have longer bodies than the 3rd doe...my Heidi is very short bodied and more built like a little block than the other 2, she was also born with a weak spot on her belly, that defect as well as her compact build have kept her a pet.

Without actual hands on to compare it's difficult to describe 

Look at your doe and imagine a kid the size of a pepsi bottle with a tennis ball sized head coming from her...or 2 or 3, does your does hip bones look and feel to be able to allow that?

9/10 everything will go as nature intended but without seeing your doe I can't say that her build would be ideal for breeding.
She's your pet....when an owner decides to make that step to breed, it is very stressful because then you'll be caring for her in ways that a pet doesn't get.

If you do choose to breed her, don't breed her with a buck thats less than 3 years old... most people don't realize that a buck isn't full grown until age 3, if you see a small buck and feel he's the right size for her but he's a yearling or at 2 years old, his size is deceiving as he is still growing.

Easiest way to determine if your doe is of good length would be to measure her height at her shoulder then measure her length from her shoulder to her hip point, if she is as long as she is tall...I would really consider leaving her maiden. The smaller pygmy/nd doe I have is turning 5 years in a few weeks and she stands 18 inches at the shoulder and is 17 1/2 inches from hip to shoulder...entirely too short bodied for me to want to breed her.
Oh...and don't be too swayed that a nigerian doe delivers easily...most do but there are nigerians out there that are built like pygmies, short bodied and short statured.

If you truly want to have the experience of a birth on your place, if it's too risky to you to breed your pet, purchase a doe that is meant for production....there are a good many nigerian as well as nd/pygmy breeders that take the care and management of their goats serious enough to be able to tell you as well as show you the breeding back ground on their animals.... IF only I was closer to you! I'd love to be able to give you hands on experience with knowing how to choose a doe who would be a good brood doe.


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## emmaandoscar (Jan 20, 2013)

Wow! I love all of your input, it really helps alot. I will have to measure her height and length. I'm having my vet come out soon and will get her opinion too. There's a lot to think about. My main concern is to do what's best for my doe first and foremost. Thank you so much


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