# What age do you breed your boers?



## BOERKING (Jan 5, 2015)

I think I made a little mistake I have 2 young doelings with my does 10months old 
They are not scrawny does they are nice does thick ones. But my young buck bred them, are they to young?


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

How old are they and how much do they weigh?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I only breed my herd once per year and group all my kidding together, so my replacement does are bred at 1.5 years old and kid for their first time at 2 years old.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

Oh I think I read that wrong. If they are 10 months and at least 80lbs they should be fine being bred now


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I do the same as salty, I tried to breed them at a year this year but they wouldn't cycle. I like a year best, they are usually big enough and their growing slows down after a year so it doesn't take everything they have to raise kids. This year I purchased some does and they are 10 months old right now......I'm breeding right now. I weighed them and all but one was 100+ pounds so I went ahead and just let them be bred. The 90 pound one I'm holding off on. There is still roughly 4 months of growing allowed after you breed them before it really starts going to the kids as well. So if they are just a little small I wouldn't worry, if they are really small then I would probably not breed them. It's not just having them that's the problem it's trying to have them keep growing and maturing that really takes a toll on them. There's a gal I know and she breeds fairly young and small and she pulls kids and bottle feeds them if they have more then a single. I have bred super young before back when I first started and the ones who had singles usually did better at growing and keeping weight on then the ones with twins BUT the ones with singles I usually had to pull the kid too. So if you go with that idea make sure you are there in case they need help kidding


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

If they are good size, good health, and you don't want to terminate the possible pregnancies, then you might be fine, just take care that they continue to grow and make sure they get enough (but not too much) nutrition late in pregnancy. 
We've bred does and had oops bred does 7-10mo and they did fine. Any issues we had weren't an age related issue.

Biggest thing I guess would be do you know if they are fast growers, or late developers? Slower growers/late developers I would not breed. We have a family like that. Nice does, just not huge, or real tall. The Mom is stunted at nearly 3yo she's only 148lbs., her yearling is 153lbs, and 9mo daughter is 114lbs. 
The 9mo will not be bred until probably sometime in the summer. 
We have another 9mo doe that we bought back in the spring and she is 132lbs. and from my knowledge she comes from good growing, large stock. So we are anxious to breed her, but will let her mature.


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## BOERKING (Jan 5, 2015)

Well they are getting fat/big at my farm fairly quickly, so they are growing, not really fast growing but not slow either so in between if that's possible?

I bought 2 registered boer does very nice does. The breeder I got them from breeds at 2years old, I asked why and he said people who breed doelings need to manage them pretty good, he said he prefers to let them grow for the first year and breed them the next. 

The does I bought will be here next week, they are 10months but are at least 80-90lbs I think. Should I breed them or hold off?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

If they were mine, I would wait to breed them until next year. But it's a personal management decision.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

My two cents is probably hold of, at least for a few months for sure. If your just now going to get them they are not going to keep gaining weight like they have been. They are going to go threw the stress of a new home, and then if you quarantine them then a month after that they will go threw the stress of finding their place in a new herd. They are going to loose weight gain it back, loose weight and gain it back. I would look at them again a bit of time after they have found their place in the herd.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree with what has been said, my opinion would be to wait and breed them, especially if they are 10mos and under 100lbs. But if you really need to get them bred, just be cautious. Personal preference, but I won't breed a Boer or high % Boer under 100lbs.


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## BOERKING (Jan 5, 2015)

Ok thanks guys! I will re think about breeding them at 1 year old


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

I breed just like salty. I wait till they are 1.5 years before breeding. My first year I bred 2 does both 8 months. Doe 1 was 83 pounds at breeding and had a nice little doeling no problem doe 2 was 78 pounds and had a c-section for an 8 pound buck. I was told 8 months and 80 pounds but that doesn't always work. I have my 2 jr. Does and I have thought about breeding them but I just can't do it. The 1 is huge the other is only 90ish pounds.


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## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

I agree with whats been said, to me its definitely more about the size than age. I never breed my does before a year intentionally, and generally since we kid out in the winter and breed in the summer they are approximately a year and a half but if they are on the small size will hold off until they are two.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I wait until 1 year and a half old.


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