# Kidding dates. . . when do you breed for?



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

Those of you in the norther part of our country, when you plan to have you kids? I am trying to think of when I want to breed. We have snow all water and May 15 is the last frost date.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

i'm planning to kid in March 2010. average temp here around then is 16F


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## bheila (Jan 10, 2009)

For me it's not so much that I don't want the girls to kid in the winter, it's I don't want to be the one to have to be out in that weather with them. Let's face it, it's still cold inside of a barn or shed with a heatlamp. I'd much rather have the girls kid in April or May.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

In my area we do get cold temps in the singles til the first of March at times....I am leaning towards a mid March kidding once again.....my bones are feeling the affects of the February kiddings a bit too much :wink:


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## powderhooves (Jan 30, 2009)

I hate to have babies when there is snow on the ground. I lost a beautiful little black buckling one year. Momma had him outside and then went into the barn to deliver the other two. He froze to death.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I am breeding for May and June possibly April at the earliest. This year I kidded for March and April and it was way to hard with the cold weather. So this year it will be a lot easier cause i'll have summer break to help with kiddings, bottle feed, etc. But if you have a nice big warm barn then it's easier to breed for early months...for us we don't yet have a nice kidding barn.


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

My set-up allows me to have kids all year around. So as of now I have 1 due in Sept, 1 in Oct, and 1 in Jan. I plan on breeding 2 more for Feb or March.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I am breeding all my does now. I want Jan babies. For me they are a lot healthier, I have never had a cocci problem and I believe hat is because yes it is to cold, thy are frozen.

Yes it is a pain in the butt to go out in the winter to check on the goats but I would rather do that and like I said for ME have healthier babies. Plus they are a lot bigger come show season.
All my does have their stalls for kidding so they get locked up.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I always had kids born late January to mid February...first 5 years of breeding, all were healthy, happy and I never use a heat lamp either....having a small manageable herd helps with winter kiddings, my girls have their own stalls to kid in and they are small enough so babies snuggle up to mom. It's been below zero when my babies were born and I haven't lost one to the cold yet....and a big plus as sweetgoats said, the parasites are all frozen, therefore the babies are at minimal to no risk of getting an overload :greengrin: 

This past year was my first mid March kids, and well...the nice weather has me wanting a repeat because it wasn't cold and my arthritic feet didn't bother me at all :wink: I was able to give each doe my undivided attention and support without needing to run back and forth to the house to warm up.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

We planned for March babies but I think we'll have some winter kiddings. I don't mind winter babies at all. The biggest concern is being able to take them to get disbudded. This last year was a little scary because we were basically snowed in for two weeks (we're not used to very much snow at all). Other than that, I don't mind having babies in the winter. Our set-up works for that, as long as we do not have too many due at the same time.


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## poppypatch (May 30, 2009)

This year we are going for Spring/Summer kids although a couple were bred for November kids. 
Not doing the Dec/Jan thing ever again. When we had to load a doe into a crate with kids popping out to evacuate for the worst flooding ever seen on our farm I really did feel we were being punished for letting that buck breed does for Winter kids.

Shannon
Poppy Patch Farm


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

The older does we try and kid in february or march and the FFs get bred for late kiddings because they are not big enough until later. From personal experience though, I prefer cold weather kiddings because kids born in the cold are much healthier and hardier when they are older.


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

I will be having January kiddings this year. Of course, here in Texas, what we consider COLD some of you probably consider a nice spring day. :greengrin: 

I've also got it set up where my kidding pen is right next to a window. So all I have to do is take a peek out. :wink:


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## bheila (Jan 10, 2009)

The winters here seem to be getting worse every year. Thankfully we have a generator for power and water but this past winter we couldn't get out of our driveway for 2 weeks. The thought of having to put a doe in labor in my van in the snow is SCARY!! Not to mention the 35 minute drive to the vet in the snow :GAAH:


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I like having kids january through march. It is a bit colder here, but i make sure im well prepared. I have rubbermaid boxes at the ready, store lots of straw. I have several stalls set up for kidding in the carport that we use for hay and kiddings. I hand breed all of my does so i know when they are due. So far we havnt lost a baby to cold in all my twelve years. Does go in a large stall a few days before they are due. They kid in the stall with lots of warm bedding and no drafts. Kids here are all bottle raised so they go into a rubbermaid and come into the house umtil im sure they are able to hold their body temp and are eating well. After a day or two they go back out into a large community kid stall in the barn. They are let out daily from then on but only if weather permits. I never have a problem with cocci or worms. my kids are healthier and stronger and larger then most kids by the time show season rolls around. Im also done bottle feeding by june at the latest.
beth


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## Lawanda (Jun 11, 2009)

We are breeding Hope right now, to kid in January, because of 4H. I wondered why other people might want to have their goats kid in winter. Do goats normally kid in the spring or just whenever?


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## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

Wow a lot of interesting responses. I was thinking later, but maybe I will try for Feb or Mar. I had not thought about parasites . . .see this is why I love you guys!


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## redneck_acres (Oct 18, 2007)

We have most of our does bred to kid in February and March, sometimes a few trickle into April and May-but show season starts up in May here-so we like to be done at least by the beginning of April.


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## poppypatch (May 30, 2009)

The other issue we are dealing with is wanting to show does into the Fall who kidded in the Winter and trying to keep them at their prime production so many months later.
Will be showing does at state fair next month in mid September who kidded back in December and January. Long time milking. At least the judges do ask when they freshened.

Shannon 
Poppy Patch Farm


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## LaManchaGuy (Aug 23, 2009)

I have only been kidding fo two years but in my area it seems to be prime kidding time is FEB-MAY

it seems like the FEB kids are more healthy and gro better then MAR and APRIL


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