# Pen Breeding?



## magilacudy (Mar 18, 2009)

I was just reading through some post and someone mentioned that they wouldnt do pen breeding again. I'm curious.... I'm once again trying to get my girls bred. The Billy has been here since Jan/23 and 90% of the tiime they are in the pen all together. There have been no issues. He wil be staying until the second week of March. The reason I decided to keep them all in the main pen is because last year I brought the Billy and SAW them breed and well.....no kids. So I'm keeping him here twice as long and penned hoping to get them bred. What would be the issue with this?


----------



## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

one issue would be not knowing the due dates on the does. 

though I used this method this year, its really frustrating not knowing when theyre due! :hair:


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

if you stick a buck out with a bunch of does you never know when they are bred - or most of the time you dont unless you see signs of breeding taking place. So thats the frustrating part of pen breeding.

I try and just stick my does in the pen with the buck for a day and thats when I see them in heat. THis way is called hand breeding.


----------



## jdgray716 (Aug 8, 2008)

I have seen both done. And yes, I agree it is frustrating at times. I hope to have my buck pen complete soon. Then I am planning on moving the buck to the doe pen for a few weeks, take a break for a few, and start with another buck for a few weeks and so on. I figure this way I can use different bucks and in the end everyone should be from date to date on due dates and if they did not come in or take the new buck gets a shot and so on. This should also help if a doe does not like one buck and may take to another. Just what I am planning, let you know how well it works.

I got this idea from another breeder who is very big. She is a little different where she brings the does to the buck and leaves them together for a few weeks and then swaps the bucks for clean up before bringing them back to the doe pens.


----------



## magilacudy (Mar 18, 2009)

I'm so glad you explained "hand breeding" Stacey. I had my own ideas on what that was and boy was I wrong. :slapfloor:


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

magilacudy said:


> I'm so glad you explained "hand breeding" Stacey. I had my own ideas on what that was and boy was I wrong. :slapfloor:


 :ROFL: 

I too hand breed...my chosen in heat doe is on a leash with her chosen buck romancing her...no need to leash the buck because he knows what he wants :wink: I've done this for years and it is so much nicer knowing an exact date for 145 days. It's easy enough to see when a well known doe is in heat too...my girls are all pretty much in the same number of days with each cycle and each will come into heat within 5 days to a week of each other.


----------



## 4hmama (Jan 9, 2009)

I made have been the one that made a pen breeding comment, and it's not that I don't want to do it (nor is there anything wrong with it)...it's just that I'm going crazy not knowing EXACTLY when my girls are due. A definate plus knowing the dates!!!


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

See....these does are in cahoots with the buck in their pen, I think they all deliberately conspire to keep you guessing and waiting for babies. With hand breeding, even though you know the due date...the doe is STILL IN CONTROL! The amount of sleep I can function on waiting for kids to arrive is very minimal because I still don't know if they will hold out until 150 or later! :hair:


----------



## nutmegfarm (Dec 23, 2009)

I just do, take doe out of pen, take buck out of pen, they mingle for a few minutes, and they go back to their own pens (this is all in the yard). Thats just me, I don't have too many that its not an issue for me to do this myself, and I also use multiple bucks, etc.


----------



## jdgray716 (Aug 8, 2008)

Hand breeding is very good for many reasons and if you can do it, it is a great option. However, if you are not able to due to the number in a herd or work schedules etc, this is not a reality for everyone.


----------



## magilacudy (Mar 18, 2009)

I would of prefered to the the hand breeding (still makes me laugh) Since thats the way I did last year and I saw the buck breed Cindy twice. So I counted down the days and no babies. So thats why this year I decided to keep him for just over two months to be sure they had at least 2 heat cycles. Now if only human prego test from the drug store worked on goats. :idea:


----------



## jdgray716 (Aug 8, 2008)

Well, that is why we are doing two week slots then break and two weeks. The do date will be much easier one a two week scale verse a month.


----------

