# Two kiddings a year?!?!



## mariella (Feb 23, 2017)

Okay so my mother wants me to start breeding my does twice a year I told her NO and that kind of set her off. So my questions are, would that be okay to do? What are the up sides? And what are the down sides?
Thanks for any help


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

It takes too much out of the doe.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I can't think of any benefits, honestly. Breeding over and over again without breaks in between is very hard on the doe. Their bodies need time to recover and rebuild. Producing kids over a five month period and then feeding them until weaning takes a lot out of a doe. You'll have a healthier, more productive animal by breeding only once a year.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Why does she want that? For kids more often, or more kids? If she wants 2 kidding seasons per year, you could ways breed in two groups, half your does at one time and the other half six months the later. That way you'll have does kidding every six months, but each doe will only kid once a year.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

I think you start to get smaller kids and fewer multiples and the does won't last as long. 

What is she hoping for? Are they meat goats? I think you'd get higher quality more growth and more kids overall by spreading out breeding to once a year.

If you are milking goats you can milk extended lactations or at least 10 month lactatations. No need to breed more frequently to get more milk.

If you show breeding that often would also interfere.

Another issue would be if the goats are seasonal breeders you would have to do drugs or lighting in order to get them into heat and settled out of season which could knock your profits from increased breeding interval.

I mean you don't have to wait a full year before breeding. Kid in spring breed in fall. You can breed 6-8 months after they kid.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

^^^^ very correct! Years ago that how I did it and it wasn't worth it. The does started getting run down, the kids were dinky, I started getting singles. Honestly just simply not worth it. 
Pros? Well the first time you back to back breed them you usually do get a doe that drops more eggs but I'm really telling you in the long run it's just not worth it unless you back to back breed once then cull the doe


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

It's a good way to wear out a doe in short order. You could get 3 pregnancies in 2 years, but then the doe needs a year off, so you gained nothing.


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## mariella (Feb 23, 2017)

I don't know what she wants I think she wants to be like a dairy we helped become organic. They had two kiddings a year and 8 and 9 year old does that were doing great. I was to young to remember if they bred half their herd at a time but they had two kiddings a year. 

I think I have an idea as to how I can convince her that it's a bad idea. She's a midwife so she know how hard it is on a woman to have a baby back to back like that so hopefully she will use logic.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

I have two sets of does for breeding one group is in with the buck once they birth the other group gets bred! Works like a charm!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with everyone, not a good idea.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Nope not a good idea. We give our does at least 6-7 months off between kidding. The doe kids, feeds and milks for 3-5 months then 2-3 months break before being in kid again. Some does they raise their kids for 3-5 months and then we keep them in milk for 3-5 months. We will rebreed them after we have been just milking them for 3 months so they are either dried off or close to and have 3 months with no milking before they kid again minimum. Some of our does have 12 months between kiddings, others have 18 months between kiddings. From Our 2 older does 1 has had 2 and a 1/2 years since her last kidding and is due in 15 days, the other last kidding February 2016 and will kid July this year.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

We did have one doe that kidding may 2015, then jumped in with the buck and kidded again November 2015. Next time she kidded Late April 2016 and we were not expecting it! We never saw her with the buck but she must've jumped in then jumped out  so then we made sure she couldn't get the the buck and she will now kid in August this year. She had twins each time but looked really bad rough coat struggling to maintain condition. We had to make sure she had a proper break this time round


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I had an accidental back to back breeding (a twice a year breeding) a couple years ago. It took a LOT out of the doe and I ended up not breeding her the following season. Then this season she only had one kid. Maybe next season she'll be back to normal.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We've had a couple of back to back breedings in the past and the does did just fine, but it did take a lot out of them by the time the 2nd set of kids were weaned. I definitely don't recommend it every year, but sometimes you can get away with it once in a while.


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## KansasRev (Apr 28, 2017)

How would you like someone to breed you back to back? Lol It happens, but it'a never ideal or healthy. 

These are creatures with sensitivities, depletions, and limits. I think you've got your head on straight; Don't throw sense to the wind.


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