baymule
Sustainability Master
Yeah but it will take me awhile.....
Hi from New Hampshire
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Jshubin
Power Conserver
I've had a pair of goats for almost a year now.. male and female... I've seen him try to mate her, but I dont think she is pregnant. How can I tell if mating is successful?
They are brother and sister (I know that's messed up) but they are half breed Nubian x Pygmy... so there is some genetic diversity. Any suggestions? Do you think the female will milk well being a cross? Should I replace of them so they dont have inbred kid?
They are brother and sister (I know that's messed up) but they are half breed Nubian x Pygmy... so there is some genetic diversity. Any suggestions? Do you think the female will milk well being a cross? Should I replace of them so they dont have inbred kid?
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
How old are your goats? If they've been together for a year - then the male is certainly old enough to do the deed. Nigerian and Pygmy breeds both cycle year round, so that shouldn't be an issue either. If she is pregnant, she will start growing an udder anywhere from a couple months ahead of her due date - or some does don't get much of an udder until right before they kid. Has she had babies before?
About the only way to know for sure - is when there are babies on the ground!
About the only way to know for sure - is when there are babies on the ground!
Jshubin
Power Conserver
haha.. thanks
They were 4-6 months when I got them... so they should be well over a year old now. Nubian was the father.. mother was pygmy.
No change in utter size yet.
The male was going crazy recently trying to mate her and making weird noises all day/night. That was just last week or two.. so he may have just done it.
They were 4-6 months when I got them... so they should be well over a year old now. Nubian was the father.. mother was pygmy.
No change in utter size yet.
The male was going crazy recently trying to mate her and making weird noises all day/night. That was just last week or two.. so he may have just done it.
Jshubin
Power Conserver
what about the brother / sister issue.. Do you think that will be problem? will offspring have issues? I know its not best practice, but my kids are attached to the goats now and I dont want to separate them.
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NH Homesteader
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Yikes the sire was a Nubian? That's dangerous for a pygmy to give birth to kids that big. So, what is your purpose for these goats? Do you want them to breed? Are they for milk? No I wouldn't let brother and sister breed unless you are planning on eating all the kids.
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Oops, sorry I misread and thought they were Nigerian Dwarf/ Pygmy mix. But, if they are a Nubian / Pygmy mix they are actually a fairly new breed called "Kinders". Yes, it is a bit backwards for the sire to be the bigger breed, but occasionally it happens. Just glad the birth went ok.
So, if I'm back on track now, you have two Kinder goats which are the brother and sister you referred to. I raised and showed Pygmy goats for decades and it isn't all that unusual in the show world to do linebreeding. I've bred 1/2 brother and sister, father x daughter, mother x son, grandparents x grandkids...and everything worked out well. But, once you have a goat that is THAT closely inbred, you probably wouldn't want to let those kids breed back to each other or the parents. I've never deliberately bred full siblings. However, it does happen and usually there won't be an issue with the offspring.
If you heard him blubbering and observed him trying to mate - that's probably what happened. But, just to throw a curve ball at ya - does will give off a hormonal smell towards the end of a pregnancy that the buck will react to and will try to mate. If she is pregnant that would not be good for her to be harassed by him. Since you don't see any udder development then she was probably in heat - and not pregnant.
So, if I'm back on track now, you have two Kinder goats which are the brother and sister you referred to. I raised and showed Pygmy goats for decades and it isn't all that unusual in the show world to do linebreeding. I've bred 1/2 brother and sister, father x daughter, mother x son, grandparents x grandkids...and everything worked out well. But, once you have a goat that is THAT closely inbred, you probably wouldn't want to let those kids breed back to each other or the parents. I've never deliberately bred full siblings. However, it does happen and usually there won't be an issue with the offspring.
If you heard him blubbering and observed him trying to mate - that's probably what happened. But, just to throw a curve ball at ya - does will give off a hormonal smell towards the end of a pregnancy that the buck will react to and will try to mate. If she is pregnant that would not be good for her to be harassed by him. Since you don't see any udder development then she was probably in heat - and not pregnant.
