Goat breeding is a very important process for goat farming business. We all know that, goat farming is a traditional business. And people usually raise goats for the purpose of meat, fiber and milk production. Goats require less than any other livestock animals.
You will need little capital, if you intend to start this business. Goats are very hardy and they can adapt themselves with almost all types of weather.
Even you can raise them in dry land and undulating lands, where raising other animal is almost impossible.
But if you want to raise goats for meat, milk or fiber production, then you must have to learn more about their breeding.
Learning more about goat breeding is very important for running a successful and profitable goat farming business.
Proper knowledge of goat breeding will help you to increase the goat population on your herd, which will directly maximize your profits.
Among the essential goat farming tasks, breeding is a challenging approach. Especially for the people who are new in this business.
There are numerous factors which determine the success rate of breeding process. Here we are describing more about goat breeding process.
How to Breed Goats
Understanding the breeding process and proper planning are prerequisites whether you are looking for your Boer goat breeding or breeding the Pygmy goats.
There is no room for negligence in any of the goat breeding steps. Before the breeding process, identify the breeds with preferable qualities first.
Now there are various types of improved goat breeds available throughout the world. Each of those breeds are developed and raised to get desired qualities.
For example, Pygmy and Nigerian dwarf are smaller sized goats and mostly raised as pets. Boer goats are specially raised for meat production and Angora goats are highly mohair productive. Read the following steps carefully for successful goat breeding.
Breed Identification
First of all, analyze the bloodlines and temperament of your goat. Analyzing the goats perfectly will help you to identify the type of breed that you own.
It will also help you to determine whether the goat you have can be bred successfully or not. You must have to find a biologically compatible buck for your doe/does, based on the goat breed you have.
Consult with an expert or take the help of any professional goat breeders in your area, if you have any doubt.
Age Factor
On an average, a doe gain sexual maturity and become suitable for breeding within one year. But for better quality kids and goat products, you should not bred your does before their first birthday.
After one year of age, the body of your doe become fully mature for completing the gestation period and giving birth to the young babies.
Getting your does pregnant within 2 to 6 months is also not unusual. But you must have to wait till their first birthday for better quality. Ensure your does reach the ideal breeding age.
If you are raising both buck and doe, then never forget to keep them separated from each other till they reach ideal breeding age.
Prepare Your Doe For Breeding
Good health condition play a very important role for successful goat breeding. The doe that is selected for breeding must have to be healthy.
Never try to bred any ill or weak doe. Always try to keep them healthy and diseases free. Feed them adequate nutritious feed.
A regular feeding system for your doe should include grain, hay and other nutritional supplements. This will help to keep your does healthy and make them ready for breeding. Perform necessary medical checkups regularly.
Follow your vet’s suggestion about delivering booster medications, changing diet and deworming procedures. In a word, try to take good care of them and do everything which are essential for their good health.
Find Compatible Buck
It’s not too easy to find a buck that is biologically similar to your doe/does. So make a proper goat breeding plan and search for the compatible buck in your area or in your nearest goat farm.
Inquire about the various goat breeds compatible with your doe, for producing improved offspring with desired traits from the parents.
Thus you can produce a hybrid version with varied traits. If you have compatible bucks in your herd, then take good care of them.
Provide them sufficient amount of nutritious food and clean water. It will be better, if you keep your bucks separated from the herd (except breeding period).
Goat Breeding Types
If compatible bucks are available in your area, then you can chose natural goat breeding. It will be better if you have quality bucks in your herd.
Keeping some bucks in your herd is highly recommended for commercial goat farming purpose.
If you don’t have any buck, then you can borrow a buck from a farm for some days or send your doe to a farm for breeding.
Depending on your area, this process might charge you some money. If there are no bucks in your area, then only option left for you is artificial insemination.
Breeding Option
Before entering your doe to her estrus (heat cycle), decide the method of fertilization. You can choose both natural and artificial breeding.
Artificial goat breeding is expensive and has a lower success rate. But natural breeding with a real buck is an effective breeding way.
Try to keep your doe with a buck when she enters her heat cycle. Bleating, vaginal discharge, uneasiness, wagging, change in appetite and mounting over other goats in your herd are the common signs of estrus.
Goat Breeding Season
Usually fall is the breeding season of goats. During fall or breeding season, a doe becomes heated frequently (at an interval of about 18-22 days between two heat cycles).
For good pregnancy outcomes, it is the best time to undertake goat breeding in the early stages.
Usually ovulation takes place within ½ to 1½ days after estrus. Successful fertilization depends on timely mating. And delay in breeding reduces the possibility of fertilization.
Gestation
Successful goat breeding is absolutely challenging. But you will get personal satisfaction when you successfully bred your does.
Your does will enter to the gestation period after fertilization. Gestation period of goat stays for about 5 months.
During this period, take extra care of your does. Give them extra foods. Their food must have to be nutritious enough with all types of essential nutrients available.
Gestation period is very crucial for both mother and her coming babies. So take good care of your does during this period.
These are the basics of goat breeding. Practice makes perfect. You will learn more when you will handle the real process.
Do everything related to goat breeding according to a proper plan. And if possible always try to follow the suggestions of an goat breeding expert in your area. God bless you!
