Breeding & Kidding Management
Breeding Season Fall Decreasing day length 1:25 ratio (male:female) Length of estrous cycle: 21 days Length of breeding period: 35-45 days
Percentage of Does Ovulating 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Conception Rate Conception rate 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% November July March Breeding Season Myotonic Nubian Spanish
Litter Size Litter size 240% 200% 160% 120% 80% 40% 0% November July March Breeding Season Myotonic Nubian Spanish
Breeding Flushing Body Condition Scoring Breeding Soundness exam
Percentage of Does Ovulating 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Body Condition Score 4 Smooth rounded appearance Backbone can only be felt Hip and pin bones smooth and rounded Ends of short ribs cannot be felt
BCS 3 Backbone slightly raised, smooth and rounded over top Pin and hip bones lightly covered. Ends of ribs smooth and can be felt Moderately rounded appearance
BCS 2 Backbone raised and barely covered Pin and hip bones obvious and barely covered Ends of short ribs smooth, but easily felt
BCS 1 Body angular, narrow and slabsided Backbone raised and sharp Ends of short ribs sharp and easily felt
#1 #2 #3 #4
#1 #2 #3 #4
BCS TEST 3+
3
3 -
2
4 +
3 +
1
3
3 -
2
Breeding Soundness Breeding success depends on the reproductive health of both the female and the male. Because a male is expected to service a number of females, determining the potential fertility of the male is much more important than determining the fertility of any individual female.
BSE based on an examination that includes tests for physical soundness testicular size or scrotal circumference semen quality, and in some cases, libido/mating ability
Physical Soundness Internal - A transrectal examination is used to evaluate the health of secondary sex organs - urethra, prostate, seminal vesicles, ampullae and vas deferens. The most common abnormality is inflammation of the seminal vesicles, a condition that can result in infertility.
Physical Soundness External - Evaluation of scrotal shape is an important part of the external reproductive examination. Sperm production only occurs at a temperature slightly lower than the rest of the body. Some scrotal shapes can effect sperm production.
Physical Soundness A general health examination is the last component of the physical. The male must be able to walk long distances as well as complete the act of breeding. Physical disabilities such as lameness, arthritis, sole abscesses and footrot can interfere with mating ability but can also affect sperm production if the male spends a lot of time lying down.
Scrotal Circumference SC is most controversial component of the BSE SC is highly correlated to testicular weight which in turn is highly correlated to sperm producing capacity Each gram of testicle produces 15 million sperm per day Total sperm production for both testicles is at least 6 billion a day.
Semen Quality Semen Motility Semen Morphology
Libido/Mating Ability component of BSE most difficult to measure. Libido is the sexual desire, or in other words, the eagerness of a male to breed a female. It can be evaluated in a controlled testing situation. However, the most common way to evaluate mating ability is to observe a male on pasture with a group of females.
Kidding Management
Kidding Have the pregnant does graze a pasture close to your house, so that you can easily check them. If you supplement your does with a concentrate or hay, feed it at night. Late feeding delays birthing toward the early morning hours in the majority of animals.
Kidding It is a good idea to have some kidding pens ready for weak kids. It is not always easy to detect pre-kidding signs in goats: however, mucous discharge is a sure sign that kidding is imminent. Following birth, the navel of newborn kids should be dipped in iodine.
Colostrum Colostrum is the first milk produced after parturition. Colostrum contains a high content of immunoglobulins (antibodies), vitamin A, minerals, fat and other sources of energy. Antibodies are proteins which help the goat kid fight diseases. The ability of kids to resist diseases is greatly affected by the timing of colostrum intake and the quantity and quality of the colostrum fed.
Colostrum Reports from cattle indicate that if left alone, 25% of the young do not nurse within 8 hours and 10 to 25% do not get sufficient amounts of colostrum. Colostrum should be ingested or bottle-fed (in case of weak kids) as soon as kids have a suckling reflex. In cases of extremely weak kids, they should be tube-fed.
Colostrum The producer must be certain that all newborn kids get colostrum soon after birth (within the first hour after birth, and certainly within the first 6 hours) because the percentage of antibodies found in colostrum decreases rapidly after parturition. It is crucial that the antibodies in colostrum be consumed before the kids suck on dirty, pathogenloaded parts of its mother or stall. In addition, the ability of the newborn kid to absorb antibodies also decreases rapidly 24 hours after birth.
Colostrum Newborn kids should ingest 10% of their body weight in colostrum during the first 24 hours of life for optimum immunity. The extra colostrum produced by high lactating does during the first 24 hours following kidding can be frozen for later use when needed. Only first milking from healthy animals should be frozen for later feeding, and the colostrum from older animals that have been on the premises for several years is typically higher in antibody content against endemic pathogens than is colostrum from first fresheners.
Colostrum Ice cube trays are ideal containers: once frozen, cubed colostrum can be stored in larger containers and the trays used for another batch. Ice cubes are the perfect size for newborn kids, thus thawed colostrum is always fresh, and wastage reduced to a minimum. It is recommended to thaw colostrum either at room temperature or at a fairly low temperature. Colostrum should never be overcooked during the thawing process.
Vaccination Revaccination against tetanus and enterotoxemia (over-eating disease) 2 to 4 weeks before the kidding date is commonly used to improve the protective value of the colostrum against these conditions.
When to kid and when to wean? Kidding season and weaning age depend on several management and marketing factors. However, kids born in very late winter and early spring (March-early April), when grazed with their mothers on lush, high quality small grains or cool-season forages, will grow faster and will be healthier than kids born during the heat of late spring and early summer when forages mature and worm burdens increase.
When to kid and when to wean? Letting the kids nurse and graze with their mothers for as long as the doe stays in good enough body condition so as not to impair the success of its next breeding season is a sound management practice that will ensure rapid growth of the goat kids.
When to kid and when to wean? Weaning is a very stressfull period for kids and coccidia infestations generally show up at weaning. It is important to frequently observe weaned kids. Kids showing signs of coccidia infestation should be treated immediately, otherwise they will dehydrate and die. Coccidia can damage the lining of the intestines and if not treated properly surviving kids may not grow to reach their normal size and production potential.