We raise goats usually for the purpose of the products: meat, milk, fiber, or skin. Some even raise them as a pet. Whatever the purposes are, we need to take good care of them and one of the life-cycle of a goat is, of course, breeding. Breeding is the first stage of three stages of pregnancy besides early gestation and late gestation.
In the goat farming business, breeding important process. If we want to keep our business sustain, breeding is key for adding your capital. Even though goat is an animal who is easy to adapt by itself, you still have to learn this knowledge so you can help the process to make it easier and more well-prepared. In this article, we will talk specifically about the dairy goat. Having a dairy goat farm can have a good business prospect.
Nowadays, goat milk is starting to be a new choice of milk. Producing goat milk can be profitable because the increasing of its demand on the market as it is proved to be an alternative way beside cow milk especially for those who have lactose intolerance. Besides selling your goats products to the market and gain revenues, you can also consume the product for yourself to fulfill your daily needs. Let’s talk deeper about the dairy goat breeding, So here are 6 ways to breed goats for milk productions.
Before we step in, read also about Basic Guide of Goat Farming here and Benefit of Raising Goat Farm Business here.
6 ways to breed goats for milk productions
1. Acknowledge your dairy goat breed
Learn about the standard of dairy goats breed. Remember that every type of breeds have different personalities and traits which means you need a different treatment for each breed so it is important to understand and recognize the type of goats that you have. The common dairy goats in goat farming are LaMancha, Nubian, Alpines, and more. What’s yours? Acknowledge your own type of dairy goats so you can provide the treatment that is needed for your goat, even before the breeding process.
Make sure you have enough space for your goats. The size of space that you need usually depends on the size of your type of goats. Having enough space for breeding is important because some steps ahead demand you to separate your bucks and does. Along the pregnancy process, your goats usually can have reversed personalities. You can only notice this change if you keep your eye on them and know your goat’s usual personalities. Read here to know more about Recommended Dairy Goat Breed to Farm
2. Prepare your does
Dairy does need to be bred once a year. Does should be at least eight months old before being bred. It is important to wait for your does until they reach the ideal breeding age and then separate both buck and doe from each other in the process. The ideal breeding age is when the body of your doe is mature enough for completing the gestation period and giving birth to the babies. Does usually come into the heat period for three days every 17 to 21 days. You can analyze your does because usually, they will show some visible sign when they enter the heat period. It can be a change from their appearance and shape, attitude towards the buck, or even reverse personalities.
3. Keep your goats healthy
The key to successful goat breeding is from the goat health condition. Your goats need to be healthy, diseases free, and well prepared. Provide them with fresh and clean food and water. For addition, you can add supplements or vitamins to boost up your goats’ health. Do not forget to take your goats to vets for the regular check up!
To know more about Common Diseases in Goat Farming, read here.
4. Find compatible buck
Breeding is not only about does, but also the bucks! You also need to find a biologically compatible buck for your doe. To help you out, you may want to have a proper goat breeding plan and do some research for compatible buck in your nearest goat farm if you don’t have any. But if you already have your own buck, make sure you take good care of them. Bucks also need fresh and nutritious food. Again, the key to successful breeding is on your goat’s health condition.
5. Breeding method
It is up to you to choose natural or artificial breeding for your goats but natural breeding can be more effective for your does. Besides, artificial breeding can be more expensive. Natural breeding may need more practices and effort because you have to know exactly when your doe enters the heat period. But if you already have enough experiences and knowledge, you good to go!
6. Gestation
After the fertilization, your does will enter to the gestation period. It usually takes about 5 months. Make sure you always keep your eye on your does and take good care for them. Your does need to be well-prepared and healthy so make sure you give them sufficient nutritious food.
Along with the pregnancy process, your doe’s milk production may decrease and they will stop producing around less than 120 days after the doe was bred. It is supposed to be a time for your doe to rest before the labor comes. Don’t worry, though! After the labor, the doe will freshen and begin to produce milk again.
Your does will finally come into the kidding, or giving birth about 150 days after breeding. You may want to expect more than one baby because does often have twins or even triplets! At this point, you can start your goat milk business run again and also have more goats to take care of! Having a baby goat(s) can be overwhelming for the first time. Relax! You can read and learn about how to take care of Baby Goat here to help you out!