Welcome dear reader to our column where we explore all things farming. This week I am focusing on the essentials of Boer goats breeding.
Hardly a day passes without getting a question, either through the column or our Facebook page, related to aspects of breeding in goats. In this column, I focus on key aspects on goat breeding, namely how long it takes between conception and birth, when are they ready for breeding, the frequency of breeding, how to ensure multiple births and controlled breeding or synchronised breeding.
It is vital for the farmer to be knowledgeable about the essentials of breeding because successful breeding is what separates sturdily profitable goat farming operations from those that are not. After all, the main objective of any goat farming operation is to progressively increase the herd with healthy and productive animals.
Gestation period
The gestation period for Boer goats is five months, that is, generally from 148 to 152 days, with an average of 150 days and under normal circumstances, the doe can have multiple births — twins and triplets.
Multiple births in Boer goats
Due to their productivity traits, Boer goats do have multiple births as a norm rather than an exception. However, there are a number of important factors that can influence the rate of successful multiple births. One of these factors is nutrition. Does should be given quality feed in sufficient quantities for them to give multiple births. One of the ways to achieve this is by adopting a flush feeding system, whereby does are put on a good quality pasture or provided with extra nutrition starting from about four weeks before the breeding season.
The extra nutrients will provide more energy which escalates ovulation rate, thereby increasing the flushed does’ proportion of giving birth to twins and triplets. In rare cases of quadruplet births, colostrum and milk replacers may have to be administered to the kids to ensure the health of both the dam and the kids.
Farmers should ensure that does have sufficient quality feed throughout the gestation period, particularly during the 40 days after the end of the breeding season, that is, after the removal bucks from the herd. This is critical in order to ensure that the embryos are successfully implanted in the uterus.
The best age and weight to breed a doe
When deciding when to breed does for the first time, weight and physical development are more important than age. Does should be bred when they are about 65 percent of the average weight of the adult does in the herd. Based on my experience, does should be fed to between 40 and 45kgs before breeding.
This is usually when they are between a year to a year and half years old, depending on the feed available to them. Breeding does when they are lighter than 40kgs may stunt their growth.
Underweight and younger does may also not be physically ready to handle kids in their womb, leading to dystocia, that is, kids getting stuck on the way out.
By Sheuneni Kurasha
-The Sunday Mail
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This article first appeared on Agribusiness Magazine, and was written by the above author for the Sunday Mail.
