Goat Porn and the Breeding Season

Why do I feel the need to continually shop for goats on the Internet? We are driving on the road to Mississippi to see family and in between playing with the baby and taking turns driving, I'm googling Nubians. Today I found that my husband's family lives fairly close to 2-G Farm and Pruitteville, might be calling them in the not-too-distant future.

My head has been spinning with breeding season. The hardest part for me this year has been waiting on the bucks to grow, they were born mid-March and early April, so they are just starting to take an interest in what they were brought to the ranch to do. I excited, but I hate that I won't have any January babies. I might get lucky in February, but the jury is still out.

Timmy at 4 months

In an ideal situation I keep one goat in milk through November and December, that doe kids in early March. The others get dried up in November so they have 2 months off before kidding in late January or February. In Southern Arizona the weather never really gets too cold to be dealing with kids, if it's still a little brisk I put out a heat lamp like I use for the baby chicks. That with straw and they are peachy. I had my babies in late March and early April this year and it felt too late, my last goat kidded in June, that was rather odd and has really thrown off the cycle. I think this fall and winter I will keep Anabell in milk and breed her for March babies since she kidded so late. Then the others I will shoot for early February kids. The boys started "practicing" on each other so I feel they have earned the right to give things a go with the ladies.

Anabell on the stand, reminding me to add more grain