You read that right. We’re getting a pregnant goat! (i.e. pregnant doe)
Breeding Penny and Lucy
Our original plan was to breed Penny and Lucy this fall/winter. As usual, Ben and I procrastinated a bit. I finally found a vet last week (side note: it’s really hard to find a goat vet) and I let him know that we were planning to breed Penny and Lucy ASAP. He strongly urged us to consider waiting one more year before breeding, which led us to the decision to find a pregnant doe. I reached out to the breeder, and she shared the same belief.
Getting a pregnant goat: the big breeding debate
Who knew that breeding goats was so controversial? Not me – newbie goat mama over here. It appears that different breeders (and vets) have varying standards regarding breeding. While some people believe that the doe can be bred as long as she is at least 8 months old and weighs 40pounds, other people prefer to wait an additional year before breeding. Nigerian Dwarf goats are super small, so it’s important to wait until the doe reaches maturity to decrease the risk of complications. Both our vet and breeder recommended waiting a year, so we decided to take the conservative approach. Looks like we’re getting a pregnant goat!
We’re getting a pregnant goat – introducing Fran
We originally got goats for milking purposes, so we didn’t want to wait the additional year. Okay, in actuality, I didn’t want to wait another year, so it took a bit of convincing to get Ben on board with getting a pregnant goat.
From a financial standpoint, getting a pregnant goat basically cost the same amount of money as breeding Penny and Lucy, so we decided to go for it. I started searching for a pregnant doe for sale and quickly found a Chicagoland breeder. Well friends, meet Frankie (aka Fran.) We’ll be picking her up next month and I can’t wait to share some pictures!
Prepping for baby goats
There are a lot of projects that need to be completed within the next few months for our pregnant doe. Ben is currently converting the shed portion of the goat house/chicken coop into a birthing stall and milking area with heat. I’ll be sharing a full post once everything is complete, so stayed tuned.
Cover photo cred: Lindsey Kay Photography
I would love to hear about your experiences with getting a pregnant goat in the comments below!