RE:
GOAT NEWS
DATE:
23RD JANUARY 03
MATING
MANAGEMENT
Although for most commercial breeders mating are a time off yet, it is time to start doing a few things so as to help get a good result. The autumn months of March and April are the months when you should obtain your best results, as these are the peak fertile times in a Goats life, so now is the time to organize oneself.
By
now you should have culled all the Does so that you have left only this
years breeders. If you are breeding Angoras then all your maiden Does may
not as yet be finally selected, which is best done at their third shearing.
For most this will be in February or March.
Six
weeks before putting the bucks in the best results are achieved by starting
to flush your Does with some extra feed in the form of new paddocks, stubbles
or a supplement which can take the form of lupins, barley, wheat, oats
or pellets etc. If you have a source of roughage you can boost the protein
levels up with a urea based lick block. As long as you manage urea it is
not harmful to Goats. Every few days turn the block over so a hole does
not form to trap any water, which is the cause of most problems. If it
rains pick up the blocks before they become soft.
Research
has shown that the heavier a Doe is at mating the better the percentage
of kids conceived. A Doe under 25kg live weight at first mating will have
aprox half the kids in her life time as a Doe which is over 35kg.
Does
must be on an uphill plain of nutrition approaching mating and you may
achieve this with a supplement of 200/250 grams of cereal grain per head
per day. Limestone must be added to grain if it being fed for some time.
A block or loose mix with limestone added is an easy way to solve this
problem.
There
have been a few cases of ill -thrift reported over the last few weeks,
which may be caused by a lack of good feed, minerals, vitamins, internal
parasites etc so if you have a problem you may need to take steps to rectify
this. A mineral drench as well as the usual summer drench may be the answer.
Some growers go the next step and have a worm egg count and or a blood
test done before they spend any money on products.
Bucks
should also be prepared for mating as their semen is formed 2/3 months
prior to mating. They should be fed and watered in a small paddock with
plenty of shade and preferably for six weeks before being introduced to
the Does kept at least 200 metres away from them. The “Buck effect” or
fast introduction of ones Bucks to Does can have a marked response in a
kid drop.
The
use of young immature Bucks over large commercial flocks is a recipe for
disaster so don’t be tempted to buy them because they may be cheaper. Try
and obtain mature males of at least twelve months of age.
There
were several poor kidding percentages reported last season which could
be blamed on several things but in the end it all most probably comes down
to pre mating management of ones Does or Bucks. An effort now will pay
off with a good kidding percentage and that means dollars in the bank.