Many of you follow along our goat journeys - between making caramels, cheese, breeding, and birthing experiences. You're family!
It's been two years since we had goat babies born at the farm. Evelyn's mother, Cherry, had such a traumatic birth (we just about lost her) that it was a significant pause for Michael and me to take time to recuperate. Last fall, I felt we needed goat babies again. Fortunately, t didn't take much to convince Michael.
Breeding season for goats starts when the daylight hours are less - this happens around August. We like to breed for February/March babies because it's not as cold during birthing. Since their gestation is between 145-150 days, it would mean we'd need to bring a buck to the farm around October.
Say Hello To Max
We got a late start with our breeding plan. Life.
Max, from Crow's Dairy, came to the farm on November 22nd. Immediately, he seemed interested in Chloe. She's a girl who appears NOT to display any symptoms of her heat cycle. We felt hopeful watching their interaction.
Our breed of goats, Nubians, cycle every 21 days or so, and there is just a small window that they have for a "breeding" to "take." While Max was here, it "seemed" that he "covered" all four girls, so we made an appointment for our friend Arlana to do an ultrasound on all four.
Unfortunately, not ONE of our girls showed signs of being pregnant. We were surprised and bummed, so we headed out to Buckeye to retrieve Max for round two.
On "round two," I've been marking clear heat cycles as well as observing Max and his "interest" in those in heat. Everything is calendared, so as of this writing, we'll have to wait and see what the end of May beginning of June brings.
