Farming, even hobby farming requires a lot of decisions. One of the decisions you have to make about a farm is what kind of animals to have, how many, and what gender. I have a little experience in farming at a friend's goat farm and quickly decided that I didn't want any buck (or billy) goats. They stink, are piggish at eating, and will buck you or the other goats.
But...how do you have baby goats and goat milk without the boys around?
Some folks will take their goat for a "date" at the time of heat usually certain rotating days in the fall for what is called driveway breeding. Others will use AI or artificial insemination, especially if they want a certain line or pedigree in their goat offspring. Others will just borrow a goat from a friend for a few days. Well...let me tell you a story of how all this turned out for me this year.
My original plan was the "date" method. I had contacted a farm about an hour or so away to use one of their pedigreed bucks for breeding this fall. I had the test done that they required (CAE or caprine arthritic encephalitis) and set up a day for November but the farmer wasn't available for that day. Then when I called for the specific day I needed in December the farmer told me she had sold both her mature bucks because she received an offer that she couldn't turn down. What?? It was already December and time was running out!
So I thought of the people I knew with buck goats...someone I could borrow a goat from for just a few days. Mr. D. at church has been goating for 50 years and maybe could borrow a goat from him. "Sure," he said, "I will bring him over for you in a few days". And so we had a buck goat on the farm for about two weeks. I almost thought that Mr. D. didn't want his goat back. (This buck had bucked him!) But I didn't want a buck goat on my farm so my husband and I took him back home on a fine Friday morning. We got him home about 9:30 am and then left hoping that all was going to work out according to plan. It wasn't until Sunday morning when Mr. D. got to church that I heard the terrible news. "That goat was dead by noontime."
"What! I hope it wasn't something that happened at my house. He looked fine when we left him with you."
About two weeks later I was mucking out in front of the goat house and found half a snake. "Maybe that was what killed Mr. D.'s goat, but I didn't see any bite marks on the goat as we loaded him. I wonder which goat killed the snake?"
A few days later I found out through the grapevine that the only other goat Mr. D. had also died shortly after. How terrible! Both of his last goats gone after 50 years of goating.
Here are a few lessons I have learned about goat breeding from all of this:
Plan ahead. Start the program rolling before the last minute in case you have to change plans
Make arrangements for accidents. What if this had been a goat that the owner really valued? Maybe this plan should be put in writing.
Keep your friends even if things don't go as planned with your goats. I am going to give Mr. D. a buckling if we have any and see if he wants help finding other goats.
In memory of a goat without a name, but hopefully with some offspring.
My first go-to resource when I have a question about my goats health or care. It may be of help to you also.
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