Can one use staggered breedings to keep a goat dairy operational year-round?
Image by Kaiscapes Media
Surfing Goat Dairy, Malama Maui tour, Maui Visitors Bureau. Photography by Peter Liu (@PeterLiu47)
Question by : Can one use staggered breedings to keep a goat dairy operational year-round?
I live in a temperate zone, and I was told you could not do this due to something about light. What’s the scoop?
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
2 Responses to Can one use staggered breedings to keep a goat dairy operational year-round?
Leave a Reply
you have to use fake lighting to encourage them to go into season for breeding – but yes it can be done.
CF_
July 12, 2012 at 4:27 am
Dairy goats usually only breed in the Autumn. You will find though that some dairy does can and will get pregnant any time of the year.
I often purchase quality dairy does to run with my Boer meat herd. I’ve owned Nubians, Toggenburgs, Alpines, Oberhasli, Myotonic (not a normal dairy breed), Saanen, and LaManchas.
I run my bucks with my does 24/7. I’ve had my dairy does get pregnant at all times of the year (all the breeds).
Dairy bucks often have decreased sperm when it’s not their breeding season. So diary bucks may not get the job done. The meat bucks get the does pregnant.
~Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
Raising meat goats since 1999 (currently 80 goats in my herd).
Bohemian_Garnet_Permaculturalist
July 12, 2012 at 5:13 am