Managing Meat Goats to Increase the Number of Kids Born Per Doe
Research, done in Australia, has shown that running multiple bucks with a herd of does encourages the bucks to rut harder and increases the number of multiple births. Since we have registered Boer goats we can only run one fertile buck with the herd, so we use a vasectomized buck for the second buck. The first vasectomized buck we used was a full blood Boer and he worked fine when he was young but when he got older and we started using a younger herd sire he wouldn't let the younger buck breed the does. So we recommend using a vasectomized Pygmy buck as the second buck. Since Pygmy goats are not seasonal breeders. Vasectomized Pygmy bucks, that rut during the non-breeding season, can often be used to get other breeds of goats to breed out of season.Research has shown that feeding does high nutrient diets for at least three weeks prior to placing a buck with them increases litter size (sometimes, but not always.) In studies done in Australia and at Cornell University, feeding to increase litter size worked. In studies done at Langston University it did not work. There is a real need for further research on this.
The process of feeding livestock to increase litter size is called flushing. The term flushing is also used in the embryo transplant industry for the process of removing embryos from a donor animal.
We wean our kids on July first. In late August, if pastures are poor, we start feeding small amounts of grain our does. When the acorns start falling we stop feeding grain because the goats get plenty of nutrients from the acorns and pasture. We put the buck with the does on October 7th or 8th. We are able to average two kids per doe using this system. Two kids per doe are ideal for our management practices.
The summer of 2011 was very hot and dry. I had some health problems, and we were unable to feed the does in August. That year there were no white oak acorns but we had a lot of red oak acorns which start falling later than the white oak acorns (about three weeks before we put the buck with the does.) The does were very thin, but they were gaining weight fast when we put the buck with them. We were expecting to get mostly singles. Out of eighteen does, we got one set of twins. The rest of the does had triplets and quadruplets. We averaged over three kids per doe. When the acorns started falling these goats were thinner than we would ever want our goats to be. The extremely hot, dry weather killed most of the internal parasite eggs and larva in the pastures. Under normal weather conditions for northern Arkansas, goats this thin would have been lost to internal parasites. Goats that are not properly fed are more susceptible to internal parasites. These goats were in good condition by time they started kidding.
The process of feeding livestock to increase litter size is called flushing. The term flushing is also used in the embryo transplant industry for the process of removing embryos from a donor animal.
We wean our kids on July first. In late August, if pastures are poor, we start feeding small amounts of grain our does. When the acorns start falling we stop feeding grain because the goats get plenty of nutrients from the acorns and pasture. We put the buck with the does on October 7th or 8th. We are able to average two kids per doe using this system. Two kids per doe are ideal for our management practices.
The summer of 2011 was very hot and dry. I had some health problems, and we were unable to feed the does in August. That year there were no white oak acorns but we had a lot of red oak acorns which start falling later than the white oak acorns (about three weeks before we put the buck with the does.) The does were very thin, but they were gaining weight fast when we put the buck with them. We were expecting to get mostly singles. Out of eighteen does, we got one set of twins. The rest of the does had triplets and quadruplets. We averaged over three kids per doe. When the acorns started falling these goats were thinner than we would ever want our goats to be. The extremely hot, dry weather killed most of the internal parasite eggs and larva in the pastures. Under normal weather conditions for northern Arkansas, goats this thin would have been lost to internal parasites. Goats that are not properly fed are more susceptible to internal parasites. These goats were in good condition by time they started kidding.
From 2002 through 2008 our grandchildren showed four does each year at county fair in late August, at district fair in mid-September, and at state fair in early October. These does were fed heavily from July 1st until they got home from state fair when they were put with the buck. They always had single kids. After we quit showing them and fed them like the rest of the herd they averaged twins. Feeding too much can lower litter size.
In our herd young does kidding for the first will have more singles than older does. We feed our doe kids, that are growing, a higher level of nutrition than our dry, older does. This might be why they have more singles. We need more research on this.
Genetics also influences litter size. Some does will always have singles. In our herd they are culled. We had two does that always had triplets and quadruplets. They were mother and daughter, but most of their daughters had normal litter sizes.
This information is not intended to recommend feeding practices for controlling litter size in meat goats. It is intended to show the need for more research on the effects of feeding on litter size in goats.
In our herd young does kidding for the first will have more singles than older does. We feed our doe kids, that are growing, a higher level of nutrition than our dry, older does. This might be why they have more singles. We need more research on this.
Genetics also influences litter size. Some does will always have singles. In our herd they are culled. We had two does that always had triplets and quadruplets. They were mother and daughter, but most of their daughters had normal litter sizes.
This information is not intended to recommend feeding practices for controlling litter size in meat goats. It is intended to show the need for more research on the effects of feeding on litter size in goats.
