I've read through the very informative posts on inbreeding, but I think that you would have to be very informed of what you are breeding for... I am a new goat owner, and not able to judge good/bad types yet. My dilema is this. I purchased a nubian doe and 2 kids, one a doeling. There seems to be one nubian buck in this area that I have found, the father of the mother and the doe kid. I wouldn't hesitate to rebreed Rosie to him, but what about the kid? Should I look further a field or think about AI. For some reason Nubians are not a popular breed. Most goats around here are Sanaans with a few French Alpines, and a very few Togs, and even fewer Nubians. What would a cross with a Sanaan do? Anyway I have some time to decide on this as Kaitlin was born the first of July, BTW how old should she be? Next fall? A local goat person told me February but that seems so early! Thanks for any advice.

-- Terri (terri@tallships.ca), September 26, 2000

Answers

When to breed is somewaht debatable. Some like to wait until the doe is over a year old. Some breed them at about 7-8 months if they are heavy enough(80-90 lbs or more). I breed mine early- the rate of genetic improvement is doubled over the other way, and IF you feed them well, they will keep growing. They have to be fed at least as much good hay and high protein grain as an adult doe, even though they are smaller, they need more because they are still growing. If they don't get enough, they'll be stunted and maybe stay that way. On the other hand, waiting has disadvantages, too. Unbred yearlings can get quite fat, and store fat in their mammary tissue, which reduces their udder quality and future production. Also, they don't have anything else to do but think up ways to annoy you, and then when they do have kids, it takes them longer too settle into the milking routine than the yearlings(sometimes).Are you saying that the doeling is a double daughter of that buck? I wouldn't risk breeding her back to him unless all you want is meat kids. You could try calling around to the other goat breeders in the area and see if any of them do AI, and if you could order some semen when they do, and if they would give you a hand. Be sure to offer to pay them for helping you, and to pay part of the shipping and handling on the semen. If none of them do AI, try asking all the vets. The trouble with crossing a Nubian with other breeds is that you get airplane ears, and they are unpopular. Very few people seem to want a nubian cross, unless she is crossed to a Boer. If there are la Manchas,you could try that, the ears should be short, and grades are more acceptable to la mancha folks than to nubian breeders.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), September 26, 2000.

Hi Terri,

Breeding depends upon what you are wanting to breed for. Show quality, milk production or just a good hearty family milker. i study pedigrees until my eyes cross. You might want to join the nubiantalk list at e-groups or Vickie can help you with any questions about nubians.. she breeds them. also Liz does too. There may be others on the forum but i can't remember off the top of my head who has them. As for breeding kids, some folks breed at 70-80 pounds, I personally never had luck doing that, seemed to stunt them. i wait until they are about 15 months or so, that way i get good size on them. I would try to steer away from the linebreeding unless you know the lines and the positives and negatives or faults. Hope this helps. good Luck!@

bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), September 26, 2000.

Terri, Where do you live? Nubians seem to be very popular in some states like Texas and California. I live in Northern Virginia and know several Nubian breeders who live near by. Unfortunately, I do not currently have a breeding buck, but I do know of some excellent ones near by (my does will be meeting them soon!). Much success to you...

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), September 26, 2000.

Hi Terri, and I also would like to know where you live, I have found lots of goats for folks just by finding them a local dairy goat person in the ADGA registry. The problem in once again breeding your older doe to this buck is that you already have a doe kid out of this breeding, if she comes into a horrible udder with very little milk, you going to cull her? And her new full sister before you see the udder? How about purchasing a young buck unrelated kid, you will not only be able to use him on your doe kid, your adult doe, but any kids she has this year also. Use him the first year and then eat him or sell him and buy another one, this way you don't have the big stinking 2+ buck on the place. AI is difficult even in accomplished hands, you will still need a buck for your virgin does and for older harder to breed does. Not even a clinic thats speciality is envetrofertilization, embryo transplant and AI could get my oldest doe bred AI :) 75$ worth of semen splashed on a cervix they couldn't penetrate correctly. I also am not a fan of breeding kids their first year, prefer for them to kid around their 2nd birthday, so breeding them around 15 to 16 months. Crossbreeding to another breed will definetly give you some awesome hybrid vigor, but makes the bucks only good for meat and you had better love the does (buyers for them airplane ears will be hard), LaMancha would be a good choice if they are sound robust not fine boned animals. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000.

Thanks for the advice. My intentions are to keep 2 does as milk supply for the family, and sell does/butcher bucks. I have small facilities and would really prefer not to keep a buck. And hubbie is really against a buck on the property. Rosie is giving us about 2 quarts of milk a day right now. I don't know if this is good or not but about what I expected. I am in Nova Scotia, Canada on the South Shore.

-- Terri (terri@tallships.ca), September 27, 2000.