Thursday, I noticed that Billy Shakespeare and Honey Bunny were actually being very affectionate to each other. Honey Bunny was not a bottle baby and has never shown affection to any being. Gypsy, Dottie Belle and Shakespeare were bottle babies, so they are always rubbing on each other and on me. Actually more affectionate than a lot of dogs.
I just filed Shakespeare and Honey Bunny's behavior away to be processed while I slept. I got up Friday morning convinced that Shakespeare could not longer hang out with the girls. While I was at the goat yard Shakespeare actually showed what all this affection was--foreplay, but with Gypsy and she was not interested in him. Gypsy is the smallest doe and I don't think it would be good to breed her now anyway. Honey Bunny is my registered doe and I want to take her to a show before she is bred.
So I have decided to move Dottie Belle into the "dog yard" with little Stud Muffin Shakespeare. Don asked me why I want to breed a non-registered goat, whose kids would not sell for as much money. My thinking (and it may sound bad) is that I want to practice my first kidding with the "cheap" goat. Poor Dottie Belle, I really love her; she and Gypsy were my first kids. But I know that I could make some bad mistakes, like I did with feeding them grain and Dottie Belle got "goat polio."
Also, my point of having 3 does is to breed one at a time and always have milk.
Shakespeare was born on September 26, so he is 10 weeks old. I read somewhere that bucklings have been known to impregnate a doe as young as 7 weeks, so hopefully none of mine are "with kid" yet. But since Shakespeare is getting too big for the Schnauzers to be his companions; Dottie Belle is now living in the dog yard with him.
Do any of you have experience with young bucks and know when it is best to get them away from does you don't want to bred?
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| Honey Bunny says I like the little guy. |
I just filed Shakespeare and Honey Bunny's behavior away to be processed while I slept. I got up Friday morning convinced that Shakespeare could not longer hang out with the girls. While I was at the goat yard Shakespeare actually showed what all this affection was--foreplay, but with Gypsy and she was not interested in him. Gypsy is the smallest doe and I don't think it would be good to breed her now anyway. Honey Bunny is my registered doe and I want to take her to a show before she is bred.
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| Dottie Belle wants to go back to the other girls. |
Also, my point of having 3 does is to breed one at a time and always have milk.
Shakespeare was born on September 26, so he is 10 weeks old. I read somewhere that bucklings have been known to impregnate a doe as young as 7 weeks, so hopefully none of mine are "with kid" yet. But since Shakespeare is getting too big for the Schnauzers to be his companions; Dottie Belle is now living in the dog yard with him.
