Posted in Homestead Barnyard
Fall time is here and as a goat owner this means breeding season has begun. This is the time of year that dairy goats go into heat, especially if you live in cooler northern climates. Some breeds of goats such as meat goats will come in heat year round and if you live in hotter climates does may go into heat year round.
Typically sometime in September a doe will begin cycling. She will come into heat every 18 to 21 days. Her heat cycle will last as little as a few hours to 3 days with the longer time being more common.
When she does come into heat she will show various signs that let you know. The most common signs that I see are tail wagging and making a lot of noise. They yell (bleating may be the correct word but it sure sounds like yelling to me! 
) a lot more and pace back and forth along the fence line. If my doe is already in milk, then during her heat cycle her milk supply drops and she is not as interested in her grain.
Sometimes heat can be hard to see or sometimes a doe needs a little incentive to get her “in the mood”. Having bucks on your property usually is enough because the does can smell them. Before I owned bucks I would go to the buck’s owner and ask for a buck rag. This is just an old piece of cloth that the owner would rub all over her stinky buck. Then every day I would let my does smell this. They love the smell of a buck rag and it will usually bring them into heat within 3 weeks. Now I have bucks and their smell permeates the goat area and makes it very easy for me to tell who is in heat.
After breeding make sure to mark the date of the breeding down on a calendar. You now watch your doe and see if she comes back into heat in 18 to 21 days. If she does not then you can expect kids in the spring. If she does, then repeat the breeding. Normal gestation for a pregnant doe is 5 months.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 6 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in
