Sallygarden Smallholding - The Forum For Sustainable Living

3 weeks ago our goats came into season and we brought them up to a friends Boer billy. I'm hoping they are pregnant. Looking good as they haven't come into season again. With any luck we should have 4 kids in May. Has anyone else had their goats covered?

I have 2 goats.. Bramble is anglo nubian. Milly is half nubian half saanen. Theyre both coming up for a year old.. Milly bottle fed/ bramble raised by mum for three months before we got her. They both came in heat from last september so I had to confine them. There are wild herds around here and you could easily lose them up the mountain. Anyway my local farmer neighbour called recently to give my sick goat ( Bramble) a shot of penicillin and he wondered why I wouldnt put them in kid now seeing as they seem to keep coming back in heat. He said theyre fine and strong so why not? I said I'll wait till september this year because I want them to make a good size.. not have them stunted by early pregnancy. He didnt see my point at all , and I found that interesting. His family wouldve kept goats for countless generations. He still has a few , fair play to him. He has the little black nubian puck I want to use this autumn.

Anyway, my poor sick goat... I'm so glad she pulled through. It was a harrowing week. The vet gave me a white antibiotic powder to mix through her food. I knew she wouldnt take it... too poorly.. I just felt the vet didnt take it seriously... I went to my neighbour in the end and he gave the shot. She floundered 4 more days after that , and then just turned a corner. Me and silky (middle daughter) went out to the herd today and bramble was actually dancing!
I feel the goat could as easily have died. I never saw a goat so sick in all my goaty years. The only food I could get her to take was brambles. I hand cut brambles for days..( imagine..) I also gave her bryonia200. powdered coltsfoot , white horehound fresh. And reiki too in the end... it was as intense as a sick child in the house.. reminded me of when my kids had whoopng cough.
I really recommend handing sick animals over to the cosmos to heal and trusting in that ... I felt inspired to do all the things I did..Y'know , once I'd stopped freaking out and handed it over.

Hi Marj

Yes that seems to be one of the hot issues amongst goatkeepers ... those that would shoot you for the thought of breeding a goat in its first year and those who don't give a second thought about it. I've read a lot about both views, but I'm undecided.

Like you I haven't bred our goat that will be a year in March, I'll wait till this Sept till she's fully grown. I suppose the only way is to try both ways, with female twins, breed one and not the other, then see if theres any real difference between them.

Two months to go till our two other goats are due, fingers crossed they are in kid.

Thanks for the healing tips. I have done Reiki training myself and use it a lot on my family, sometimes on our animals, and even tried it on our car once! We also use homeopathic remedies ... most recently last week Arnica for our dog who had surgery.

Great to have you on the forum Marj, your knowledge is inspiring. x