Twinkie
The two does I retained. Mini Bell and Amelia(earhart)
The first goat to kid for the year was Twinkie in January. She had been bred to Major Coco. She had triplets. Two does and a buck. I retained the does and gave away the buckling.
Her sister Bluebell was next and kidded in April.
She was bred to Major Coco. She also had triplets. She had two bucks and a doe. I gave away the bucks and retained the doe.
Calfy the doe I retained out of Bluebell.
Bounty kidded in June for the first time with twin bucks.
She was bred to Joseph. She was very fine boned and on the smallish size. Her udder was nice and symmetrical but her teats were on the smallish size. I could tell she would not be much better her second year as a milker. So I had to cull her from my breeding program.
I sold her and her bucklings as a package deal.
Milky Whey also kidded in June.
It was her first frehshening. She was bred to Joseph. She delivered triplets. Two bucks and a very tiny doe. I left the two bucklings on her to nurse and lengthen her teats. I pulled the doe and had to tube feed her for several days. She is now nursing but needs extra care and more frequent feedings.
I will be retaining a buck and selling the other buckling and the little doe.
Abundance kidded June.
It was her first freshening. She was bred to Joseph. She delievered thriplets. Two simularly sized bucklings
and a huge doe.
I pulled the doe to bottle feed and left the two bucklings on her to raise. I will be selling her and her two bucklings. As I really like Plenty and Milky Wheys udders and teats so much more. She has a very nice udder and I have been milking off the extra milk right now. So she will make a nice milker for someone. I just like the other two better and will be building my herd off of them. I am retaining the huge doeling as I already know what her mothers udder looks like which is good. But this doeling is the only retainable doe to see what Joseph can add to the gene pool. So I will raise her up and breed her and see what Joseph helped to do over Abundances udder.
The last doe to kid for the year was Plenty.
It is her first freshening. She was bred to Joseph. She kidded 6-29-13. She deliverd a buck and a doe. The doe passed away less than 24 hours later. She has a fabulous udder and teats. A wonderful dairy temperment. She let me just milk her with no training at all. Good girl.
So the final tally of buck to doe ratio for 2013 is.......
Females born in 2013 - 6
males born in 2013 -8
So as of right now....the plans for my herd..... I decided I am retiring Bluebell and Twinkie once they dry off this year. I will not need that amount of milk again. My dad wants to keep them as pasture ornaments and if I ever want any more mid sized does out of them, I still have them. I could always breed them back to a Nigerian buck again. They are both fabulous.
So, what I have decided is all I would like to have goat wise on the farm is. About four or five good bucks to choose from. My two retired full sized goats. 3 good mid-sized milkers and 3 good Nigerians Dwarf milkers. Thats my goal. Now the fun is breeding to get there!
I pray all is going well with you this farming season! Blessings and happy farming!
susan
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