Farmers should definitely keep animal breeding under control. It will be possible to get milk from the female only if she has given birth to kids. With proper mating of goats, it is possible to obtain strong offspring and maintain the health of the animal. Today, there are a number of ways to conduct mating, each of which has certain advantages and disadvantages.
At what age is a goat ready to mate?
Puberty in goats occurs at 6-9 months - the specific timing depends on the breed. But mating for the first time at such an early age is not recommended.The fact is that the goat’s body is not fully formed. Therefore, she will not be able to give birth to healthy babies. In addition, such an early pregnancy is fraught with various pathologies. The most dangerous disorders include bleeding and mastitis. A goat may also develop a cyst.
Early mating provokes negative consequences during lambing. Females who give birth to young prematurely are less productive and age more rapidly. Experienced experts say that the optimal period for mating goats is 1.5 years. A similar situation is observed in males. Although puberty begins at 6 months, goats can only be allowed to mate at 1 year. Earlier mating provokes deterioration in health and developmental disorders. The offspring of a young goat will be sick and weakened.
How to recognize a hunt
The period when a goat is ready for fertilization is called hunting or spree. It can be determined by changes in behavior. In this case, the following signs are observed:
- loss of appetite by the female;
- pickiness in choosing food;
- restless behavior;
- loud bleating;
- swelling and redness of the genital loop under the tail, the appearance of mucous discharge.
To determine whether a goat is ready to mate, it is recommended to run your hand along the ridge, pressing slightly on it, and stop at the sacrum. If an individual is observed to be ready for mating, she will raise her tail and wave it in different directions. If she is not ready to mate, the female will press her tail down. Hunting in a young female is less pronounced than in a female who has given birth.Farmers often use the most reliable method of determining heat - the male test. To do this, in the fall or spring, the goat is bred, releasing it into an enclosure with an adult goat.
When the female is ready to mate, he will try to make a cage. If necessary, the owner can remove the goat to avoid fertilization. If the female is not ready, the breeder will simply ignore her.
Preparing goats for mating
Males enter sexual maturity at 6 months. However, they are allowed to mate no earlier than 1 year. If mating is too early, there is a risk of deterioration in the development and health of the goats. The cubs in this case will be weak. For covering it is permissible to use males up to 6 years old. Sometimes eight-year-old animals are also used. It is recommended to prepare breeders for mating 1.5 months in advance. To do this, it is important to introduce high-quality feed into the diet. The animal must eat intensively. Its menu should contain a sufficient amount of proteins, vitamins and microelements.
At the stage of preparation for mating, it is recommended to evaluate sexual activity and the qualitative composition of sperm. Young producers are often not active enough. Therefore, they need to be separated into a separate group. Animals should also be trained to be caged using an artificial vagina.
How to prepare a goat
The characteristics of mating are determined by the conditions of detention, the number and age of females. On large farms goats should be grouped by age and features of use. In small farms, manual mating is used. In this case, the kids are allowed to approach the female directly during the hunting period and the process is kept under control. The goat needs to be prepared for mating within 1-2 months. It is recommended to do the following:
- beat off the kids;
- stop milking;
- make adjustments to your diet - it is important to reduce calories to prevent obesity.
The mating period depends on physiological factors, climatic conditions and maintenance characteristics. Maximum productivity is observed in autumn. In hot weather, goats have difficulty coming into heat, and goats experience increased fatigue. In rainy weather, there is also a decrease in sexual behavior. The influence of climatic conditions is reduced by raising goats in a good house with a roof or in shady places in the forest.
In case of mass hunting, animals should be separated 2 times a day. It is recommended to do this at 7-8 and 15-16 hours. If the state of heat in a goat was detected in the morning, it can happen 2 hours after being removed from the herd. If readiness for mating occurs in the evening, it is carried out the next day in the morning. If you do goat insemination during the hunting period twice with an interval of 8 hours, this will help increase its productivity. After lambing, the goat is allowed to breed within 1 month. However, many farmers wait several months.
Goat Covering
There are several methods for covering goats. Each of them has certain characteristics.
Free method
This method involves placing a goat with females for the entire season. In this case, natural mating is observed. The male independently finds a female in a state of hunting in order to cover her. When using the freestyle method, there are no unfertilized goats left. The goat chooses females one by one until he has covered everyone.
Free mating has many advantages. The only disadvantage is the risk of severe exhaustion of the goat. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically transfer him to another room for rest.The manufacturer usually needs 8-10 hours to recuperate.
Harem
With this method, the stud buck must be placed in a herd of 20-30 females that are in heat. Thanks to this, it will gradually cover them. However, this method is not particularly popular among farmers. This is due to the fact that the goat quickly loses its sexual potential.
Manual
It is best when animals mate under the control of the farmer. The owner will be able to notice if something goes wrong and help the animal. For the first time, it is advisable to seek help from a veterinarian.
To perform manual pairing, it is recommended to do the following:
- Wash the animal, paying attention to the genitals. They can additionally be disinfected. This helps to avoid the risk of infection of the fetus.
- Move animals to a separate room. In this case, it is recommended to fix the female in the pen. The male should be brought up to her from behind and ensure that he covers the goat. It is important that the goat gives a few good kicks. Finally, the female should hunch over. If this does not happen, a second coating should be carried out after half an hour.
- After mating, separate the animals into different rooms. At the same time, the goat must be closely monitored to determine the onset of pregnancy.
Animal mating has a number of features. For the procedure to be successful, it is necessary to choose the method of its implementation wisely. Preparing pets for mating is of no small importance.
