Rules and top 3 methods for mating goats, at what age is acceptable
It is imperative for farmers to keep animal breeding under control. It will be possible to get milk from the female only if she brought the kids. With proper mating of goats, it is possible to get 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 the goat ready for mating
Puberty in goats occurs at 6-9 months - the specific dates depend 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 cubs. In addition, such an early pregnancy is fraught with various pathologies. The most dangerous disorders are bleeding and mastitis. The goat may also develop a cyst.
Early mating provokes negative consequences during lambing. Females who gave birth to young prematurely are less productive and aging 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 mated at 1 year. Earlier mating provokes deterioration in health and developmental disorders. The offspring from a young goat will turn out to be sick and weak.
How to recognize a hunt
The period when the goat is ready for fertilization is called hunting or spree. It can be identified by changes in behavior. In this case, the following signs are observed:
- loss of appetite by the female;
- fastidiousness in the choice of food;
- restless behavior;
- loud bleating;
- swelling and redness of the genital loop under the tail, the appearance of mucous secretions.
To determine the goat's readiness for mating, it is recommended to run your hand along the ridge, pressing slightly on it, and stop at the sacrum. If there is a readiness of an individual for mating, she will raise her tail and wave it in different directions. In the absence of readiness for mating, the female will press the tail down. Hunting in a young female is less pronounced than in a giving birth. Farmers often use the most reliable method for determining heat, the male test. To do this, in the fall or spring, they walk the goat, launching it into an open-air cage to an adult goat.
When the female is ready for mating, 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 a state of sexual maturity at 6 months. However, they are allowed to mate no earlier than 1 year. If mating too early, there is a risk of deterioration in the development and health of the goats. Cubs in this case will be weak. For covering, it is permissible to use males under 6 years old. Sometimes eight-year-old animals are also used. It is recommended to prepare producers for mating 1.5 months in advance. To do this, it is important to introduce quality feed into the diet. The animal must eat vigorously. A sufficient amount of proteins, vitamins and minerals should be present in his menu.
At the stage of preparation for mating, it is recommended to evaluate the sexual activity and the qualitative composition of the sperm. Young producers are often not active enough. Therefore, they need to be separated into a separate group. Also, animals should be taught to cage using an artificial vagina.
How to prepare a goat
Mating features are determined by the conditions of keeping, the number and age of females. On large farms, goats need to be grouped by age and 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 keep the process under control. In 1-2 months, the goat needs to be prepared for mating. It is recommended to do the following:
- beat off the kids;
- stop milking;
- make adjustments to the diet - it is important to reduce calories to prevent obesity.
The period of mating depends on physiological factors, climatic conditions and characteristics of the content. The maximum productivity is observed in the fall. In hot weather, goats hardly come to hunt, and goats have increased fatigue. In rainy weather, there is also a decrease in sexual behavior. The influence of climatic conditions is diminished by raising goats in a good roofed building or in shady places in the forest.
With a massive onset of 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 sexual heat in a goat was detected in the morning, it can happen 2 hours after removal from the herd. If readiness for mating has arisen in the evening, it is carried out the next day in the morning. If the goat is inseminated twice during the heat period at an interval of 8 hours, it will help to increase its productivity. After lambing, the goat is allowed to occur after 1 month. However, many farmers wait several months.
Covering goats
There are several methods for covering goats. Each of them has certain characteristics.
Free method
This method involves hooking the goat to the females for the entire season. In this case, natural mating is observed. The male independently finds the female in a state of hunting to cover her. When using the free method, no unfertilized goats remain. The goat selects females one by one until it covers all of them.
Free mating has many benefits. The only drawback is the risk of severe exhaustion of the goat. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically transfer it to another room for rest. It usually takes a manufacturer 8-10 hours to recover.
Harem
With this method, the producer goat must be placed in a herd of 20-30 females that are in the hunt. Thanks to this, he will gradually cover them. However, this method is not particularly popular with farmers. This is due to the fact that the goat is rapidly losing 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 will help the animal.For the first time, it is advisable to seek help from a veterinarian.
To carry out manual pairing, it is recommended to do the following:
- Wash the animal, paying attention to the genitals. They can be additionally disinfected. This helps to avoid the threat of fetal infection.
- Transfer the animals to a separate room. In this case, the female is recommended to be fixed in the pen. From behind, the male should be brought to her and make sure that he covers the goat. It is important that the goat does some good thrusts. Finally, the female should hunch over. If this does not happen, after half an hour you need to carry out a second coating.
- After mating, breed the animals in different rooms. In this case, the goat must be closely monitored to determine the onset of pregnancy.
Mating animals has a number of features. For the procedure to be successful, it is necessary to correctly choose the method of its implementation. Preparation of pets for mating is also important.
