People often question why we breed our goats so that they kid in the middle of the winter when it is usually very cold. We do it mostly because we find it is better for the goats.
We raise Alpine goats, which are seasonal breeders. That means the female goats come into heat and the males come into rut during the late summer/early fall, when evening temperatures start to drop.
While some of our goats might be able to be bred in August, September is a more reliable time, so we usually plan to start breeding September 1st. Because a goat’s getstation is 150 days (plus or minus 5 days), this puts the first kids due February 1st.
There have been years that we have decided not to start breeding in September (and delay it to October). But that is rare. In general, we prefer to kid during February and March because we’ve found that while it is harder on us to kid in the cold, it is better for our goats for these reasons:
Fewer Parasites. Because parasites (e.g. coccidia or worms) can stunt the growth of baby goats, it is important not to let the parasite burden get out of control. We do this through cleanliness, pasture rotation, and wormers. But we have found that when the kids are born in the colder weather, parasites are less of an issue for more of their young lives.
No Flies. Flies are one of the peskiest aspects IMO to owning goats. We work all fly season long trying to keep things as clean as possible and use Fly Predators, but flies are a fact of life on the farm. For the goats, flies can really bother the moms when they’re giving birth, but they can also transmit diseases such as pink eye among the goats. We prefer to have all the baby goats born while there are still no flies.
Colder Temperatures. Obviously for us the temperatures are colder in February and March than they are in April and May. This is a benefit to the moms who are heavily pregnant. As a female who personally had 8 pregnancies, I can guarantee that it is easier to be heavily pregnant when it is cold out than when it is hot. While the goats don’t personally tell me this is true, I believe it is a lot easier on them to be pregnant during the colder temps.
Breeding for winter baby goats is not for everyone. Adequate shelter and supervision are more important than when temperatures are more forgiving. Without the right set up and systems, it can result in lost kids and/or does.
Since our herd, “Aquila Acres”, is located right here on the Goat Milk Stuff property, we don’t have to commute to our jobs; so we’re here all the time during kidding season. Our goats have a sturdy barn where they are contained when somebody isn’t watching them (this means they can’t go and have their kids out in the freezing woods without anybody being aware of the situation). And we make sure that each and every baby goat is thoroughly dried off and has a tummy full of warm colostrum or milk. As long as baby goats are sheltered, dry and full, they can handle the cold very well.
Every goat owner’s individual set of circumstances is unique and can vary depending on schedules, climate, and owner abilities. But I like the kind of hardy goats that our breeding program produces.
Those are some of the reasons that we choose to kid during February and March. It works well for us and it seems to work well for our goats. And this way, we get to wrap up kidding season and are able to play outside and in the garden when the warm weather arrives!
