A dairy goat should weigh at least 80 pounds and be at least 8 months old the first time she is bred. A pygmy goat should be between 9 and 18 months and a good size for her age. In order for the doe to conceive (become pregnant), she must be in estrus ("heat" or "season".) Signs of estrus include flagging (wagging her tail), mucous discharging from her rear, mounting other goats, and excited behavior if she is near a buck. At first, you'll probably breed your does to a buck of a local breeder, but eventually, you might want to consider owning your own buck or artificial insemination. A good indication that a doe is pregnant is that it does not come into heat on its next cycle, so check your goat carefully three weeks after breeding. It may be hard to determine if a dairy goat is pregnant if it was bred at the end of the breeding season.
Page 7: Common Diseases
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