How does goat mating work? Process features and valuable tips

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Any branch of animal husbandry depends on getting offspring. No matter the direction of productivity (meat, milk, wool, etc.), success primarily depends on the quality and quantity of offspring. Mating of individuals is an important process on which the quality of animal breeding depends. The mating of goats has its own subtleties, without which it is impossible to obtain offspring.

Types of mating

Several types of fertilization are used in goat breeding:

Artificial insemination. This is the most advanced method. Goats are fertilized with sperm from the best producers. Excludes infection with sexually transmitted diseases. The number of inseminated animals can be in the hundreds. To date, this method is not widely used in the country's farms due to the lack of a sperm bank. The overseas material is very high quality, but the cost is too high

• Freestyle. How mating goes in goats with this method is described below. Its essence lies in the jointkeeping queens with producers throughout the breeding season (from 1.5 to 2 months). This is the cheapest and easiest way. The goats find the females that have come to hunt and cover them. The cheap method does not live up to expectations. Too many goats can go blank without waiting for the attention of the gentleman. The fact is that after mating with two or three individuals, the goat loses interest in goats, does not pay attention to them. Another minus: with such a mating, there can be no question of breeding work. In addition, there is no way to fix the exact date of insemination of a goat. Producers are quickly depleted and out of shape. To keep goats active, it is recommended to separate them from females for 5-6 hours a day.
• Harem. It differs from the free one in that there is only one producer in a herd of 25-30 goats. In this case, breeding work is possible, since the queens are selected for a specific manufacturer. The goat looks for goats in the hunt and hides them without human intervention. There are disadvantages to this method, in particular, it is impossible to control the period of insemination, and many goats can remain single.
• Manual. The mating of a goat with a goat is controlled by the goat breeder. The female who came to hunt is identified from the herd with the help of a probe. A goat ready for mating is placed in the pen and covered with a goat selected for her. Thus, a clear breeding record is maintained, the timing of insemination and future lambing of the uterus is controlled. Usually one cage is enough if it ends with a characteristic push. The maximum number of cages for one "date" is two. If the goat continues to showsigns of hunting, it is covered again after 12 hours.

The most effective method of all of the above is manual mating. During the season, one male (2-7 years old) is able to cover up to 100 goats. With a free or harem version, this figure drops to 30 heads.

Requirements for the manufacturer

Although puberty in goats occurs already at the age of six months, they begin to use them no earlier than a year later. Early "sexual experience" negatively affects the overall development of the male. The offspring of such young "fathers" is not distinguished by viability and good productivity. They use animals up to 6-7 years of age, some especially valuable goats - up to 8 years, but with a reduced load.

To obtain viable offspring, the best individuals of both sexes are selected. The goat must be:

• factory condition;
• strong constitution;
• absolutely he althy;
• not be a close relative of queens;
• have the appropriate origin (mother is high milk yield, milk production is transmitted through the producer);
• preferably come from a prolific "family" - from twins or triplets;
• have an energetic, lively temperament.

Cannot be left to the tribe of cryptorchids, animals with any abnormalities in the development of the genital organs, lame, emaciated or too fat.

Requirements for mother stock

The first mating of goats occurs when they reach 7-9 months of age (although inshe comes hunting already at four months after birth). By this time they weigh about 40 kg. The minimum allowable weight is 32 kg. There are goat breeders who prefer to raise females up to 18 months and only then happen.

There are pluses and minuses here. Goats that have had time to give birth before the age of two have more milk production, but their productive use is shorter. Early mating can cause complications during lambing. Older individuals produce less milk, but produce longer.

When choosing animals for mating, pay attention to:

• exterior;
• he alth;
• age;
• fatness;
• origin;
• lack of close family relationship with the manufacturer.

Females are used up to seven years.

Preparation of animals

The breeding goat is used only 3-4 months a year. It is kept in a spacious individual pen with a size of 21.5 m, the height of the walls is not less than 1.5 m. They must be equipped with a nursery for roughage, a feeder for concentrates. The animal is provided with access to water. To keep the goat in good physical shape, they organize a walk or pasture twice a day.

Mating goats is possible if both partners are physically he althy and meet the required condition. Before mating goats do not stop milking, so the diet does not change. Animals are checked for body condition (preferably good or medium).

The male should have a small layer of subcutaneousfat. A shiny coat indicates good he alth. Instincts do not allow the goat to gain weight between September and December, he is too excited, even if not used in a breeding campaign. Two months before the start of the "work" check his condition. An overly well-fed goat is transferred to a maintenance diet, where roughage predominates. The poor are checked for worms and end feed is added (start with 100 grams per day, gradually increase the rate to 600 grams). If necessary, the animal is additionally injected with vitamins and mineral supplements.

Hunting

They cover females only when they come to hunt. The best time for mating goats is 10-20 hours after it starts. Fertility during this period reaches 85%. This is because ovulation occurs 27-29 hours after the first signs of heat. Hunting lasts a short time - from 12 hours to a maximum of 2 days. It is important to identify it in time and have time to cover the goat. Signs of hunting:

• female restless behavior:
• swelling and redness of the vulva;
• constant rotational movements of the tail;
• Vaginal discharge is noticeable: the beginning of the hunt is opaque, thick, the middle is liquid, clean, and at the end stage is thick, white;
• she tries to find the male by smell, constantly sniffing.

The manifestation of hunting can be bright or sluggish, it depends on the characteristics of the animal, on the time of year, conditions of feeding and keeping. At the beginning of the breeding season, it is not so noticeable.

Technology

Let's see howgoat mating takes place. The process itself takes only a few seconds. For guaranteed fertilization of the female, you should follow a few simple rules:

• the mating place is chosen quiet, the atmosphere is calm;
• the goat is brought to the female and allowed to make a cage, observing that, in addition to a few small shocks, there is one strong one at the end;
• after the final push, the goat should hunch over, if this did not happen, the mating is repeated;
• after the first cage, the male is allowed to rest for 20-25 minutes and the process is repeated;
• A goat can only do two cages in one mating, then he needs a break of at least 6 hours (covering earlier is useless - there will be no sperm in the testicles, it takes time to form it).

Goats have a estrous cycle of 17 to 23 days. Its violation serves as a signal of malnutrition of animals, lack of trace elements or vitamins.

Timing

Goat mating starts from the tenth week after June 21st. At this time, animals massively come to hunt. Optimal terms - August-September. The offspring, born in January-February, will be ready to go to pasture, by then already having 20 teeth. Fresh green grass will promote the rapid development of babies. As the practice of animal husbandry shows, winter children are stronger and more resilient.

Second term for goat coverage in May-June. Lambing will take place in October-November. The offspring leaving for the winter will not receive the vitamins and microelements contained in the green fodder. Such offspring develop worse and lag behindgrowth rates from their winter counterparts.

Features

Goat mating has its own nuances, which should not be forgotten:

• fertilization is more effective in October-November;
• a goat cannot cover more than two females a day;
• to provoke a goat to hunt, it is locked for a while with a goat;
• modern means allow you to synchronize the hunting of the herd;
• obesity is a common cause of lack of hunting;
• in young individuals, hunting proceeds almost imperceptibly;
• the he althiest offspring are obtained from queens at the age of 3-5 years, and animals up to 8 are used;
• After lambing, the goat is ready to mate for 16-30 days (if it is not covered, lactation will be longer);
• it is not recommended to get two offspring a year, the second will be weaker, and the goat's body is depleted (it must rest for at least six months);
• for a constant supply of milk, it is better to divide the herd into two groups and cover one half in the fall, the second in the spring;
• for successful breeding work, free mating is unacceptable;
• a young goat (up to 2 years old) is not suitable for the role of an “expert” in detecting heat in females, he will jump on everyone, but an older male “cares” only for a female in the hunt;
• in very hot weather, the sexual activity of males decreases.

These are the main aspects of mating goats. Naturally, each specialist is free to choose the appropriate methods at his own discretion.