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When it comes increasing the size of your goat herd the major consideration is the wellbeing of your does, especially when it comes to breeding season. To enhance the pregnancy rates of your does and reduce the chance of losing kids through abortion or other issues in pregnancy requires you to place a priority on the care and maintenance of your female goats. This is done through proper nutrition and healthcare. Caring for your does begins well before they become pregnant. It starts at the initial stages of the breeding season and extends into kidding time. Before Breeding Season In order to make sure your doe is at her optimum performance for pregnancy requires you to look at her nutritional needs and if her Body Condition Score (BCS) is up to scratch. With the ideal score falling in the range of 2.5 to 3.5. Body condition isn’t simply determined by looking at the goat, you need to get hands-on and feel your animal. Areas to check are: The spine in the centre of your goat’s back between the last rib and in front of the hip bone.Feel the hollow in the flanks, the ribs and the gap between the ribs. The points of the transverse process (which are the bony points that stick out off the left and right vertebraes) If your doe has a BCS of 2 or less her ovulation rate drops by 16%. Additionally, goats with low BCS have a reduced breeding season as well as showing irregular estrus cycles, which makes it harder to plan for pregnancy. The best way to improve the BCS for those animals that are registering less than the ideal standard is through proper nutrition. A grain concentrate fed two weeks before breeding and continued for a couple of weeks after breeding will help fatten up the does that are underweight. A healthy goat should be at least 65% of their mature body weight. Pasture and hay should be sufficient to meet most of your doe’s nutritional needs. Alfalfa hay is the prefered option as it provides the highest level of minerals, vitamins and proteins of any hay available. Increase grain feed by 25%. Be careful to slowly change your does diet. A sudden change in the grain ration of your goats can have a dramatic effect on the microflora within the rumen and can lead to lactic acidosis (grain overload where the rumen is “burned” which can prove fatal to your doe). Also, lactic acidosis can cause infection in the liver or the secondary rumen of your goat. Also, ensure that your does aren’t deficient in selenium. You can see if the soil in your location is lacking selenium here! A lack of selenium can lead to abortions, stillbirths and trouble conceiving. Therefore make sure that your female goats are getting selenium in their diet through injecting 50mg of Vitamine E (which aids in the absorption of selenium) and 1mg of Selenium in the neck. Another important mineral that your goat needs is copper. A lack of copper in your goat’s diet can cause your doe to have trouble in conceiving and if she does, then there is a high likelihood of abortion. If you find that your doe is copper-deficient you can add copper into its diet through adding copper sulfate into her drinking water. A final step to prepare your doe for breeding is to have her dewormed. The main parasite that goats are susceptible to is stomach worm which can be detected through the FAMACHA examination. Have the faecal matter of your doe examined regularly to see if she has picked up any worms. Now that your doe is set for breeding, it’s time to look at how to look after her when she falls pregnant. Taking Care Of Your Doe During Gestation You have successfully mated your doe and she has become pregnant. But what can you do to look after the goat while you wait for the 5 months before she gives birth? Keep track of the doe’s BCS and make sure that it is in that healthy 2.5 - 3.0 range. Avoid stressing the doe as that can lead to her aborting the kid. Stress can be caused by suddenly changing the doe’s routines or through having animals, such as dogs, chasing them. Carry on with feeding your doe with high-quality alfalfa hay and loose minerals. Monitor the doe’s feeding habit as you don’t want her to overfeed or underfeed which can lead to Pregnancy Toxemia (which is more liable to occur in the last six weeks of gestation due to the nutritional needs of the foetus) which is fatal to your animal. You should look at providing your doe with one pound of high energy concentrate per day. In the final six weeks before kidding, the foetus growth increases at an exponential rate and you need to look at increasing your does BCS to between 3.5 - 4.0 through adjusting her diet slowly through free-choice minerals, grain concentrate and hay. Always keep an eye on your goat’s BCS to make sure that it isn’t increasing too rapidly or dropping to below 2 (either circumstance marks major issue with your doe and you need to take action immediately to diagnose the problem). The month before kidding you should make sure that your does have a CD&T vaccination. This allows the kid to be immune to tetanus when they consume the first milk (colostrum) of the doe. Chlamydiosis is the major cause of abortions in goats. Though abortions can occur at any time during the pregnancy it most often occurs in the final four weeks before kidding. If there is an outbreak of Chlamydia in your herd any aborting does need to be isolated. There is no Chlamydia vaccine for goats, but it is possible to use sheep vaccines. The Chlamydia vaccine should be given in the first 28 to 45 days of the doe’s pregnancy. If you live in an area that has selenium deficiency you should give your doe a BoSe injection in the final four weeks of the pregnancy. BoSe injections provide your goat with Selenium and Vitamin E and prevents kids from developing White Muscle Disease Your does are more susceptible to worms in the last week before kidding, so it pays to deworm them a week before they give birth to protect your goat and her baby (or babies! You could find your doe drops twins or triplets). A final aspect to consider in the weeks prior to kidding is that of the shelter for your doe. It needs to be warm, comfortable and clean so that your doe can give birth without any hassle or stress. You might even look at creating a kidding stall that acts as an isolation unit to keep pregnant does separate from the rest of the herd. Also, check that you have everything you need to help the doe in case there is an issue with the birth. Gloves for that occasion when you have to get hands-on and physically help the doe deliver the kid. Have frozen colostrum to give to the newly delivered baby if there are any problems with the first milk from the mother. Keep the contact phone number for your vet easily accessible for those times when you need to reach out to someone who can come an give you assistance. Time for a trim Any good goat management care plan looks at keeping your doe’s hooves in their best condition. Hooves should be trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks and it pays to trim them again a month before kidding. By trimming the hooves makes it easier for your doe to bear the extra weight when she becomes pregnant. Also, it pays to trim the hair around the tail and the rear legs of your doe. This will make it easier for you to help your goat when she starts to give birth. A Well Laid Out Plan When it comes to the care and maintenance of your pregnant goat it’s necessary to have a well thought out plan. If you are struggling to put such a plan together, you can consult with your vet and other goat breeders. The plan shouldn’t be confined to just the period of the pregnancy. It has to look at the whole breeding season and providing your doe with the appropriate nutrition that she needs to maintain the recommended BCS of 2.5 to 3.0. Your plan needs to give consideration to the vitamin and mineral deficiencies that your goat may have and provide supplements so that there is no issue with the doe or the fetus. When it is time to deliver her kid make sure that you have everything on hand to assist the doe in case she has difficulty in kidding. The result of your plan is content does that have a minimum of health issues and who will deliver you fine, strong kids! Happy goats. Happy you! Useful Links Benefit of Goat FarmingMost Common Goats Breed in the USA

Your Farm Foundation

How to Start Goat Farming in the USA

Most Common Goat Breeds in the USA

The Benefits of Goat Farming

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