I think the hardest part about breeding goats is waiting for the new kids to arrive. I love to see the new babies especially when they start to play. It’s adorable!

So, how do you know if you have kids on the way? The first clue is to wait about a month after breeding. If the doe doesn’t go back into heat, she is likely pregnant. If she does go back into heat you would need to breed her again. A goats pregnancy is about 5 months. So, since we bred over August and September, our kids will be here around January and February.

Astra, pictured above, should be due around the first part of February. She was the second doe that we bred this year. Falene was first and should be due around the end of January. She is the hardest we have to tell if she is pregnant or not. She has what is known as a silent heat. In other words, she shows no signs of being in heat. I usually have to watch my buck around her to know because he can tell but I cannot.

Desi is the final doe we bred this year. She is due around the middle of February. This will be her first kidding here so I am a little anxious as I don’t know her habits. I believe everything will go well and we do have a vet we can call if there are any issues. The waiting is the hardest part. Knowing that come winter we will have kids on the ground again is so exciting. I love to see what they will look like. I love to see the colors and the personalities of each kid. It’s so much fun.

This is probably the time of year I look forward to most. Even if it is when we have the most work to do, it’s completely rewarding work because of the new life that will be here because of it.

Have a great day!

Renee