When breeding goats, the mating process is very important.
To do everything right and on time, you need to be able to determine when the goat is ready for it.
What is hunting
Hunting is a willingness to mate; This process is also called estrus. Different animals have it differently. A caring owner must navigate this issue to know how and when to mate his pet. And for this, first of all, you need to study the signs that allow you to determine that the goat is in a hunt.
Did you know? Goat milk is considered universal for all mammals. For this reason, goats are kept in all zoos, in order to feed other babies with milk if necessary.
Signs and how to identify
It is believed that a goat, which has reached a weight of about 32 kg, is ready for fertilization and is able to bear offspring. This is approximately the age of 7-9 months.
There are a number of signs by which one can unmistakably understand that the time has come for an animal to mate:
- worsening or loss of appetite;
- manifestations of anxiety, attacks of aggression;
- the animal bleats and twists its tail;
- genitals swell and redden;
- discharge appears, initially liquid, and later thicker;
- if you put your hand on the back of the goat, it crouches.
The frequency and duration of the hunt
Consider how often this process occurs and how long it takes:
- most often estrus occurs in the autumn-winter period (from September to February). At this time, the signs of mating appear most actively, and they can be recognized quite simply;
- at the beginning or at the end of the mating season, signs appear less and it is more difficult to determine them
- the duration of estrus varies from 12 hours to 4 days, and the average is about a day;
- cycle time (from 1 day of estrus, before the next one) is 18-24 days;
- the most fruitful period for mating is October-December.
When the goat comes to hunt after lambing
After lambing the next estrus begins in 10-15 days. Later the cycle becomes longer (up to 25 days). But this does not mean at all that the female is ready to mate - she must get stronger and gain strength in order to make healthy offspring, so you need to give the animal time to rest.
This usually takes several months. Only the owner himself knows his pet well and, according to his condition, he has to decide when to mate and how many days or months to give him for rest.
Did you know? Goats are real tasters: they can try everything in search of a favorite delicacy. They can even eat a cigarette. Unlike humans, they have 15,000 receptors in their language (in humans, only 9,000).
Case
In addition to natural mating (involving the goat), there is also artificial insemination. It consists in the introduction of male sperm by a veterinarian.
Natural fertilization can be carried out by different methods:
- Free method characteristic of the herd, which contains individuals of both sexes. The advantage is that there is no need to control the process of fertilization - any male can insect any goat. Everything happens naturally in due time. But with this method it is difficult to identify good and bad producers.
- With the harem method only one manufacturer. The disadvantage may be that the goat does not always fertilize all the females.
- Manual method is in the planned coverage under the control of the owner. Mating should be carried out in a quiet place. The animal can be held by the horns while the cage is being made. The process itself takes a couple of minutes. After about 20-30 minutes, you need to re-cage.
Ways to stimulate hunting, if not
Sometimes goat owners face a problem when a goat does not go hunting. In such cases, stimulation is performed. It can be done with medication or using traditional methods.
With the help of veterinary drugs
Used stimulation of various drugs:
- Well established "Estrofan". It is administered by injection of 0.7 ml twice a day (morning and evening). When symptoms of estrus occur, the animal urgently needs to be fertilized. If the attempt fails, then after 10 days the procedure is repeated;
- in the absence of effect, "Progesterone" is added to the previous drug, applying according to the instructions;
- in more complex situations, hormonal therapy is treated with the Surfagon preparation in accordance with the recommendations of the veterinarian.
Important! All animals are individual, so before embarking on medical treatment, you must consult with a specialist. Only he can prescribe the necessary medications and doses, in accordance with the weight and age of the goat.
Without the use of medications
But do not immediately resort to medication, you need to try other methods.
Let's take a closer look at how to induce estrus without medication:
- It is necessary to examine the animal and make sure its health. In the presence of infections or parasites, treatment is necessary;
- it is necessary to balance the diet - a month before the expected heat, cereals (wheat, oats and barley), as well as vitamins (Tetravit), flax and soy should be introduced into it. Cereals begin to give 1 tbsp. l and made to handful;
- You can rub the hay on the skin of a goat, and then feed this hay to a goat;
- sometimes cozovody conduct forced mating. After a few cages, a positive result may appear.
Very often, these tips are effective, and the animal becomes pregnant and leads healthy offspring.Important! If the goat is not covered, do not immediately panic. It often happens that animals mate and fertilize after 1 or 2 years.
We wish you healthy pets and their offspring, as well as delicious milk. Love your animals and take good care of them. They will thank for it.
