Anyone who has a significant other with livestock let me first award you for your patience and persistence and apologize for our behavior! I just spent the past several hours deep diving into pedigrees, photos, strengths, weaknesses, PTA's and more to try to finalize my breeding plans for my 6 does in the herd that I am breeding this year!! This means when my husband walked in from running errands, he had to help level set me as I agonized over a few of my breeding's. I am in a position where I have the option to utilize three lovely bucks on my girls this year. Winning Streak Turbo (5), Primrose Hill CB St Valentine (3) and Hidden Hills Old Number Seven (1), each buck has earned his right to stay a buck and a reason to use him.... so, as I set out to finalize my plans, I wrote all six of the does down and the areas I hoped to improve upon them, then I looked at photos and data of Seven and Val's lineage. I already use and own a lot of Turbo genetics, so I feel I have a good handle on what he makes.
Some of the pairings were easy like Godiva and Val, who I am hoping to get a doe kid from, and Kim with Seven if her AI doesn't stick, but others I agonized over like who to breed Ziva to, she is arguably my best doe, which I bred to Val last year which made a fantastic kid, do I repeat the breeding or branch out and try something new with the genetics from my new buck Seven? Ultimately, or until she comes into heat and I abruptly change my mind I made the choice the breed her with Seven to increase her width of udder and overall capacity and area of udder depth, she has a beautifully attached udder, but in her first freshening it lacked dimension in order to be competitive.
I am very excited for the future, as I completed an AI course provided through Bio Genics where we spent two days learning how to breed our goats, this opens up my options in terms of bucks to utilize on my does and will not limit the breeding to geographical area of bucks and availability or ownership!
Overall, I hope you are all having a successful start to your breeding season and I cannot wait to hear about who you chose to pair with who! Take care and Happy Goating!!!!!
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