Just when I thought that everything would move along calmly and easily this year, the goats have to remind me that I should never assume anything.
This year I have two bucks that I want to breed to two does. One buck is a Toggenburg baby that was born on the farm last spring. The other buck is a Nubian that I purchased for full price from a nice farm a couple of hours away. I had high hopes for these boys. The Toggenburg is going to be bred to Lucy and the Nubian is going to be bred to Pepper. This is the way it has to be because I refuse to crossbreed Nubians to anything other than Nubians. I have to breed these boys to these girls.
Last week Lucy came into heat. I put her in with the bucks to see what they would do. The Togg buck was very, very interested in her. The Nubian could have cared less. I let the Togg play for a little while and then put Lucy back in her pen. I was not ready to have Lucy bred for real that day. She should come back into heat in three weeks and that is when I will put her back in with the Togg for real.
Yesterday Pepper came into heat. She was screaming and dribbling and generally losing her mind (as does tend to do this time of year). I put her in with the boys and watched carefully. The Togg was very interested and the Nubian ran away. I pulled the Togg out so that he wouldn't get too excited. I left Pepper and the Nubian in together. I watched and watched and only saw the Nubian run away from Pepper and not try to breed her at all. He was terrified of her and she wasn't even being her normal, bossy self. She was turning on the charm as best she could and he wasn't falling for it.
I am very sad because my Nubian buck is not interested in his girlfriend. I hope that he decides that he wants to be a male and wants to breed the girls. If he doesn't do his job, I don't know what I will do with him. I don't want to keep him around if he isn't productive and I don't want to pay to have him neutered at this point. I can't sell him as a buck if I know that he won't breed and I can't get the money I put into him if I sell him as a wether. Also I don't know where to get another Nubian buck in a hurry.
How come it is never easy?!
