Op Ed: Goat Breeding Season Does Not Need to Follow Old Wives Tales

By Joyce Kelly
Ag Business Associate Membrane Protect Technologies, Inc.

One of the biggest leaps in reproduction efficiency comes with ridding yourself of doing things the way they have always been done. As most goat breeds are not limited to a breeding season, adopting new practices are of benefit to herd development. Your herd success will thank you by taking an objective approach to managing reproduction. Informative tools are available to goat breeders when managing excellence in herd development.

Sperm analysis as well as external factors such as feed, effective and deliberate cleaning out of bucks before collection; as well as age, temperament, and environmental factors all impact effectiveness in your herd’s reproduction management. None of us want to hear that their buck might not be as good of a breeder as you would hope and if that is the story, is there anything we can do to help overcome the obstacles? It is not always bad news if there are breeding challenges that come to light.

Setting up a time to collect bucks and analyzing sperm is available and can benefit your breeding efforts. A couple of opportunities are currently in the books and we invite any goat producer to join us, bring your bucks, and learn as well as equip yourself with tools to overcome obstacles.

May 22 we are offering a buck collection event at Bright Farms in Fort Collins and a collection event for Pygmy breeders at the Mile-High Showdown June 4-6 in Loveland. For more information on these championship developing opportunities, contact Membrane Protection Technologies, Inc. at [email protected] or call (970) 484-9842.