I have a big question for you. Dulcinea was bred back in December, and it looked like a good breeding. She hasn't gone back into heat since, except for a little half-hearted tail wagging in early January, and then not again. All signs pointed to "bred". Flat vulva, relaxed area. Tummy growing, behavior change, the whole bit. I thought definitely bred.
Yesterday, she started to present with a red vulva and a LOT of tail wagging. So I thought, crap, she went back into heat and is not bred. But I have Stewart, who breeds anything that stops moving long enough to be bred. (And even then, he'll breed them as they walk away). Anywho, he's fully functioning, let's leave it at that, and I figured, if she's really open, he'll take care of it.
Dulci, swollen, flagging Dulci, has been asking for it for two days. She nuzzles him. She stands in front of him, wagging away. She puts her head in places she shouldn't, practically begging for it. And Stewart? He sniffs her, and butts her away from him. And at times, pretty hard. He's even lifted her rear in the air when he's put his head under her belly, in an attempt to get her to leave him alone. He REALLY doesn't want her. It's plain as plain.
Got any ideas? Anyone seen a buck reject a doe in heat? Again, he's still functioning. He bred Cleo last week. He still sniffs after the other girls, though they are all preggers. He's a MALE, for goodness sakes, how picky can he be?? And Dulci is begging for love, and all he does is push her out of the way.
So....is it Stewart? Or is Dulci lying to him? Is she in heat? Or is this the pregnancy talking, and he can tell? My friend, who breeds goats, has never seen this, but thinks it may be that her hormones are all crazy, and she's not open, she's just "horny", and Stewart can tell and won't participate, since it won't pass on his genetics. I would agree, and that's what I was thinking it might have been too. But, I would love an opinion from y'all.
Ever seen this before? Heard about someone who has? Please feel free to weigh in here, I would TRULY appreciate it.
Thank you, friends!
Funny you should post this today....all four of our girls are bred (well, one kidded last night....wooo hoooo!) For the last hour two of the girls are hovering at the fence showing off for the boys. Their tails are wagging and they are mounting each other while the boys watch...signs of heat? But both are preg and due soon...bags are filling and so forth. The other doe is calmly grazing....no clue what all this means.
ReplyDeleteApparently being bred does not exclude one from flirting, etc???? I'm new at this, but that is what it looks like to me. So maybe that is the case....esp. since Stewart isn't interested (though my bucks mount each other, the poor little wether, and me if they can).
Let me know how this plays out. I'm curious.
Well... I am not a goat keeper yet, but boy am I learning from posts like this! I'll be looking for the answer here.
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