I just love seeing your kids playing so freely! It's really quite refreshing to see them just being kids. Keep sharing your knowledge Crystal, thank you!
You have such beautiful goats!!! Watching your videos has made me want to get a couple Nigerians!!!! But such a commitment!!!! You do such a great job taking care of your herd!
Oh, CHANCE of reign.... you just made the cut ... (or maybe I should say "band"). I am so thoroughly please with this little buck!!! He actually IS teaching the other bucklings (soon to be wethers) proper goat manners :) ...at least in this Mama's eyes. I'm very proud to have Blue Cactus (and ancestors) in my goat herd! Thankful for this video today also. I've been teetering on the fence, but can't WAIT to see the improvement in my herd with CHANCE leading the way.
So so happy to hear he is doing well and passing on his manners!! 🤣🤣. He did just make the cut and so happy about that! He is one stunning little dude. If you decide to breed your does to him I'm sure he will appreciate it! Haha
I continue to always learn so much from your videos. I started 2 yrs ago with 4 🐐, now I have 6 and you taught me about breeding and birthing. Now I’m learning what to look for in breeding my first NG doeling. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this video, it's like How to Breed Your Goat for the First Time for dummies in video form. It's extremely easy to understand and apply to even a new owner who is starting with their 1st goats. Both are beautiful and I am looking forward to seeing all of their babies! I'm not ready for goats but 1 day....😁
Thank you so much!!! This clears it up for me! What's so funny is I have 2 doelings born 2/24/19 and 2/25/19 and the one born on the 25th is SO much smaller than the one on the 24th! After seeing this I know my larger doe will be ready this fall so yay! Gonna have to wait on the smaller one but like you are with Lodi, I am excited to see her develop and see what she will eventually produce. I am sorry you're having to let Bindi and Laura go but I know you have a great home for them. I had tears!! I remember Bindi from way back! Hugs to you! What you said about running a ranch means making hard decisions sometimes and you are completely right. Keep the videos coming ❤
Thank you for the heartfelt comment and understanding that it's not always easy to make the decisions we make for the herd all the time! She will be missed!! Glad the video helped! Lodi did have a set back when she got sick but she was born so tiny! Just the cutest little thing! So she will just take more time:)
You are a wealth of information Crystal - have you ever thought of writing a book ? I am looking forward to kidding season even before they are bred 😉 🐨🦘🐨🦘🐨
Crystal you always have had beautiful baby. You take care of them so well. I get very sad 😢 when you sale one. I know you must do what must be done. It been a long time since I've been here. Been sick. Thanks for sharing. Have a blessed day
So sorry to hear you have been sick!! Hope you are better now. It's hard to sell them sometimes but it's part of having a ranch. I would have thousands of goats if I kept them all lol
Bindi's new owner will have the nice advantage of obtaining a doe who is 'proven': kids easily, great milker, and not as much work/waiting before she produces. Does the new owner have a buck in mind for Bindi? The young doe will be a great companion for Bindi, too. Nice win-win, Crystal! You also mentioned obtaining another buck for your herd: it will be interesting to see who you choose : )
They will be going to a great home! She has a small herd but looking to grow and improve. Not sure what plans she has for her breeding program. As far as a buck we will get. Not sure when but when the perfect boy pops up I will get him :)
OceanSwimmer I was so sad for her to give birth to a happy kid only for it to pass on due to her rolling over on it while resting after a very hard delivery. I do think they can feel depression. I wish her many happy births of Doelings.
Bindi and Laura have a home, yay!! It is hard to say goodbye but loving them is also letting them go. Congratulations to the new owners!! ❤️🤗🙏🏽 Hopefully when you see them in the show ring, it will be a great reunion. The three wethers are definitely calming down. They will be happy to run with the herd. And get homes as wethers. Dexter will be happy as a companion goat for Lodi. Lodi can be a show goat till she is ready to breed. Training time Lodi. 🤗🤗🤗 Awesome video!!!🤗🙏🏽❤️
Yes, the girls will be going to a great home! You watch all the videos so I'm sure you could tell how much calmer the boys are now! It happens fast lol
Blue Cactus Dairy Goats yes those young bucks calmed down so quickly!! Working with teens in general is like dealing with testosterone on the umpteenth level!! Hahahahaha Edge needs his “package” to dry up more. Bindi and Laura will be happy in their new home. Too bad you could not get updates on all the goats you sold, if their new owners would give you a short clip. It would be nice to know how Milla Rae is doing. :-)
This is perfect timing! My best mommy goats are due around xmas, and I have a feeling we will be casterating all of the boys... None of the bucklings sold last time.
I just love your channel.. the editing is outta the world good. And yes those decisions are very hard to make. I know u have had bindi awhile. They become pets and family. Do u bring in new blood lines like a new buck..
Thank you!! Yes we bring in new blood from time to time. Everest was retained as buck to bring in some new. That being said, we like to keep our lines close and line breed.
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats thank u..I was just wondering how it worked and how often..I'm new to all this. I've watched your video's forever but just learning the breed aspect lol.. love your channel.. i watch all your video's..
Thanks Crystal for all your video's they are so helpfu and I love watching theml. I'm looking at breeding my young does for the first time an wasn't sure on age and weight.
My doe is 4 -1/2 years old. Is she too old to breed for the first time? I've heard their hips can fuse and it's dangerous after about 2. I would really appreciate your input on this issue. I got her to breed and have milk. Thank you for all you do! I always learn a lot from your videos and love seeing the kids too!
I just invested in two very nice does, that were born this March, and have been stressing if they are ready to be bred this fall. They are both 30+ pounds, but the thing is I didn't have to move my hand from side to side when feeling the thurls... They are at breeding weight, but is it ok if their thurl-to-thurl size is smaller than Abilene's at this moment? Thanks for all the great info! Super fitting for my current dilemma right now :)
I have lines with pretty good width! So really dont run into needing to hold off on breeding them at 7 months. A month or two older is a big size difference depending on when you breed. Do you have Nigerians?
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats Yes I do have Nigerians! Your goats are for sure super wide! Maybe I'm feeling the thurls in wrong spot, not sure. I'm going to breed them anyway though. One of the new girls I just bought is a Camanna doeling and the other is from Mini Prints, a smaller farm in Cali!
Well let us know how it goes! Keep in mind they grow a lot in size in the 5 months they are pregnant! They wont be delivering at the same size they were when they were bred :)
Sad i know , but she's a friend and you can keep up with them, thanks so much for this video i have a 5 month old doe that's smaller than the 4 month old doe, and a doe 1 yr old the 28th that's between the size of my 4 month old and the other 1yr and 1 1/2 yr olds
Does the same thing apply to the bucks? I know they technically can do their “job” but will putting them with the girls be enough to motivate them to do it?
I retained one of my March 2019 doeling's, the firstborn of a Quintuplet litter (as a result, smaller in size than others her age) and I'm planning on holding off until December 2019 or January 2020 to breed her, along with a December 2018 doeling. Its crazy, the quint doeling is the same size as the December doeling, even though the December one was only a Twin. Anyhoo, those two are still a bit too small to breed for my liking, however, I did just put a different December 2018 doeling in with a Buck for a March 2020 Kidding. I've had good luck with breeding at 10 months old for kidding's at 15 months old. It all does depend on size!
We were just looking at our girls yesteeday to make the same decions. This video helps so much. We're still trying to decide if one of the doelings is large enough or will be by Oct. How old are your bucks before you breed them?
Glad it helped!! The bucks I dont worry about age as far as harm them. I just want to make sure they are old enough to do the deed as well as tall enough.usually at 4 to 5 months old they are food to go!
Do you use certain goats to breed or does it matter???? Or do you try and match them up accordingly to there coloring just curious it's intriguing to me
I have a couple does that are a year old but they seem so tiny. I would love to breed them but I’m thinking they are just too small. Will you ever breed the smaller one or just keep her as a pet?
I know this video is 2 yrs ago , but why are milking goats like yours are so expensive ? At 65 all I want is for me and just maybe 4 h if the grandsons ( 2 ) maybe interested and that's it . Everyone who has the breed I'm interested in are " show goats " . I have not the money or the interest in Showing anything out side of maybe 4 h for the boys . Good information as always . Thank you .
Omg. Not Bindi!! Shes my favorite. 😭 What a difficult position to have to make that decision. I am so sad for you. And I'm hugging you through the computer.
Does it matter how big your hands are to reach from thurl to thurl? I'm only 14 and already have hands the size of my dad's hands😂. I know most women dont have hands as big as mine. Obviously my reach from my middle finger to my thumb is alot bigger than someone with smaller hands.
What are your thoughts on whether or not breeding at a young age may stunt the does growth? I know a few breeders who like to wait until at least 12-18 months to breed their does because they feel as though it allows time for optimal growth & development. Then I know others who go by weight and maturity/readiness. Some who bred FF's at 3-4 years old with great results and some who've bred between 8-12 months old with great results as well. Do you have scientific research or info on one vs the other? Which may be more beneficial?
If it helps, we have a 2 year old doe that we waited a full year to breed because we were worried about this too, and she ended up maturing very small. Made me wonder if the opposite is true. So this year im trying breeding earlier. I only just found this video this month but from this info it sounds like my 8 mo old is ready now
Sometimes its incredibly difficult to sell bucks and they're hard to keep too once full grown. People like to buy wethers for pets and goat companions.
Cheers for this, been searching for "boer goat husbandry" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Chloetey Boer Goatify - (search on google ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my co-worker got great results with it.
I love it when I have questions about my goats and as soon as I type in the question, UA-cam automatically suggests blue cactus 🌵 ❤
I just love seeing your kids playing so freely! It's really quite refreshing to see them just being kids. Keep sharing your knowledge Crystal, thank you!
I love that they play like kids as well!. They have some great imaginations for sure! :)
You have such beautiful goats!!! Watching your videos has made me want to get a couple Nigerians!!!! But such a commitment!!!! You do such a great job taking care of your herd!
Yes a commitment for sure! I love my goat life though!
Oh, CHANCE of reign.... you just made the cut ... (or maybe I should say "band"). I am so thoroughly please with this little buck!!! He actually IS teaching the other bucklings (soon to be wethers) proper goat manners :) ...at least in this Mama's eyes. I'm very proud to have Blue Cactus (and ancestors) in my goat herd! Thankful for this video today also. I've been teetering on the fence, but can't WAIT to see the improvement in my herd with CHANCE leading the way.
So so happy to hear he is doing well and passing on his manners!! 🤣🤣. He did just make the cut and so happy about that! He is one stunning little dude. If you decide to breed your does to him I'm sure he will appreciate it! Haha
Lodi is so precious!
Isnt she a doll!? Quite the little pill too but she is quickly becoming a favorite. She has so much personality lol
Good info for people just getting into Nigerian Dwarfs and what to look for. I''ll miss seeing Bindi since she's been in the breeding program.
I will miss her so much! :(
I continue to always learn so much from your videos. I started 2 yrs ago with 4 🐐, now I have 6 and you taught me about breeding and birthing. Now I’m learning what to look for in breeding my first NG doeling. Thank you so much!
So glad to hear that! Thank you for watching!!
Thank you so much for this video, it's like How to Breed Your Goat for the First Time for dummies in video form. It's extremely easy to understand and apply to even a new owner who is starting with their 1st goats. Both are beautiful and I am looking forward to seeing all of their babies! I'm not ready for goats but 1 day....😁
Thank you!
I loved the ending montage ❤️
Great video. Informative as always.
You posted your video of the day before my birthday 😊
Thank you so much!!! This clears it up for me! What's so funny is I have 2 doelings born 2/24/19 and 2/25/19 and the one born on the 25th is SO much smaller than the one on the 24th! After seeing this I know my larger doe will be ready this fall so yay! Gonna have to wait on the smaller one but like you are with Lodi, I am excited to see her develop and see what she will eventually produce.
I am sorry you're having to let Bindi and Laura go but I know you have a great home for them. I had tears!! I remember Bindi from way back! Hugs to you! What you said about running a ranch means making hard decisions sometimes and you are completely right. Keep the videos coming ❤
Thank you for the heartfelt comment and understanding that it's not always easy to make the decisions we make for the herd all the time! She will be missed!! Glad the video helped! Lodi did have a set back when she got sick but she was born so tiny! Just the cutest little thing! So she will just take more time:)
You are a wealth of information Crystal - have you ever thought of writing a book ?
I am looking forward to kidding season even before they are bred 😉
🐨🦘🐨🦘🐨
I have, yes. Lol. Thank you for that!
Crystal you always have had beautiful baby. You take care of them so well. I get very sad 😢 when you sale one. I know you must do what must be done. It been a long time since I've been here. Been sick. Thanks for sharing. Have a blessed day
So sorry to hear you have been sick!! Hope you are better now. It's hard to sell them sometimes but it's part of having a ranch. I would have thousands of goats if I kept them all lol
Bindi's new owner will have the nice advantage of obtaining a doe who is 'proven': kids easily, great milker, and not as much work/waiting before she produces.
Does the new owner have a buck in mind for Bindi?
The young doe will be a great companion for Bindi, too.
Nice win-win, Crystal!
You also mentioned obtaining another buck for your herd: it will be interesting to see who you choose : )
Yes, I agree. She had such a beautiful little doeling, lost to a freak accident this year.
They will be going to a great home! She has a small herd but looking to grow and improve. Not sure what plans she has for her breeding program. As far as a buck we will get. Not sure when but when the perfect boy pops up I will get him :)
OceanSwimmer I was so sad for her to give birth to a happy kid only for it to pass on due to her rolling over on it while resting after a very hard delivery. I do think they can feel depression. I wish her many happy births of Doelings.
PS we named our first ND Doeling Fancyfeet in honor of your wonderful teaching videos. And her feet are very fancy!
Lol! I miss my fancy feet!
Thanks Crystal ! I was going to wait to breed my girls until next year but sounds like they are ready! Thanks for the info
I am getting my first deo this week and the buck I will lend from my friend to breed her
Bindi and Laura have a home, yay!! It is hard to say goodbye but loving them is also letting them go. Congratulations to the new owners!! ❤️🤗🙏🏽 Hopefully when you see them in the show ring, it will be a great reunion.
The three wethers are definitely calming down. They will be happy to run with the herd. And get homes as wethers. Dexter will be happy as a companion goat for Lodi. Lodi can be a show goat till she is ready to breed. Training time Lodi. 🤗🤗🤗
Awesome video!!!🤗🙏🏽❤️
Yes, the girls will be going to a great home! You watch all the videos so I'm sure you could tell how much calmer the boys are now! It happens fast lol
Blue Cactus Dairy Goats yes those young bucks calmed down so quickly!! Working with teens in general is like dealing with testosterone on the umpteenth level!! Hahahahaha Edge needs his “package” to dry up more.
Bindi and Laura will be happy in their new home. Too bad you could not get updates on all the goats you sold, if their new owners would give you a short clip. It would be nice to know how Milla Rae is doing. :-)
This is perfect timing! My best mommy goats are due around xmas, and I have a feeling we will be casterating all of the boys... None of the bucklings sold last time.
We were very lucky with the good crop of buck kids we had this year! We sold most!
I just love your channel.. the editing is outta the world good. And yes those decisions are very hard to make. I know u have had bindi awhile. They become pets and family. Do u bring in new blood lines like a new buck..
Thank you!! Yes we bring in new blood from time to time. Everest was retained as buck to bring in some new. That being said, we like to keep our lines close and line breed.
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats thank u..I was just wondering how it worked and how often..I'm new to all this. I've watched your video's forever but just learning the breed aspect lol.. love your channel.. i watch all your video's..
Your children are so lucky to be living that life.
Excellent info, as usual. Blessings
Thanks Crystal for all your video's they are so helpfu and I love watching theml. I'm looking at breeding my young does for the first time an wasn't sure on age and weight.
How old are the boys you just banded? Great video!
They are 5 1/2 months old. Vlogust is almost over, I bet you both need a break!
Counting down the days!
Great video. We waiting till our kids get 60 pounds before we breed our kids. But they are Alpines too.
Yes. Your goats are probably 40 lbs much younger!
Blue Cactus Dairy Goats yeah my two twin daughter I kept are 55 and 61 pounds right now. They where born Feb 10th so they are almost ready.
My doe is 4 -1/2 years old. Is she too old to breed for the first time? I've heard their hips can fuse and it's dangerous after about 2. I would really appreciate your input on this issue. I got her to breed and have milk. Thank you for all you do! I always learn a lot from your videos and love seeing the kids too!
Ive never heard that. I would go ahead and breed her if she is healthy and big.
I used to live out there. Was stationed at Ft. Huachuca for a few years.
I just invested in two very nice does, that were born this March, and have been stressing if they are ready to be bred this fall. They are both 30+ pounds, but the thing is I didn't have to move my hand from side to side when feeling the thurls... They are at breeding weight, but is it ok if their thurl-to-thurl size is smaller than Abilene's at this moment? Thanks for all the great info! Super fitting for my current dilemma right now :)
I have lines with pretty good width! So really dont run into needing to hold off on breeding them at 7 months. A month or two older is a big size difference depending on when you breed. Do you have Nigerians?
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats Yes I do have Nigerians! Your goats are for sure super wide! Maybe I'm feeling the thurls in wrong spot, not sure. I'm going to breed them anyway though. One of the new girls I just bought is a Camanna doeling and the other is from Mini Prints, a smaller farm in Cali!
Well let us know how it goes! Keep in mind they grow a lot in size in the 5 months they are pregnant! They wont be delivering at the same size they were when they were bred :)
Blue Cactus Dairy Goats I definitely will! Thanks for the advice! You inspire me to run a Nigerian dwarf farm as successful as yours one day :)
Love your videos
Lovely 🥰
Sad i know , but she's a friend and you can keep up with them, thanks so much for this video i have a 5 month old doe that's smaller than the 4 month old doe, and a doe 1 yr old the 28th that's between the size of my 4 month old and the other 1yr and 1 1/2 yr olds
There are many factors to size per breeding. Hope the video helped!
Does the same thing apply to the bucks? I know they technically can do their “job” but will putting them with the girls be enough to motivate them to do it?
Not the same with a young buck. The issue there would be the size difference of the doe they would be trying to breed lol. Can they reach!?
How much do you sell your goats for? Do you band your milkers to dry them up? How long before breeding season do you quit milking?
I retained one of my March 2019 doeling's, the firstborn of a Quintuplet litter (as a result, smaller in size than others her age) and I'm planning on holding off until December 2019 or January 2020 to breed her, along with a December 2018 doeling. Its crazy, the quint doeling is the same size as the December doeling, even though the December one was only a Twin. Anyhoo, those two are still a bit too small to breed for my liking, however, I did just put a different December 2018 doeling in with a Buck for a March 2020 Kidding. I've had good luck with breeding at 10 months old for kidding's at 15 months old. It all does depend on size!
Yes!! Size varies lol. I like to breed at around 8 months old if they are to size. Only came into a couple instances I had to hold off.
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats I will definitely keep this in mind when evaluating my July 2019 Doeling's this spring.
Thanks! This is just the info I was looking for. How do you choose a buck for a young doeling? Any special considerations? Thank you 🐐
Quick question, my goat should be ready to breed with my sister's goat, anything I should be watching for during pregame
Have you ever had Does that had to deliver by cesarean? Their bodies just seem so right to be good at delivering babies.
Very happy to say I have never had that happen! In most cases they deliver just fine :)
so my does are 10 months old and are pretty big. So i guess i can breed them. right?
How big are your hands? When measuring thurl to thurl its hard to tell.
We were just looking at our girls yesteeday to make the same decions. This video helps so much. We're still trying to decide if one of the doelings is large enough or will be by Oct.
How old are your bucks before you breed them?
Glad it helped!! The bucks I dont worry about age as far as harm them. I just want to make sure they are old enough to do the deed as well as tall enough.usually at 4 to 5 months old they are food to go!
Here's hoping he is tall enough!!!
Do you use certain goats to breed or does it matter???? Or do you try and match them up accordingly to there coloring just curious it's intriguing to me
I have a couple does that are a year old but they seem so tiny. I would love to breed them but I’m thinking they are just too small. Will you ever breed the smaller one or just keep her as a pet?
Is it safe to breed 6 months old goat?? Give some suggestions
I know this video is 2 yrs ago , but why are milking goats like yours are so expensive ? At 65 all I want is for me and just maybe 4 h if the grandsons ( 2 ) maybe interested and that's it . Everyone who has the breed I'm interested in are " show goats " . I have not the money or the interest in Showing anything out side of maybe 4 h for the boys . Good information as always . Thank you .
Can I breed my goats 7 months after there last kidding or is that too soon?
Omg. Not Bindi!! Shes my favorite. 😭
What a difficult position to have to make that decision. I am so sad for you. And I'm hugging you through the computer.
Thank you!! ❤
Is it ok to breed a 6 month old goat if she’s over 40 lbs?
Did Laura buy Bindie from Prairie Wood.
Does it matter how big your hands are to reach from thurl to thurl? I'm only 14 and already have hands the size of my dad's hands😂. I know most women dont have hands as big as mine. Obviously my reach from my middle finger to my thumb is alot bigger than someone with smaller hands.
What are your thoughts on whether or not breeding at a young age may stunt the does growth? I know a few breeders who like to wait until at least 12-18 months to breed their does because they feel as though it allows time for optimal growth & development. Then I know others who go by weight and maturity/readiness.
Some who bred FF's at 3-4 years old with great results and some who've bred between 8-12 months old with great results as well.
Do you have scientific research or info on one vs the other? Which may be more beneficial?
If it helps, we have a 2 year old doe that we waited a full year to breed because we were worried about this too, and she ended up maturing very small. Made me wonder if the opposite is true. So this year im trying breeding earlier. I only just found this video this month but from this info it sounds like my 8 mo old is ready now
Are you talking about the bones you fell at the backside? i have a 6 month old that's smaller than my 4 month old
Not sure. You mean width from thurl to thurl? It is a main component I am looking for.
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats yes that;s what i'm trying to find out,
Does that mean they can't have babies or make babies I mean?
Do you weigh them on a scale or how do you weigh them?
I step on my scale and then weigh both of us on the scale lol
@@BlueCactusDairyGoats Didn't even think of that...lol
How old is too old to breed a buck
Bindi!!! 😭😭😭
How about a Pygmy?
Why don’t you just sell them so someone can use them for breeding!!
Sometimes its incredibly difficult to sell bucks and they're hard to keep too once full grown. People like to buy wethers for pets and goat companions.
Cheers for this, been searching for "boer goat husbandry" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Chloetey Boer Goatify - (search on google ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my co-worker got great results with it.
4 minutes of wasted time before you covered the subject
Go somewhere else then douche! 🤨 Sorry, not sorry, you'll never get that 4 minutes back 🤣🤣