06/18/2026
Thursday ThoughtsâŚ
How do I choose which does to keep and which does to let go?
The first thing I look at is how many does of each age group do I want to keep? If you want to see how the goats you are breeding are turning out, you HAVE to retain doelings and freshen them yourself, at least once, twice is better. But you also HAVE to keep the older does that you know are solid, consistent producers who are going to be the foundation your herd stands upon. So, what is the best balance of both?
For me, I keep enough doelings to have 40% of my herd be FF the following year. I may upset some folks here, but I feel that in the vast majority of cases, yearlings should be able to freshen by 16 months old at the most. If they are from slow growing lines, thatâs a major strike against them for me. Remember, for me the goal is PRODUCTION. There are plenty of goats out there who can grow and mature quickly enough to kid at 12-16 months old. If a doeling needs an extra 10 months or a year or even more than that just to get to a decent size to breed, she will have a TON of work to do to catch up to the faster growing girls in lifetime production ability. She will have missed an entire year. And even when she does freshen, she will be a FF while the others are 2F and will struggle to make up any ground on the others. A family that needs milk for their table simply canât wait that long for her to catch up, even if she can surpass the fast growers unless she can surpass them by a lot!
Even if a doe can out produce her peers once she is a 2F or 3F, will she consistently be able to produce daughters who can? By keeping her, are you setting yourself up to have to wait on all the daughters and granddaughters every year too?
This goes out the window if the doeling canât be bred to kid before 18 months old if itâs because of a medical issue instead of genetic. Goats get sick! When kids get sick, their growth slows and I totally get that. If their family is known for fast growers and they need extra time due to recovery, they can slide with that. Or if they were born in May and I donât want summer or fall babies the next year, thatâs ok! She can just wait to get bred. Just so long as itâs not a genetic issue, that Iâm going to be fighting against in future generations. Also, in herds with a lot a variance in structure, a slow grower can âmake it up on the backsideâ and outlast the fast grower if their structure is better. A yearling who comes out hot and heavy right off the bat, but does not have the structure to last more than a few years, can be surpassed by a slow grower, but the conformational difference has to be significant, not something minor like so-and-soâs neck is an inch longer.
After looking at doelings, I keep enough yearlings that 30% of the herd will be 2F the next year. A yearling needs to show me SOMETHING in order to stay, but the phrase ânever judge a FF too harshlyâ is repeated over and over by many breeders with far more experience than I. If she was able to kid with relative ease and produce enough to feed those babies, then consistent enough to give me a decent lactation at a minimum, then she has earned her right to a second chance.
Itâs the second fresheners who face the harshest cut. The remaining 30% of the herd is for the girls who will be 3F and older. If a 2F wants to stay and join the âolder doesâ group the next year, she has to be serious. She has to show that she deserves a place in the foundation of the herd. Preferably, she has a yearling daughter or sister that is already showing promise too.
So, to summarize, when making cuts each year I am already planning the next yearâs kidding season to be 40% FF, 30% 2F, and 30% 3F and older. I felt I needed to go over this breakdown with yâall before I explain how I use milk test, production evals. and LA to make my cuts in each group.
If you do things differently, please share your thoughts!
Until next week, have a great day and thanks for following along!!!
