The average goat gestation lasts 150 days, so a female goat could have two deliveries per year. If you're thinking of breeding goats, prepare yourself for an average of two kids per pregnancy. While that's the average, one to three kids per birth is perfectly normal.
Dairy Goat Kidding
In order to obtain milk from a goat, you have to breed her regularly. Otherwise, she's a "dry," or non-lactating doe. The average dairy goat gives birth to two kids per pregnancy. It's not uncommon for dairy goats to give birth to triplets. If you want to milk your goats, you must bottle-feed the kids after they receive colostrum from the mother within the first 24 hours of life. That important "first milk" transfers protective antibodies to the newborns.
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Writer Bio
Jane Meggitt has been a writer for more than 20 years. In addition to reporting for a major newspaper chain, she has been published in "Horse News," "Suburban Classic," "Hoof Beats," "Equine Journal" and other publications. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University and an Associate of Arts from the American Academy of Dramatics Arts, New York City.
