Driveway mating : Exhausting for the driver

Acorn; prim and sedate when not on heat and shameless when she is.

Its quiet in the goat house now but on Friday evening it was bedlam. Acorn a normally sedate goat was on heat; calling, bleating, wagging her tail and mounting the other goats. There was no doubt she was on heat. Last time it only lasted 12 hours so I had to get organized to drive 250km to have her mated as soon as possible. I finished milking at 5.30am and loaded up.

Goats are much more sensible than sheep when travelling in a trailer, they lie down, ruminate and seem to enjoy the ride. Sheep on the other hand stand, push, jostle and shove  they look stressed and uncomfortable.

American goat breeders call this "driveway mating" you load up your goat, drive to the buck's place, unload her (in the drive way) the buck is brought out and mating is over in a few minutes.You load your doe again and set off home. Home at 6.00 pm for the evening milking. Perhaps it is better to own a buck or at least borrow one as we did last year.