Breeding season for us ended yesterday without any unexpected surprises. In about 60 days, we will run a clean up buck in the herd to catch any does that might not have been bred and to impregnate some doelings too small to have bred in September.
A clean up buck is a good way to make sure all your does are bred. There needs to be enough time between the first breeding and the second round to know who produced the kids. Sometimes we only wait about 30 days or so before running the second buck. This year we don't want to breed the doelings until Christmas time so we will just wait to run the clean buck in December. We won't use a second buck on the doelings. If they don't take, then it means they probably weren't quite mature enough anyway.
There is always a sense of anticipation over the next few months. You wonder if the crosses you selected will turn out as hoped and planned. As winter approaches, it nice to have something to look forward to. Spring with kids is the non-monetary reward for a goat rancher!