Breeding. 161 



kidding, and the animal is seldom of much use for 

 milking after nine years old, though I have known 

 exceptions. The natural term of life is about twelve 

 years, but I have heard of one living to eighteen and 

 giving a pint of milk a day even at that age. 



.A.ge for Mating. 



In no domestic animal, I believe, is the instinct of 

 reproduction so early developed as in the goat, its 

 precocity being, indeed, almost incredible; thus I have 

 known instances of kids being mated at three months 

 old whilst still sucking their dams, and producing a live 

 kid in due course. If a young she-goat is kept with the 

 buck it is almost sure to come in season in September or 

 October, whether born the previous January or as late 

 as May or June, so that it is much better to keep quite 

 young stock separate from the male until they are old 

 enough to be allowed to breed. 



Before any attempt was made to improve the goat in 

 size and milk production it was a common practice to let 

 the doe have young when barely twelve months old, with 

 the consequence that many of them were of diminu- 

 tive size, having been thereby stunted in their growth. 

 The quantity of milk obtained in such cases is, as a rule, 

 very small, and the kids produced are often under- 

 sized. The earliest age at which a goatling* should have 

 access to the male is fifteen months, but for exhibition 

 purposes it is better to wait a month or two longer, to give 

 time for a more complete development of the frame before 

 the system has to undergo the drain upon it incidental 

 to pregnancy and subsequent lactation. Although this 

 may be at first more expensive, as the goat has to be 

 kept longer before making any return, it is probably the 



* A she-goat over one year and under two years old. 



M 



