I struggled to get a good photo of her, because she was always either a) following me around or b) staring at and following the dogs around outside of the quarantine pen. The latter is what she was doing when I snapped this picture. So, since my picture stinks, here is one more that her breeder has given me permission to use:

My dad and I made an eight hour round-trip to Indiana to pick Joy up this past Sunday, after waiting three long months for circumstances to work out with her breeder where we could finally come get her. (They were in the process of moving from northern Indiana to Evansville.) I wasn’t really in the market when I purchased Joy back in August, but I could not pass this girl up when I happened upon her. Her pedigree is just incredible. Her sire is PGCH Brush Creek Smoking Gun (Caesar’s Villa FD Sugar Foot *S x Jeanne’s Jewel Opal) and her dam is Rosasharn SP Jump for Joy 6*D 6*M (ARMCH Rosasharn SW Saporro *S E x ARMCH Rosasharn TL Almond Joy 5*D 5*M). And that is just the tip of the iceberg! In all, Joy has 5 does in her four generation pedigree that have made it onto the Top Ten Breed List for milk production (not including her full littermate sister, Caprakoza SG Silent Night 7*D 7*M, who has also made the list).

Joy herself is just a beautiful doe with so many of the qualities I value. She is also such a well mannered sweetheart. She had to endure four hours of transport (in a large dog kennel that had to be assembled in the back of my car, no less — the heater broke on our van), but she was not phased. She stood very still to let us draw her blood for the pregnancy test and routine disease testing, and she settled right into her temporary home in our quarantine pen. She is not happy about being away from other goats, but no goat likes to be alone. It won’t be too long before she will get to meet her new herd.

And diversifying my herd just got a little more difficult. The only doe that was successfully bred is Coraline, who was bred to Bazinga. Can you guess what the common denominator was for the other failed breedings (at least five or six of them, though I’d have to look at my planner to know the exact number)?

Sigh.

The one factor that was the same for each failed breeding was my first homegrown bottle baby buck, Wybie.

This was to be his first year breeding, but apparently it is instead going to be his last year as a buck. I am considering having his fertility checked out, but with so many failed attempts, the point seems moot. He is healthy and up to date on all his mineral supplements, so there is no probable cause other than simple infertility. And since he was bred to several different does, the problem clearly does not rest with the does, either.

This is good news for Bazinga, because he is going to go on a lot more dates this year than originally planned! However, it’s not so good news for me. I didn’t want all of next year’s kids to be by the same buck, but now that is unavoidable with Wybie being infertile and Joy not conceiving before leaving her breeder’s. I will be purchasing a new herd sire next year, but for now Bazinga will have to get the job done all on his own. (I’m sure he won’t be complaining.)

I am glad I started breeding the does earlier than usual this year, because I at least have time to get most of the does bred to kid in April and May. I don’t want to have any summer babies, as the weather tends to just be too miserable at that time, so any does that don’t quite make the deadline will be bred to kid next fall.

Here’s to hoping, praying, crossing fingers, and doing a rain dance in hopes that my girls will cooperate with me this time!

Cheers