Hi - We are finally going to bite the bullet and get a buck. We have a small herd of nubians (7) that we breed for milk and have some questions. We are going to have to expand our goat pen or build the buck his own area and are trying to figure out the best plan. We have a female who has not been able to get pregnant for 3 years, so our first question is will it work to have her with him as a companion if he has his own pen? She is pretty big and bossy. Our next question is would it be better to have him with the does and use a buck apron so he will not breed with does unless we want him to? We would love to hear about other folks experiences. Thanks so much!
Buck Questions
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I have 4 Bucks two are still babies so they can stay with the girls and at the moment my other to grown bucks are with the girls because non of my girls are bred but
I was hoping they were but they aren't so the bucks are doing their job but after that they will be put in another pen some time in a few weeks. Just because she has never been bred doesn't mean she cant get bred. If you don't want him to be alone you could get a wether! Or get two bucks? Also you could get your doe tested for being a john!
I was hoping they were but they aren't so the bucks are doing their job but after that they will be put in another pen some time in a few weeks. Just because she has never been bred doesn't mean she cant get bred. If you don't want him to be alone you could get a wether! Or get two bucks? Also you could get your doe tested for being a john!
I'm also looking in to trying out a buck apron. but I don't know it seems like it would be uncomfortable
Hi. I dont have dairy..I have meat goats. My 2 Fullblood reg. Bucks are in their own pen with a Fullblood Myotonic Buck. I have 4 aprons from House of Bacchus. Any buck over 8 weeks wears the aprons. I love the aprons, I dont have ooooops with them on. I purchased the ones with the shoulder straps. It holds the apron in center.
My bucks are not allowed with my pregnant does once they are 3 months into the pregnancy. With or without an apron. The doe gets big, and has a seasonal smell with any discharge, and the buck thinks its breeding time. So heres this big preggo doe running away from lover boy. So..i remove lover boy.
Not all bucks are nice to wee ones. Some are deadly, some are not. So as long as my wee ones are 3 months or older, ill let Dad, with an apron on, visit his family. Most of the time my boys like it alone with.just boys. The does are easier to be with, as long as the boys out of their pasture.
Hope this helps.
My bucks are not allowed with my pregnant does once they are 3 months into the pregnancy. With or without an apron. The doe gets big, and has a seasonal smell with any discharge, and the buck thinks its breeding time. So heres this big preggo doe running away from lover boy. So..i remove lover boy.
Not all bucks are nice to wee ones. Some are deadly, some are not. So as long as my wee ones are 3 months or older, ill let Dad, with an apron on, visit his family. Most of the time my boys like it alone with.just boys. The does are easier to be with, as long as the boys out of their pasture.
Hope this helps.
(Some are deadly, some are not.) My buck Gizmo is mean sometimes to my other grown buck but NEVER has he ever hit a baby boy or girl and I love him for that! Also he is my big baby lol
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If you are planning on getting a standard buck you want to make sure he behaves. Study goat behavior and make sure that he respects you, you will have to be the strict parent and start young. You dont want 200lbs of aggressive buck.
Make sure he is negative for any diseases.
I agree with what the others said, keep him away from the girls once bred. A wether companion might be best.
Make sure he is negative for any diseases.
I agree with what the others said, keep him away from the girls once bred. A wether companion might be best.
Thanks this helps a lot! I think it makes sense to get the apron but to have a place that he can spend some time away from the does. I had not thought about him bothering them when they were in the later stages of pregnancy!
We are planning to get him young so that he learns to like and respect people. He is also from a clean herd. Now I am wondering about if we should test our doe or get him a wether friend.
How do you test to see if she is a john? Is it a blood test?
Yes it is a blood test! here this link may help you!
Goat Johne's Testing | Sage Ag Labs
Goat Submission Form Johne’s disease is a chronic, debilitating enteritis of ruminants caused by infection with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (MAP). During the active stage of the infection and prior to onset of clinical disease, animals generally develop antibodies to M. paratuberculosis...
I didn't realize you meant Johne's disease - we did test her and she was negative. We tried A.I. this year with our does and we couldn't get the speculum into her and there was some blood on the end when we tried. This is why we don't think she is able to get pregnant.Yes it is a blood test! here this may help you!
Goat Johne's Testing | Sage Ag Labs
Goat Submission Form Johne’s disease is a chronic, debilitating enteritis of ruminants caused by infection with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (MAP). During the active stage of the infection and prior to onset of clinical disease, animals generally develop antibodies to M. paratuberculosis...sageaglab.com
Oh ok. Maybe you should find her a home? Or are you very attached to her?
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I haven't been doing this for very long yet, but here are a couple thoughts you might find helpful:
Buck scent can put a flavor in your milk. Some dairy people say it doesn't affect their does' milk flavor to have a buck nearby, but I definitely notice a difference! So I keep my buck downwind from my does.
Keeping a doe with your buck could be rough on the doe. Even if she can't be bred, that might not stop the buck from endlessly chasing her down and trying to breed her. When the hormones are raging, bucks will even try to breed other males. This will depend a lot on the temperaments of the goats involved here, but it's something to be mindful of. A wether might be a better fit for a companion.
I like that you don't want your buck to have to live alone. He will likely be much happier with a buddy!
Buck scent can put a flavor in your milk. Some dairy people say it doesn't affect their does' milk flavor to have a buck nearby, but I definitely notice a difference! So I keep my buck downwind from my does.
Keeping a doe with your buck could be rough on the doe. Even if she can't be bred, that might not stop the buck from endlessly chasing her down and trying to breed her. When the hormones are raging, bucks will even try to breed other males. This will depend a lot on the temperaments of the goats involved here, but it's something to be mindful of. A wether might be a better fit for a companion.
I like that you don't want your buck to have to live alone. He will likely be much happier with a buddy!
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When deciding if a hermaphrodite is a good candidate to live with a buck you need to consider its features. If it has an odd shaped vulva theres a chance buck might hurt his peen trying to mate with them. If your hermi is more buck then doe that would be your best bet.
Oh i had a buck try to breed a doe that wasn't in and he would not stop until there was blood so probably a good idea to not have a doe with him
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