What is the typical age that a breeding buck can start producing kids. I know that people have said - "pull your intact bucklings out of the doe pen by 2 months", but when are they "typically" ready for breeding??
I like to wait until they're at least 7 months. I like to keep my young bucks around the "experienced" bucks so they can teach them their ways. I actually have my camanna and my CTC buck in the pen with the bigger bucks. The adults are always flirting w/ the girls and putting "perfume" on and i've noticed that the younger guys have DEFINATELY started showing interest in the girls and are acting like bucks. I definately want to wait unitl they're around 7 months, just my opinion, I'm sure breeding them before then wouldn't hurt though.
The problem that I am running into is Turner. He is a 29 July baby. I don't want to have to purchase another buck for my girls if I don't have to, but I don't want late babies again this next year
6 months tends to be when they get the hang of it, though some bucklings can breed younger in most cases they are shooting blanks or not dominant enough to persue the older does. I have not had persona experience except with bucklings up to 3 months old. But I have surmised this from accounts of bucklings and bucks and wether or not they get the job done
If you only have a few does to breed and he can do it, then that would be okay, if it were me. Our sire born last year, a late June buckling. His first kids were born June 18, 2008 a few days before he turned a year old. We tried to use a March buckling this year. He bred two does in August, but one just came back into heat today, so I bred her to Royal Blue. The other girl the young buck bred, haven't seen her cycle since, but we'll see. . . .
Ours try at about 3 months, but are actually breeding at 5-although we like to wait until about 7 mos.they are boers though-
Is he a nigie? We had a 3 month old ND buckling get through the fence once after a doe in heat and he couldn't have been "busy" more than a couple seconds before I was out of the barn and grabbing him off her. She freshened 5 months later. He was a sire with kids in the ground well before his 1st b-day. :hair: I think alot will depend on your girls. A really aggressive doe will scare a timid buckling even if she is in a strong heat but if your girls are cooperative and don't threaten him and he is not an extremely late bloomer, you could probably get away with just using him this year. Kristen
Allison...if he is doing all those lovely bucky things...he can get the job done. My Hank was 4 months old when he bred all 3 of my girls...babies were born late January and February and he turned a year old in April. Chief wasn't super bucky last year...just starting out...he bred Bootsie and Angel at 7 months old. If you can let him "be the only one" with this little herd, it will help then he won't have to "fight" for his girls
one thing you will want to do is introduce him to other bigger goats so he isnt itimidated by them. I know he was your bottle baby so that is why I mention this
I totally agree Stacey.....Chief was a bottle baby also....I got hm a week after he was weaned but continued to give him a daily bottle, he was with the girls so Hank couldn't "abuse" him, but when he sarted to be bucky I separated him to be near Hank but not with him....he did well with the transition but still manage to breed Angel thru the fence..the stinker. Allison...even if you gave him supervised time with the chosen girls.....away from the bigger goats he'll be more used to tem and confident enough to know what he needs to do. :wink:
Ok, so Turner has been with the herd for about a month now - running with the girls and learning to be a goat first and formost. He has "tried" the humping thing but he is so young (2 months old now). We are supposed to be building a "buck" pen hopefully this weekend, but I am going to try to bring the new nubian buck home this weekend also, so that he can "be in with a buck" and hear what it is to romance a lady! LOL! I appriciate all your help, and I guess when he is ready, he is ready! LOL! Even if he was 7 months when he breeds that would be February and the kids owuld be due in July - that isn't so bad.
