[nchen7]

So this will be my first year of breeding. The lady I got my goats from is nice enough to let us use one of her bucks. We have pick of two. Now, the difficulty is which to choose.

Here are the picture of my girls
http://www.thegoatspot.net/photo/albums/my-girls,-day-1-after-bolus-247.html

The white buck is proven, he's stinky and smelly. Didn't get a chance to see his daughters though, so no clue on udders. She said he's not much to look at but throws nice kids. We saw some, they were cute but couldn't see daughters in milk).

The black one is 11 months old, but he's smaller than my 8 month old. He was a bottle baby and very friendly, but doesn't smell bucky yet so not sure if he can get the job done or not... He is from one of the only goat dairies on the island (so....milking lines?)

Yes, they both look very rough, but these r some of the best looking goats and well taken care of goats on the island....

Which would u pick for my girls? I know they're not ideal, and there r pros and cons to each. We'll make our pick by the end of the week and pick one of them up next weekend.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[NyGoatMom]

For studding...I would go with the light one...are you sure they are not related to your girls if you got them from the same place?

 

[ksalvagno]

You may as well go for some color and use the younger one. If he can't get the job done than use Mr. Reliable.

 

[nchen7]

She made sure the white one is not related. She got him after my girls were born/bred. The white one throw colour too....we saw some of his little kids and they were white with light markings (no clue what the technical term is....)

 

[NyGoatMom]

The reason I said the white one is because he is more experiences for one, for two he is not as small...is the other one just smaller breed or is he not thrifty?

 

[Texaslass]

They don't look too healthy to me.... :/ Looks like they need copper badly, and groceries...

I personally like the conformation on the younger one much better. I would go with him if he can do the job.

 

[J.O.Y. Farm]

I like the younger one better too

 

[NyGoatMom]

LOL...shows what I know I also breed for meat,too though and am always thinking bigger....

 

[nchen7]

They're all quite small. She had 3 others in the pen same age as the black buckling and they were that size.

Yes Sarah, goats on island need much better nutrition. Believe it or not, these r some of the better ones (mine r the best, but I'm not biased. ). . The lady said the white one has been in rut and lost a lot of condition and is coming back...

 

[ptgoats45]

The dark buck does have the much nicer rump of the two, but bucks tend to get pretty steep when they are in rut. The white one looks like a Saanen or Saanen cross if he is throwing colored kids then he must carry the color (Sable) gene. Saanens are very heavy milkers so if you're wanting milk he'd probably be better there. The dark ones coloring is a lot like an Alpine, they are very good milkers too but if he is small genetically that won't really help you if you are wanting bigger goats.

 

[Texaslass]

I do believe it, and I'm sure yours are the best!!

 

[nchen7]

Oh, last piece of info my bf and I remembered, the white one came from the ministry of ag, who.....just breeds to breed....

I'm leaning towards the little black one bc he's from the biggest and oldest goat dairy on the island. Even tho I haven't seen his does, I presume (and this maybe the wrong presumption) he would breed for milk making abilities...

 

[Emzi00]

I like the conformation on the younger one best.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

The darker one looks better to me

 

[Scottyhorse]

I agree, the darker one looks nicer. With good feed and copper, etc, I think he would surprise you at how nice he actually is.

 

[nchen7]

ok, darker, younger it is!! I gave the orders to the bf to pick him up when he sees the lady later this week. anything I can do to get him a little healthier so he can get the deed done? i'm likely only keeping him for about a month (make sure everyone's pregnant before giving him back), and he'll be headed to freezer camp after.

i'm planning on giving loose minerals, add a bit of copper sulphate to the mix (I won't bother bolusing), and lots of good yummy food. what else can I do in a short period of time?

 

[NyGoatMom]

Congrats! How exciting I hope he gets the job done for you, nchen!

 

[nchen7]

hope so too! it's so stressful! and he looks SOO small (even in person). he was a bottle baby and still sucking on our fingers. terribly cute little guy. I bet he can do it. he'll need some coaxing from the ladies. hehe

 

[NyGoatMom]

Keep us posted!

 

[thegoatgirl]

Yeah, i would do the black-ish one to. Let us know how it works out!