# How to manage buck goat musk...



## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Hey guys,

I just found the perfect buck for my girls. He is a real beauty and just the right size...the problem? Well as all you goat owners out there know, boy goats stink, terribly, it's just part of being a boy goat and while I'm not too terribly put of by it my mom is (she can't stand it). So I'm here to ask what is probably a rather silly question, Is there anyway to lessen a male goats natural musky odor? I mean, is there anyway at all to keep the way they smell from being less offensive (without whethering them of course).

Because if I can't find a way I might never have the chance to taste goat milk or ever see a little baby goat face on my land...ever.

Thanks in advance for any and all input. I don't really care if the answers are a little silly (because to be honest the question is a little silly in itself  ) I'm willing to try about anything.


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## ksalvagno (Aug 27, 2012)

House him away from the house. You could bathe him once a week.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Awesome suggestion but not possible :/ . If we do get him the only pen available will be right up near the house, which is why the smell is such a big deal *sigh* . But the bathing part sounds good


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

Splash some cologne on him. lol
I can't think of anyway to make them smell less. Sorry.


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## Stacykins (Aug 27, 2012)

If he has a beard you can trim it off. At least he won't be waving around his pee soaked man face fuzz. Or dipping it into his water, getting his water all icky.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> Splash some cologne on him. lol
> I can't think of anyway to make them smell less. Sorry.


Lol, I was actually just considering this  (nah  )  I don't know...maybe I could try to find some kind of sweet smelling goat safe leave-in conditioner out there...of course then it might just end up smelling twice as bad


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Stacykins said:
			
		

> If he has a beard you can trim it off. At least he won't be waving around his pee soaked man face fuzz. Or dipping it into his water, getting his water all icky.


Sounds good, he does have a beard in the picture so that is definitely something I will keep in mind.


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## lilhill (Aug 27, 2012)

You do know that won't work, right?


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

Bucks smell in rut due to their peeing. They pee on their face, beard, legs, chest, ect. Their gonna stink no matter what.


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## SheepGirl (Aug 27, 2012)

LadyIsabelle2011 said:
			
		

> Awesome suggestion but not possible :/ . If we do get him the only pen available will be right up near the house, which is why the smell is such a big deal *sigh* . But the bathing part sounds good


Can you put him where your does are and move your does to the pen near your house? That way he's not as close.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

lilhill said:
			
		

> You do know that won't work, right?


Lol, yeah I know. Which is why I mentioned it smelling twice as bad. Usually with smells like that trying to "cover it" makes it worse   and even then most perfume containing products would irritate the goats skin :/ So yeah, I know it's a big no no. 

I just mentioned shaving the little guys beard and belly fur to my mom(you know, so that there is less surface area for the "stink" to accumulate. She loosened up a little bit but is still holding strong.

Sigh*


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

I hope you get a buck. My favorite goats are bucks. Bucks are the best even though I love my does too.


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## terrilhb (Aug 27, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> I hope you get a buck. My favorite goats are bucks. Bucks are the best even though I love my does too.


X2


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> I hope you get a buck. My favorite goats are bucks. Bucks are the best even though I love my does too.


Yeah, me too. We had a buck once. He was the first goat I ever actually owned (there was one before but that was when I was really young) He was a really handsome and sweet guy but my parents were tired of me coming in the house smelling like a buck which is why we ended re-homing him to a woman who had a big property. After that I convinced my parents to get me a pair of does (which they love). Now I want to breed my girls but am having difficulty finding the right buck and setting up a date in time so I just figured we would by pass all that confusion and get another buck, on the condition that his smell can be kept under control with out taking too much time away from school...

But, it's looking like that isn't going to happen. I'm really disappointed but it's probably the best. *sigh*

Besides my parents the biggest issue is our neighbors who aren't really animal people :/


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## marlowmanor (Aug 27, 2012)

Is there no way that you could rent a buck long enough to get your girls bred? Then you only have to tolerate the buck smell for a short period of time (a month or 2) and then you can return him to his owner and your girls are bred. Or could you find someone that will let you board your does with a buck for a specified time to get them bred then you wouldn't even have to deal with a buck. I'm taking my doe to hang out with a buck for a month at the end of this month so she can be bred.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> LadyIsabelle2011 said:
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It's an idea but the girls pen is actually our back yard( literally our backyard herd  ), so the smell problem still stands. 

Too bad there isn't actually a way to keep a buck from peeing all over himself in the first place :/


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

Rent a buck in a few months. That way he'll be out of rut and won't smell.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

marlowmanor said:
			
		

> Is there no way that you could rent a buck long enough to get your girls bred? Then you only have to tolerate the buck smell for a short period of time (a month or 2) and then you can return him to his owner and your girls are bred. Or could you find someone that will let you board your does with a buck for a specified time to get them bred then you wouldn't even have to deal with a buck. I'm taking my doe to hang out with a buck for a month at the end of this month so she can be bred.


Just spoke with my mom on it and she sounded much more open to the idea  She actually looked a little relieved  ...Now to just find a good buck. Too bad the one in the ad isn't being rented out, he really is just what I've been looking for


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

Buy him, use him on your does, and resell him or eat him. lol


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> Buy him, use him on your does, and resell him or eat him. lol


Thank you Straw Hat,

It's a good idea but in the end I just wouldn't be able to kill him (he was raised by a kid and for some reason that just makes it feel wrong) and my mom is convinced that once he is on the property we won't be able to get rid of him 

I will just have to find a buck that is actually being leased out or someone who is willing to lease, or willing to let my doe's on his property for a month. It may be the only way *sigh*

Again thanks for the advice everyone


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Well I showed her the pics of the goat and explained to her why I like him so much, she seemed to soften up a bit when she got a good look at him  

Here is the link to the ad.

Does he look like a hard buck to re-home?

Also (just in case I can find some way to put her mind at ease)

Does he look like a good buck to breed in the first place? I think he is gorgeous but maybe you guys will be able to see something I can't (I have a small amount of hope that this will work out  ...it's small but it's hope  )

http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/grd/3223345432.html


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

Really hard to tell from those angles. He looks very pretty but a bit thin.


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Yeah, he does look a little on the thin side but if all he needs is a little extra nourishment I think I could help him put on some weight  ...


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

LadyIsabelle2011 said:
			
		

> Yeah, he does look a little on the thin side but if all he needs is a little extra nourishment I think I could help him put on some weight  ...


Yeah, I would think that it would still be ok if he a bit thin, if that is all it is....


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 27, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> LadyIsabelle2011 said:
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Hmmmm, true, I don't mind bringing a thin goat home but I can't afford a sick one :/ 


*blink* um...is it just me or does he appear to missing something in that last photo  The person didn't mention him being a whether, I called and they said he was going through normal rut right now but *blink* but it sure does look like it


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Aug 27, 2012)

LadyIsabelle2011 said:
			
		

> Because if I can't find a way I might never have the chance to taste goat milk or ever see a little baby goat face on my land...ever.


OK my Q is, why do you HAVE to OWN the buck to have a goat kid on your land? 

Weekly bathes is all I can think of that would help other then mayber shaving him???


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Aug 27, 2012)

LadyIsabelle2011 said:
			
		

> Straw Hat Kikos said:
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Um, ya he does look like hes missing a thing... well, 2 things... He LOOKS like a buck, but he doesnt have, buck parts, it looks like!


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 27, 2012)

It does seem that way. And if he did they would be awfully small. I might have to take a pass or ask for some better pictures...


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## ragdollcatlady (Aug 27, 2012)

I think he is very thin....and missing some necessary parts.....my baby bucks man parts are hanging mighty low but I don't see any low riders in those pics.....


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Aug 28, 2012)

Just so I can look back and see the pictures

Maybe they swung forward, the pic was taken, then they swung back?


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## Hickoryneck (Aug 28, 2012)

If you are still interested in him ask if he has um his family jewels still intact  He looks young which is good younger bucks are not quite as bad as more mature bucks but they still smell horrible!!! My boy smells way more then he did last year when he was still a kid and next year as a 2.5 year old he will smell even more.

The smell is called Musk which is a bucks love smell to attract the ladies and it comes from musk glands on his head they are located right behind his horns Some people claim disbudding can help with the odor levels since you end up burning a bit of the glands with the disbudding iron when you burn a buckling horns so in theory a Horned or Polled buck will smell more then a Disbudded one.

Right now I have a young buck (born 1-2011) this is his second season he is disbudded I just penned him up far from the house and moved the girls to the back pasture he was trying to bring them into season by rubbing his head all over them to cover their scent with his (this is to keep away competition) and he had started mounting them and doing sniff checks (a buck can tell if a doe is close to being ready to come in by smelling her urine as she is peeing yes it's gross ) He has not been peeing on himself yet and already he smells so bad it isn't even funny! If he was allowed to run with the does full time he would not be quite as strong smelling and once every doe is bred he will slowly come out of rut and smell better but only if there are no other open does within a mile. In the off season a buck will smell like a regular goat 

If I was in your shoes I would not buy any buck! sorry but if the goats are that close to your house it will be rough on your family and visitors he will rub his head on everything in the yard he can and his scent will linger for a week or so once he is gone you cannot count on selling a buck really quick unless you sell him dirt cheap for meat he is horned and unregistered around here he would take time to sell if you wanted him to go to a breeding home vs someone's plate, If you do not mind someone eating him or if he goes to a unknown place when you are done then find a livestock Auction house and see if they will still have auctions in a few months and if they accept goats.

If I was you I would keep looking until I found someone who offered stud service by leasing or boarding. 

I love bucks my guy is the sweetest goat I own he is sad right now since we do not pet him much this time of year (when you pet a buck it gets on your skin and clothes and lingers until you scrub it off some people wear coveralls and muckboots in their buck pens then change before coming in the house) I am fairly lucky to own just enough land to be able to have the space to keep him out of the backyard


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 28, 2012)

> Some people claim disbudding can help with the odor levels since you end up burning a bit of the glands with the disbudding iron when you burn a buckling horns


Actually this is true. Their scent glands are located right behind their horn. If you disbud then use the corner of the iron and burn right behind the horns and that cauterizes the scent glands so he doesn't stink.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 28, 2012)

I am no help, with 4 large breed bucks on our 6 acres, and breeding season upon us, my entire yard smells like bucks. On the bright side, It does get a little better once every one is bred. Washing them does help for a little while, Of course it is kind of hard to bath them in the cooler months.


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## ThornyRidgeII (Aug 28, 2012)

ummm he looks like a wether to me.. with that last picture of him standing I cannot believe his man goods would be hidden and or that small.. plus he doesn't appear to be growing out the hair in areas that bucks get shaggy in even at a younger age.. i.e. the shagginess down back and cape/shoulders..  he is a handsome boy and appears friendly!  I would be put off by his wicked horns - I don't nor have I ever had horns in my herd so I would be terrified, however a lot of folks get along fine with some extra caution!  As far as getting rid of  or reducing buck smell.. good luck.. I find it does become an acquired smell.. doesn't bother me much at all anymore.. know too that nigies can and rut typically year round if around a doe that is in heat but they also tend to stink more mainly in the fall.. if truly a buck and if he is around does or in any proximity they will become disgusting in a very short time.. the loud blubbering and snorting, the constant peeing and the increased aggression are common.. I have a beautiful white/cream guy that turns the color of butterscotch by the time early winter sets in.. by spring he is sparkly white again.. amazing how that crusty pee vanishes!  I love my boys.. have 4 intact bucks  so stinkin friendly.. just have to learn to love eau de buck!


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## LadyIsabelle2011 (Aug 29, 2012)

ThornyRidgeII said:
			
		

> ummm he looks like a wether to me.. with that last picture of him standing I cannot believe his man goods would be hidden and or that small.. plus he doesn't appear to be growing out the hair in areas that bucks get shaggy in even at a younger age.. i.e. the shagginess down back and cape/shoulders..  he is a handsome boy and appears friendly!  I would be put off by his wicked horns - I don't nor have I ever had horns in my herd so I would be terrified, however a lot of folks get along fine with some extra caution!  As far as getting rid of  or reducing buck smell.. good luck.. I find it does become an acquired smell.. doesn't bother me much at all anymore.. know too that nigies can and rut typically year round if around a doe that is in heat but they also tend to stink more mainly in the fall.. if truly a buck and if he is around does or in any proximity they will become disgusting in a very short time.. the loud blubbering and snorting, the constant peeing and the increased aggression are common.. I have a beautiful white/cream guy that turns the color of butterscotch by the time early winter sets in.. by spring he is sparkly white again.. amazing how that crusty pee vanishes!  I love my boys.. have 4 intact bucks  so stinkin friendly.. just have to learn to love eau de buck!


Yeah, I think I'm going to let this guy pass. The horns were also a little concerning to us even though one of my girls has horns they aren't nearly the size of that guys >.< We are actually thinking on taking the girls back to the place where we got them, it's a bit of a drive but I remember the old guy being very friendly. I don't doubt he would let the girls hang out for a few weeks.  Now if only I could find his number again :/


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## Queen Mum (Aug 30, 2012)

Make him an olor. It's a "waistcoat" for boy goats.  Change it regularly.  That way, when he tries to pee on himself, it will hit the olor and not his face or legs.  That will reduce the smell considerably.   As for male horns, they are much larger than females horns.  They are rarely a problem if the goat is properly trained and socialized.  I have 5 males all with horns.  I have never had a problem.  The Nigerians are so small, why worry.  AND you can put bicycle handlebar grips on the tips which eliminates the problem of tip injuries.


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## Catahoula (Aug 30, 2012)

I know what a buck in rut smell like now.  Visited my breeder and smelled it.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 30, 2012)

Catahoula said:
			
		

> I know what a buck in rut smell like now.  Visited my breeder and smelled it.


haha and sometimes you can taste it. hehe


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## HankTheTank (Aug 30, 2012)

Try a WET buck in rut! It takes the whole "wet dog smell" to a whole new level


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## SkyWarrior (Aug 30, 2012)

Since I've had so many sinus infections, my sense of smell is diminished.  Maybe something good came out of that all along!


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## Pearce Pastures (Aug 31, 2012)

Yeah, I have gotten a little more used to the smell after getting my own guys (before, when we had our girls bred to someone else's buck, it knocked about knocked my socks off).  But RUT STANK!!!  I walked out of my front door a few days ago and it was a wave of YUCK, and my barn is not right next to the house.  They are getting a bath this weekend and we will be cleaning out their waste hay  and burning it in case that is helping to hold the smell around too. They are still so sweet though but I am going to pass on the snuggles for now


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