# Keeping buck and doe together all the time



## redfarmhouse

If I am only going to keep a pair of Nigerian Dwarfs at pets but still want to have babies but not milk, is there a problem penning them together all the time.   When, if ever, would they need to be separated?  Or do I just need to get a couple of wethers as pets?  I have 6 ND but have decided not to keep that many and changed my mind about the whole milking thing.  I just have this one doe that the whole family LOVES!
Advice?


----------



## DonnaBelle

If you keep a doe and an intact buck together, you will have baby goats.  You can leave the baby with the mom and not bother to milk her and she will eventually wean the baby herself.

If you don't want babies, then run your little doe with a wether (a boy that's been castrated) and all you will ever have is 2 goats.

There's no need to separate them if you have a doe and a wether, or 2 wethers, or 2 does.

DonnaBelle


----------



## Julie_A

I run my Nubians together, but you need to keep a close eye on them to know when they breed, etc.


----------



## kstaven

No problem keeping a buck with a doe year round except timing of kids.

Our dairy herd always has the bucks running with them. Always surprising to see how good the bucks are with the kids.


----------



## Birchhatchery

what i have done in the past is let them run then when the doe bags up seperate her and put her in a seperate stall so she can be alone while she kids


----------



## 20kidsonhill

I have let them run together, the biggest problem in my opinion, is when you have doelings from a kidding, the buck breeding back 3 to 6 month old doelings that are too young to be handling a pregnancy. Either the buck would need to be taken out or the kids taken out. 

the next thing I have had problems with is the buck being a little too friendly with the doe when she goes into labor,  A buck can read this as a sign of heat and bother the doe that is in labor. But it hasn't been a problem every time.


----------



## manybirds

The doe would get pregnant again rite after kidding and everyone would smell bucky. u also wouldn't know when she got pregnant and therefore not know when she got pregnant and wouldn't be able to be there when she kidded causeing problems


----------



## kstaven

Goats aren't like cows. Most are seasonal breeders, so the odds of getting pregnant right after kidding are really slim and none with most breeds.

Bucks only really get bucky smelling during rut.


----------



## RainySunday

kstaven said:
			
		

> Goats aren't like cows. Most are seasonal breeders, so the odds of getting pregnant right after kidding are really slim and none with most breeds.
> 
> Bucks only really get bucky smelling during rut.


Actually, Nigerian Dwarfs are year-round breeders, so it can be an issue for them.


----------



## Julie_A

Birchhatchery said:
			
		

> what i have done in the past is let them run then when the doe bags up seperate her and put her in a seperate stall so she can be alone while she kids


This is exactly what I do.


----------



## TheMixedBag

I did it last year, I just paid close attention to the breeding date (the other doe was already bred), and kept her separate when she went into labor and for a couple days afterward. If you're careful about how you do it, it can be done.


----------



## manybirds

I personaly think it would just be easier and better to seperate them but it's completely up to you


----------



## drdoolittle

I am going to start breeding pygmies, and I think it is better to have a separate pen for the buck that way your doe will only get pregnant when you want her to, and you'll have a better idea of when she will kid.


----------



## tcmers

If you don't mind unknown breeding times, it shouldn't be a problem.  We prefer separate quarters, but have firends who run their bucks & does together without any major problems.


----------



## SDGsoap&dairy

kstaven said:
			
		

> Goats aren't like cows. Most are seasonal breeders, so the odds of getting pregnant right after kidding are really slim and none with most breeds.


Like someone else posted- Nigerians are not seasonal breeders.  They're willing and able to breed year round.  I also purchased a Nubian from someone who ran their herd together once- she was bred early in the season, kidded out in January, then was immediately rebred and kidded out again in June after I purchased her.  Talk about hard on a doe!  Not saying you can't run your buck with your does for parts of the year, but it's really only feasible when she's bred (but not the last month of gestation) or if you're ready to get her rebred.  That still leaves you with half the year they will need to live separately.


----------



## kstaven

I missed the nigerian part the first time around.


----------

