# Keeping Bucks



## Missmonty (Jan 29, 2019)

Hello all: 

Forgive me if this question is a "dumb question" we are looking into getting goats this spring and we are considering breeding. A big reason is we want a few goats to help us manage the property! (Well that's the excuse I'm telling my husband LOL) 

So I understand that when a doe is pregnant she should be separated from the buck. So for those who keep bucks do you keep him alone or how do you handle that? I wouldn't want him to be lonely so would getting a wether be good?


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 29, 2019)

Rather than keeping a buck and wether, consider keeping two bucks.

I don't like keeping bucks alone, they do better with a companion. When they are not rutting, our bucks LOVE each other and really enjoy the companionship of another buck.

Some bucks can be pretty terrible to wethers, constantly "using" and harassing them during rut. If you have another buck, it is "fair game" and they'll defend themselves. This would allow you to retain kids and already have a buck to breed too.
If you are paying for two males, it may as well be some that can produce for you. It costs about the same for feeding and management.


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## SonRise Acres (Jan 29, 2019)

We do two bucks as we don’t breed father to offspring. This allows Buck A to mate with Buck B’s offspring and Vice versa.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 29, 2019)

Missmonty said:


> A big reason is we want a few goats to help us manage the property! (Well that's the excuse I'm telling my husband LOL)


I agree with the above posters but I would like to go back to your first statement.
How big is the property?
What are you trying to manage?

Wethers are best suited for this. No need for breeding animals. There is a great deal more work and much more consideration in doing so.


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## GLENMAR (Jan 29, 2019)

My advise is start out with 2 wethers. See if they stay in your fence, and get used to goats first. Baby goats are cute, but a lot can go wrong that requires experience to care for.


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

Goat Whisperer said:


> Rather than keeping a buck and wether, consider keeping two bucks.
> 
> I don't like keeping bucks alone, they do better with a companion. When they are not rutting, our bucks LOVE each other and really enjoy the companionship of another buck.
> 
> ...





SonRise Acres said:


> We do two bucks as we don’t breed father to offspring. This allows Buck A to mate with Buck B’s offspring and Vice versa.



I like this idea, we have the space we could easily separate them if needed as well into their own paddocks if worst came to worst. Long term goals is to have a nice little breeding program going for the time my kids reach 4H age (the oldest is only a couple years off). I love goats and always have, I've been planning to add them since we bought the property 3+ years ago. I just would rather do things slow and steady and research. We are finally getting to the point I should be adding my first few goats this spring as we finished fencing this fall. So now I'm looking into the smaller details  



Southern by choice said:


> I agree with the above posters but I would like to go back to your first statement.
> How big is the property?
> What are you trying to manage?
> 
> Wethers are best suited for this. No need for breeding animals. There is a great deal more work and much more consideration in doing so.



We have 4 acres we own, super over grown around the edges. Roughly 2 acres fenced pasture and a couple stalls for bad weather (we actually have multiple out buildings on the property so tons of space for more stalls as we grow). We plan to get into showing and 4H down the road. I've bred and owned a variety of animals over the years.  



GLENMAR said:


> My advise is start out with 2 wethers. See if they stay in your fence, and get used to goats first. Baby goats are cute, but a lot can go wrong that requires experience to care for.



We are use to building fences that are animal proof. We have Siberian Huskies (not anywhere near where the goats will be) and we literally had to build a husky prison in the backyard! So I'm use to animals trying to go through, over, and under the fence! 

The main pasture is fenced with climb proof horse fencing and we plan to re-enforce it as needed but its pretty sturdy already and we're considering small breed goats.


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## OneFineAcre (Jan 30, 2019)

I have 8 bucks at this time.


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

OneFineAcre said:


> I have 8 bucks at this time.



I'm glad to know it can be done! I think I am use to stallion horses and intact male dogs that are just jerks around other intact males. I definitely have some space I can always separate as needed down the road. 

Do you guys think it will have better luck with raising two together versus getting adults? I don't really want siblings but getting two younger ones around the same age and size that way they grow up together.


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

Oh and I meant to add, we are looking at getting into breeding so not getting a buck and just getting wethers will be counter productive for us


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 30, 2019)

Missmonty said:


> Do you guys think it will have better luck with raising two together versus getting adults? I don't really want siblings but getting two younger ones around the same age and size that way they grow up together.


I would get two bucklings and raise them up together. Right now we only have 4 mature bucks, but we used to have a “buck herd” with 15+ bucks. They got along great, but we always brought in kids to raise up with the other bucks. We found the mature bucks were always more accepting of younger goats, rather than another mature buck. 

I think Nigerian bucks are by far easiest breed of buck to own.


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## OneFineAcre (Jan 30, 2019)

Probably best to get 2 young ones.


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

We are stuck between pygmies and nigerians but I think we are leaning more towards pygmy currently. I've tossed around the idea with down the road having more than one breed but for now it'll be one of the two. My original plan was to purchase early this spring just to make it easier on hay costs since we didn't buy any in the fall and hay is outrageously priced around here. 

Although the more I have researched it seems we will be after the majority of the kidding season then so I wonder if it would be harder to find what we are looking for or not


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## Latestarter (Jan 30, 2019)

If you're planning 4H and showing, you'll be wanting higher quality, papered animals. You should have been contacting registered breeders this past fall and deciding on what you want to place "hold deposits". You might be in a tough "take it or leave it" situation now as kidding season is upon us. I suggest you start making calls yesterday, or perhaps postpone on the long term plans another year, and just "make due" this year as a "learning experience".


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

Latestarter said:


> If you're planning 4H and showing, you'll be wanting higher quality, papered animals. You should have been contacting registered breeders this past fall and deciding on what you want to place "hold deposits". You might be in a tough "take it or leave it" situation now as kidding season is upon us. I suggest you start making calls yesterday, or perhaps postpone on the long term plans another year, and just "make due" this year as a "learning experience".



I will start reaching out. My oldest is still a couple years off showing so I most certainly have time when it comes to that thankfully. I'll see what we can find and go from there. I most certainly wouldn't be opposed to a couple unregistered right now and go from there. I know last time I started planning for 4H it didn't end well for me financially. I got rabbits for my niece to show in 4H, invested in high quality show rabbits and ended up with a pretty decent sized breeding program so she would have good choices for her show animals. Well then she lost interest and had no desire to do it. 

Good news with goats is I want them for me. So regardless if my kids do 4H with them I won't be up a creek if they decide to pick another path.


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## OneFineAcre (Jan 30, 2019)

Why are you leaning towards Pygmies?


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## OneFineAcre (Jan 30, 2019)

You'll be fine starting to looking in the spring.  That's definitely not a problem.


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

OneFineAcre said:


> Why are you leaning towards Pygmies?



Honest main reason is because I just like them. I have been around goats quite a bit in the past and I like them all but the pygmies were always my favorite. Then being a small size really helps since my kids are young. 

I have been reaching out to a couple breeders just to put my feelers out and it sounds like a lot of the breeders hold their doelings a little while to determine if they want to keep them or not.


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## Mini Horses (Jan 30, 2019)

Missmonty said:


> it sounds like a lot of the breeders hold their doelings a little while to determine if they want to keep them or not.




   We ALL hold them....it's to determine if we can "get by" with keeping them.     It's called goat math!    Be they registered or mutts.  You will seeee…….all this time you've been waiting to buy -- that tells you how goats affect you -- love! 

Just take your time and begin to visit breeder farms and see what fits your needs now.   If you feel you will ever want to milk, well those pygmies are short.    But, adorable!


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## Missmonty (Jan 30, 2019)

Mini Horses said:


> We ALL hold them....it's to determine if we can "get by" with keeping them.     It's called goat math!    Be they registered or mutts.  You will seeee…….all this time you've been waiting to buy -- that tells you how goats affect you -- love!
> 
> Just take your time and begin to visit breeder farms and see what fits your needs now.   If you feel you will ever want to milk, well those pygmies are short.    But, adorable!



Currently, I do not have any desire to milk them. Down the road that could change and if it does I can add to the farm at that point. We are also going to look into moving to more land in the next 5 years or so, we just want to put a dent in our mortgage before we decide to make any big changes again.


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 1, 2019)

Pygmies also have the smallest teats! A thumb and maybe, just maybe two fingers.


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 1, 2019)




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## Missmonty (Feb 1, 2019)

MiniSilkys said:


> View attachment 57709 View attachment 57710 View attachment 57711



Oh my goodness <3 They or gorgeous!


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 2, 2019)

Thank you! I am in the process myself of deciding if I want to add another pygmy buck or get a Nigerian dwarf buck. My pygmies only give me a few colors. Nigerians have all sorts.


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## Georgia Girl (Feb 19, 2019)

I have 4 goats , 1 buck, 1wether, 2 female Saanens, I bought a young male and kept him in with the other 3 goats, I kept him in an anti-mating apron for awhile as I wanted my Saanens to be of age and weight before breeding,  I keep them all together and they all get along fine, He is a very gentle male and even in rut he has no odor, he is disbudded.  Both of my does are pregnant almost 3 months and i still have not removed him.  I think bucks that are isolated are what makes them mean.  I am 74 and have no problems with him.  If he minds his manners, I will probably leave him with the does until they are about 4 months pregnant.  I have only had goats for about 1 1/2 years, so just my way, and what seems to be working for me.


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