# To keep a buck, or not to keep a buck, that is the question....



## marliah (Apr 5, 2012)

I have two Nigerian dwarf does, both are mostly for milk (also for yard cleanup duty) and one just kidded a beautiful little doe and buck. I am tossing around the idea of keeping the little buck as a buck for my other doe as hey are completely unrelated and this little boy has nice coloring and is pure Nigerian. Question is should I go to the trouble? I have a friend who keeps pygmys and I am able to take my girls to m anytime to visit his buck free of charge and he's a proven breeder. None of them are papered, so would Nigerian dwarfs be more worth my while to keep and sell or are Nigerian/Pygmy just as good? I read pygmys can be milked too, so I'm taking that into consideration where I would like to long term keep a couple killers on hand. At some point I will need replacement does and would hope to take them from my own kids.

Of course I want an excuse to keep a kid from my first kidding, but I do need to think this one through.....is it worth the trouble when I have a back I can use anytime free?

That's in advance!


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## beckyburkheart (Apr 5, 2012)

You would have to keep him apart if you didn't didn't want him breeding his sister and dam.  Is he worth that trouble to you? Is it fair to him to be locked away from the herd? or do you have two pastures where you can keep him with the other girl.


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 5, 2012)

I am loving my bucks but if I could find a reputable breeder around here with registered bucks, I would not keep my own.  The care and feed expenses, odor, and time they take to care for...I could definitely pass on that.  I know--it is SOOOOOOOOOO hard to say no to those sweet little furballs.  But it is probably the best thing to do if you are newer to goats and if you can get stud service elsewhere.  I just had to wether a little guy I just absolutely adore and he is leaving us Saturday to go to his new home   More babies will come....


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## Chirpy (Apr 5, 2012)

First - pygmies can be milked but they are not a milk (dairy) breed (Nigerians are) so you may be losing quality and quantity in your milking lines if you mix them with pygmies. 

Generally I'd, personally, recommend that most people don't keep bucks but...

As for keeping a buck:
1)  They need to be kept quite a ways from your girls as they will smell BADLY during breeding season and want those girls badly.
2)  They need good, solid, tall fencing to keep them from getting to those girls that they want so badly.
3) They can't be alone... they need another goat with them for company.  A wether makes a good buck companion.
4)  Bucks shouldn't be fed alfalfa hay, just straight grass due to potential UC issues.   Milk does do better with a good alfalfa hay; they don't have to have it but I have found that 
      my girls production literally does go up when they are on alfalfa over grass hay.
5) If you do have one buck... it might be worthwhile for you to get one that isn't related to either of your does so that you can breed to both of them.  Of course, you wouldn't
     be able to use that same buck in the future on his own kids; so keeping this little boy to breed to the one he's not related to might be a good idea too.  Then, you'd need to
     find (buy or whatever) another buck for this little boy's momma.


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## AdoptAPitBull (Apr 6, 2012)

Chirpy said:
			
		

> First - pygmies can be milked but they are not a milk (dairy) breed (Nigerians are) so you may be losing quality and quantity in your milking lines if you mix them with pygmies.
> 
> Generally I'd, personally, recommend that most people don't keep bucks but...
> 
> ...


This x2, especially about the buck smell. And they pee on you.


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 6, 2012)

I sort of neglected the second half of your post (sorry).  If you are keeping your goats as pets or even 4H animals, pygmy x Nigerians would be fine.  I actually have two people asking for buck service from my ND for their pygmys because they show them at the fair and like the outcomes from this cross.  Are these registered themselves?  

When we kept pygmies, we milked them and did pretty well.  We had enough milk for our family of five from two milking does.  Their milk was sweet tasting and milk.  On the otherhand, Nigerians are a real dairy breed and if you are wanting lots of rich milk, pure ND is probably the way to go.  

Perhaps what you could do, if you are leaning towards getting a buck, is post an add to trade your buckling for one of comparable quality that is not related to any of your does.  That way, you could use him to breed them all and not be left looking for a ND to service mom.  You would need separate housing, another buck or wether for company, and have to want to take on the extra work of taking care of two more goats who are going to be kind of stinky and want to get you stinky too  

Last might, my ten year old came in the house and plopped himself down in the kitchen-I walked aver to kiss the top of his head and promptly gagged-he just smirked and confessed he had been playing with the boys, petting them and letting them snuggle up with him in the barn---into the shower he went and clothes were dropped on the back porch.


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## that's*satyrical (Apr 6, 2012)

I love the convenience of having my own buck on site. Seems like it would be a pain to try to schedule breedings around heat schedules & we are out in the boonies so it would be a drive back & forth as well. I would think that would be kind of stressful on the doe too. Also a lot of people have stopped studding their bucks out due to disease concerns. Ideally AI would rock, but you need an expensive nitrogen tank for that.


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## drdoolittle (Apr 6, 2012)

Well, I actually have 3 bucks right now!  One is a registered ND and I was told the other 2 are pygmy crosses, but I believe they are actually NDs also.  3 of my does are my pygmy, one a pygmy/ND cross, and 2 are ND.  I think pygmy/ND crosses are fairly common, and probably sell o.k.  It's really up to you as far as what you want to do with your herd.  

I really don't think bucks stink----it's kind of a musky smell-----but I'm probably just weird (I also don't think the odor of my pot belly boar is that bad either).  I don't think it's that much work to keep a buck---if you have the room.  My buck pen is 16' x 16' and is located inside my larger pen-----so their in view of and can see and somewhat interact with the does.  The fencing on three sides is cattle panels and the outer side is 2" x 4" farm fence on a wooden fence made from landscape timbers---it's 4' high.  I haven't had any trouble with them going over the fence.

Anyway, good luck no matter what you decide to do.


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## Renegade (Apr 7, 2012)

Chirpy said:
			
		

> -
> As for keeping a buck:
> 
> 
> 4)  Bucks shouldn't be fed alfalfa hay, just straight grass due to potential UC issues.


This statement is incorrect. UC in goats is caused by an incorrect balance of calcium/phosphorous. It happens when the phosphorous is too high. Alfalfa is high in calcium.

Donna Finley
Finley Boers


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## that's*satyrical (Apr 9, 2012)

Renegade said:
			
		

> Chirpy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Strange it says this in the Storey's guide to Raising Dairy Goats too. They also said that white clover was toxic to goats which I found to be untrue. I did end up with the older version (2001) but it's not THAT old. It also says Nigies can't be registered ADGA funny how recent that change is lol.  My bucks get alfalfa mix.


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## Renegade (Apr 9, 2012)

I have seen a few books that tell people not to feed alfalfa to bucks. Makes me want to burn them.

Here are a few references:

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/urincalc.html 

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/urinarycalculi/preventingurinarycalculi.pdf 

Caution on this one it has a few necropsy photos:

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/urinarycalculi/urinarycalculi.pdf 


Donna


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