# Do I keep buckling a buck?



## momof2redheads (May 5, 2014)

I was wondering if anyone can tell me what having a buck truly means?  I have a 3 week old buckling who I am bottle feeding.  He is just gorgeous!  He comes from a great line of milkers.

Most of my friends "borrow" bucks because of the buck smell, buck behavior and so on.  I have never been around a buck so I don't know what they are referring to?

Could you please provide some insight to aid in my decision of buck or not?

Thank you!!!!


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## SA Farm (May 5, 2014)

We had a buck here once that smelled so bad, my entire property stank. We couldn't open any windows he smelled so bad. That said, I've had two other bucks that I never even noticed the smell of outside of petting them or being enclosed in a small area with them, so it does seem to vary and some are definitely worse than others!
Behavior-wise, I've only found that they can be a handful during rut. The rest of the time they're pretty good in my experience.


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## elevan (May 5, 2014)

x2  It's an individual goat to goat experience.  It also depends on your tolerance level...how do you feel about an animal that pees all over it's self including it's own face and mouth?


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## momof2redheads (May 5, 2014)

That's what I have heard.  Do they do it all the time or during breeding season?


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## OneFineAcre (May 5, 2014)

momof2redheads said:


> That's what I have heard.  Do they do it all the time or during breeding season?



Starting in Aug-Sept through Dec.
Rest of the time mine are like little puppy dogs.  Sweet, friendly, and get along better than the does.


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## ragdollcatlady (May 5, 2014)

I absolutely love my bucks!!!  They are super snuggly, and just plain beautiful animals!

BUT!!!! They are not for polite company. They have very disturbing habits....not just peeing on their face, but in their mouths, dripping off their beards and they spray it everywhere. They will show off their tools in front of company at the most embarrassing moments.  And the smell will permeate every article of clothing you wear near them during  the times they are in rut. I think they smell just barely better than skunk....  

That said....I still love my bucks!


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## SkyWarrior (May 5, 2014)

My buck Oreo is a snot.  Lovable, yes, but stinky as heck and has tried to woo me on more than one occasion.  It took some very serious deterrents to keep him from getting pushy, if you get my drift.  He'll still try to challenge me, but I have to remind him that he's not in charge.  You can smell him up to my driveway, but I have several hundred feet between my barn and my home.

I recommend non goat people to start with wethers and does, but if you're okay with the gaminess of it, and they do smell a lot like deer, then you'll probably deal okay with the shenanigans.


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## goats&moregoats (May 9, 2014)

momof2redheads said:


> That's what I have heard.  Do they do it all the time or during breeding season?




My Pygymy buck does this mostly during rut. He does however do so occasionally out of rut. his smell is gross when in close quarters with him.


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## goats&moregoats (May 9, 2014)

I have had a Pygmy buck since he was 4 months old. He is mellow with humans most of the time. he can be a handful when putting him back in the buck pen. He is not very gentle with any of my other goats. He has a wether that he actually grew up with and the wether has just recently learned to stand his ground. I had to put up a six foot board fence between my buck and my does, because he found away to get over the darn thing. You need to decide if you will be able to handle the smell(which varies) and his buck behavior(varies). A good soliod buck pen and shelter seprate from your does and a wether for a companion is what you'll need.  If you are not going to use him for your breeding purposes than castrate him. My buck is becoming a wether this week, as I won't be using him to breed again and he is going with the wether to a young couple for pets.


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## SillyChicken (May 9, 2014)

Maybe it's just my billy... he has this.. musky haven't washed hair in a month smell..all the time, which isn't that bad to me.  And then smells like "wet" haven't washed hair in a year smell during rut.  It will make you stink just thinking about petting him.   So we have clothes we wear to tend to the goats.  BTW, they do tend to be a bit "oral" with a  .. if you know what I mean, they don't just pee in their mouths.  So if that kind of stuff bothers you........

My boy can also be a pushy jerk.. his name is Casanova, we call him cas for short... so we affectionately refer to him as cas hole.  He is also horned so he is a pain in the butt, literally, you can't turn your back on him.   I have had to flip him on his back a few times to get him to stop being a buck.   He is generally sweet as long as there is a fence between us.   A water spray bottle also helps keep him in line.   The fence in this photo is in rough shape and will be lined with hog panels.  He has two wether buddys (also horned) who keep him entertained head butting.


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## Hangtown Farms (May 9, 2014)

elevan said:


> x2  It's an individual goat to goat experience.  It also depends on your tolerance level...how do you feel about an animal that pees all over it's self including it's own face and mouth?


well I wouldn't give it a kiss thats for sure


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## goatboy1973 (May 17, 2014)

Unless your buckling is going to be used for breeding purposes, I would wether him. The ebb and flow of testosterone in male farm animals is what causes absurd, outrageous, embarrassing, and potentially dangerous behavior. If you take away the very things that produce testosterone (testicles) then you eliminate the whole problem.


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## momof2redheads (May 24, 2014)

Thank you everyone! I think I have decided to keep him a buck and breed him.


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## goatboy1973 (May 24, 2014)

momof2redheads said:


> Thank you everyone! I think I have decided to keep him a buck and breed him.


Good choice. If you are producing good herdsires keep them and use them to breed to all your does except his siblings and mother and use him as much as you possibly can as long as you can until it gets too confusing to figure who he is related to and then either sell him as a herdsire or wether or pet. This is how you "lock in" good traits such as gentleness, good udders, high milk production etc...


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