Buck too young???

[dhansen]

My new buck that I want to use for all my does was born April 14th, 2012. He isn't stinky yet, but has the general idea of breeding down. My does would much rather head butt him and lean on the fence with the big smelly guy on the other side. should I move the big guy? Will the little guy get the idea eventually?

 

[Missy]

He is still young, my youngest buck who is 2 months older than yours still isn't peeing on himself. If the girls are not interested in him, maybe take a cloth and rub down the smelly buck, then rub the buckling with the smelly cloth? Spark some interest in the girls?

 

[20kidsonhill]

I would say it is a good chance he isn't 'going to get the job done at 5 months old. How many does do you have with him? I would move the mature buck, so the does don't keep standing by the fence. Or if you know the doe is in heat, try tying her up and bringing the young buck to the business end and see if he is more interested that way. We tried using a 6 month old buck a couple years ago with 5 first timers that, and that didn't go very well. We ended up having to put them with the older buck when we saw them come into heat the second time and the buckling was still not figuring out what to do. And like you the doelings would just stand as close to the mature buck as possible, and only show interest in him, who was in an adjoining field.

 

[Vumani]

I am having a similar concern. My young buckling was born April 17, 2012. I planned to use him in October and November. When are they old enough to "get it done"? Is it just when the does will accept them? Do they have to go into a rut before they are motivated enough for action?

 

[that's*satyrical]

My young buck got the job done at 7 mos. old. He was born last August & his first kid just hit the ground this August. He was bred to a younger doe though. Sometimes the older does don't care for a young buck.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I am having a similar concern. My young buckling was born April 17, 2012. I planned to use him in October and November. When are they old enough to "get it done"? Is it just when the does will accept them? Do they have to go into a rut before they are motivated enough for action?

Some of the bucks, even mature bucks, wont even look at a doe if she isn't in standing heat. So if you have no does in heat, the buck may just not act interested. Now you have a real concern if you have a doe chasing the buck around or acting in heat and the buck is still standing away from the does. That is what happened to us, the does were clearly in heat, but the buck was standing on the other side of the pen/pasture not wanting anything to do with them. The job was clearly not getting done.

I don't have seasonal breeders, so I don't consider a buck "in rut." Our bucks are glad to breed any time of the year. As long as they are mature enough and the doe is in heat. Now I have had bucks that are glad to take a go at it, even if the doe isn't in heat. And one that is fairly persistant even if no one is interested. We brought him home in October of 2011 and he was born that march, so he was around 7 1/2 months old, put him in with 3 does the next day and he bred two of them the first day he was in with them. HE certainly wasn't shy. He was annoyingly persistant and would run them around nonstop all day, even when they weren't in heat. We had to give him tons of feed, because he kept running off all his calories. We only left the does in with him a couple weeks, hoping the job got done, because he was being so hard on them. He did end up missing one,

the other buck was totally different, same age, we never saw him breed a single doe. But he did seem to like the does and hung out with them. We crossed our fingers that he was getting the job doen at night. And sure enough he bred 4 does in the first 3 weeks he was with them. He never bothers the does, unless they are in heat and he always seems to ask permission. The other buck still is rude, but not as aggresive about running them around as he was that first season.

I would say 7 to 8 months would be questionable, 9 to 10 a much better chance of them being mature enough, and 11 months and up, there shouldn't be any problems. That is the general rule of thumb that we go by. I wouldn't depend on a 6 or 7 month old to get the job done, I would have a back up plan, unless you don't mind your does not getting bred on time.

 

[allanimals21]

My buck was born 2/28 of this year and he's been peeing on himself for at least the last month-month and a half. He isn't peeing all over his face yet but his front legs are nasty. He's also been hump wild since I brought him home at 9 weeks. I thought I could leave him with the general population for a week or two when he came home but he had to be seperated right off the bat because he was mounting every doe I had. My old crabby doe was extremely confused that this young man had ZERO fear of her. LOL

 

[dhansen]

My 5 month old buck seems interested and I have seen him mount the younger does. He just isn't as aggressive as the older buck. Maybe he had "success", but I never saw him throw his head back Not sure if the older does just like a smellier, more manly buck. I have a few more months to get them bred, so we will keep trying. I just can't get impatient and let the older buck breed the girls. I also made that "note to self" to not let the does get bred so they are all due within a few days. I have 4 does kid in one weekend last year and it was not fun!

 

[20kidsonhill]

My 5 month old buck seems interested and I have seen him mount the younger does. He just isn't as aggressive as the older buck. Maybe he had "success", but I never saw him throw his head back Not sure if the older does just like a smellier, more manly buck. I have a few more months to get them bred, so we will keep trying. I just can't get impatient and let the older buck breed the girls. I also made that "note to self" to not let the does get bred so they are all due within a few days. I have 4 does kid in one weekend last year and it was not fun!

It certianly can be personal preferrance, and how badly you need the does bred on time. I personally love having all the does due the same week, and we have a 2 month window for the does to be bred, or the kids will be too small for fair projects, so we don't have time to mess around with a small buck that breeds 1 here and there. Certainly depends on your goals and what works for you. I should have 10 or 12 due the very first week of January. It will be a tough week, but I enjoy getting it done all at one time. that way I don't have to keep going out to the barn all hours of the night for more than a week or two. We will also have 6 does due the Between Jan 30th and Feb. 4th. Our buck bred three of them on the same day. I expect those two weeks to be well below freezing, 30 mile per hour winds and 3 feet of snow. Just to make it a little more fun.
You might want to check back with me around January 5th or 6th to see if I still have the same opinion on kidding our our goats.