Bucks penned w/ does?

[GrimshelsGrazingGoats]

What is yalls opinion on putting bucks with does. I have one acre I'm fencing in and done built a shed for it. I've seen some people say it's not smart to allow bucks and does to stay penned together year round.

 

[RockyMountainFarms]

That's how we used to when we had them and everybody I've met around here has them together.

 

[SheepGirl]

Unless you have a marking harness on your buck year round, you will not have any idea when your does are bred...which means you won't know when to vaccinate them, when they are due, etc. Personally I would build a pen next to the acre you fenced in and put a little shed there for your buck to keep him confined.

We did that here for my sheep. The ewes have the fenced in 1.8 acres with their 8x16 (4' tall) "Sheep Shack" and then the ram has his own 8x28 pen with a 8x4 (4' tall) "Sheep Apartment." I occasionally put weaned lambs or ewes to dry up in there. Right now I have four ewes in there I'm drying up. Lambs were left out in the field for weaning.

Just an idea.

 

[alsea1]

I kept my buck with the does and it back fired on me.
I needed to supplement the does and kids with grain and the buck apparently got way to much of it. Hence I now know what bladder stone symptoms look like. I lost a very expensive buck and got a hefty vet bill. I will now put bucks with bucks or weathers from now on. Lesson learned hard way

 

[RockyMountainFarms]

We've never had problems like that. But we also feed ours the same feed year round.