Bucks

[mdavenport0121]

I'm relatively new to goats, I have a buck and 7 does. I've had the buck for about a year and a half. He will be 2 years old in March. At about 14 months old I could never get close to him, he would run away. About at 16 months, while with the girls, he would come up to me and I would rub his head. At about 18 months he became a mean dude. If he is not eating grain he is chasing me around, getting up on his hind legs like he wants to fight. He bred my girls by the first of November, so he may be a little frustrated. I had to introduce him to my cattle prod last night. Any suggestions on how to get him to quit chasing me and trying to fight me. He's a Boer buck, about 200 lbs. He can be pretty intimidating. When I'm on the other side of the fence he tries to bite me. I'm telling you he is a mean dude. Getting rid of him is not an option. He is throwing some nice kids.

 

[marlowmanor]

All I could suggest is keeping that cattle prod handy. When my dad had boers he had a buck that was pushy. He bought a hand held prod and toted it with him in the pen. The buck soon learned to behave if the prod was in tow. If he came too close it only took just the prod making the zap noise for the buck to back off. He still has that prod and has used it with a mean nigerian as well.

Only other suggestion would be to separate him and get him a wether buddy.

 

[rinksgi]

My suggestion would be to take this opportunity to find a baby buck to tame. He would be ready to breed your does next time you want them bred. The only other thing would be to pen him with a wether goat and just let him have access to the does when you need him. But, that wouldn't solve your problem of being chased when you have access to him.

 

[babsbag]

My suggestion would be to take this opportunity to find a baby buck to tame. He would be ready to breed your does next time you want them bred. The only other thing would be to pen him with a wether goat and just let him have access to the does when you need him. But, that wouldn't solve your problem of being chased when you have access to him.

Bucks are interesting and come in every temperment. I have had three in 4 years.

My first Alpine one was a very nice boy and liked me ALOT. He was not mean but would follow me around the field and try to love me every chance he got. I would simply grab his collar and keep him at arms length when I was in the field. I could catch him and touch him all I needed so tending to his feet and shots was never a problem.

My next buck was a boer. He is not mean, but he doesn't like to be caught. I can go in the pen and he just runs away. Great, until I need him. I have a little pen I have to corral him in and then be ready with a helper and a rope as that boy can and does jump like I have never seen a goat jump.

My next buck is another Alpine, he was a bottle baby. He likes me WAY WAY too much. He follows me everywhere. It was cute when he weighed 40 lbs. Not so cute at 75 lbs and will be even less cute at 150+ lbs. He wants to b scratched and wants to rub on me, really nice when they are in rut.

Personally I am not so sure I like freindly bucks. Mean is one thing, and they can be dangerous, but overly friendly can be annoying too.

I would not run a mean buck with my girls. I would get him a wether and simply deal with him as little as possible. Thankfully I have never had a mean one, but if I did I would get the nice kids, sell them for some money and buy a buck that isn't so nasty.

I had a friend suggest that I learn to do AI and forget owning a buck. Might make sense in the long run for me. I put a whole lot of feed into these guys for a very short breeding season.

 

[pdpo222]

Vinegar and water mix sprayed in their faces tend to slow some down. If you get one with a good stream you can get him way before he gets to you. It will burn their eyes but won't hurt them. Then all you may have to do is hang the sprayer in you pocket just to remind him. Sometimes bucks just need a little more education than does. Could be why I love bucks so much.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Vinegar has a Ph level of about 2.5 which is very acidic. I'd be very careful spraying anything that acidic into anything eyes.

 

[lovinglife]

I have used vinegar diluted with water on my dog, to discourage bad behavior, worked great.