Do you have to have a companion for your buck?

[daisychick]

I have one small nigerian dwarf buck. He is getting a spot of his own now that my does are bred. Does he need a companion either a wether or another buck in his pen if he is going to share a fence line with the does? Is it a bad idea to have him share a fence line with the girls? Advice needed.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would have a buddy for him. They get too lonely and then start trying too hard to get out of their pen. He may stay stinky and peeing on himself if he is along a fenceline with the girls.

 

[daisychick]

Good point! I don't want him stinky all the time.

 

[Missy]

Be prepared, mine carried on like a mad man until I gave him a little bucking for a friend...(now we have a whole new problem)

He will get lonely alone. You will probably need to get him a friend, or at least borrow a wether from someone until your girls kid(in case you intend to keep a buckling/wether from one of them.

 

[marliah]

I don't have a buck (yet trying to talk dh into that one still lol) but if I did I would keep him with a wether just so he didn't get lonely. And I would make them an enclosure FAR away from the does, especially if you milk them.

 

[Teeah3612]

If you don't get him a goat friend, he will want you to be his friend. My Peanut is much happier since we took in the rescue goat to keep him company. Of course, now they both yell at me everytime they see me.

 

[capretta]

I think both ways work out fine. I had a Boer buck a few years back that was by himself for the whole time I owned him, and he did just fine (and was extra lovey when I came around ). After a time I thought he might be getting lonely, and when I tried to introduce a wether to him, he beat up on the wether, and made things unpleasant for all of us! I have since then sold that buck and acquired another who HAS to have his little wether friend with him at all times or he goes nuts! There have been some CUTE pictures from that! My Boer buck, who tips the scale at 300 pounds, goes to pieces without his little pygmy wether!

So just figure out what works best, it might take some trial and error!
Good Luck!