Getting Started

[Smith360]

So ive heard that the buck smell can make the milk taste bad? Is their a certain that needs to be between them to prevent this?

 

[OneFineAcre]

So ive heard that the buck smell can make the milk taste bad? Is their a certain that needs to be between them to prevent this?

My bucks share a fence line with the does

 

[Smith360]

And it doesn't affect the taste at all?

 

[babsbag]

My bucks share a fence line with my does as well, it doesn't affect the milk.

If the buck is in rut, usually in the fall, and he is with the doe and rubs on her or pees on her then she can pick up the odor and it can get on your hands and then when you milk it can be a problem. But I have actually had by buck in the doe pen breeding my does and milking at the same time (well, not at the EXACT same time ) with no change in the taste of the milk.

@OneFineAcre are you just giving @Latestarter a hard time? I know that you know the answers to your own questions.

A lot of people don't like to line breed (called inbreeding when it doesn't work out so well). I do it, but as you know it can give you the best of the best or the worst of the worst. If I were to only own two does I would too would have an unrelated buck. I honestly do like a varied gene pool, I just tend to keep too many doelings and I don't like buying a new buck every other year.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Same here. I've never noticed any change in the taste of the milk or maybe I've just never had milk from a doe who wasn't close to a buck, lol.

I want to address question 9. PLEASE don't use your goats for goat tying. (Just my opinion here and trying not to be judgmental) I'm going to paste an excerpt from a veterinarian:

1) Peggy W. Larson, DVM: "As a former large animal veterinarian, a pathologist, meat inspector and former bareback bronc rider, I don't have to imagine the trauma these young, small goats sustain in this ridiculous, cruel event. The injuries and the pain are real. There must be some collective mental vacuum in the rodeo crowd that would find this event fun. Substitute a 40 pound dog in this event and the roper would wind up in court for animal cruelty, probably felony animal cruelty in most states. These events are inhumane and cruel and must end."

If you do actually get some little goats and see how wonderful and loving they are I think you might possibly change your opinion and would NEVER want anything so horrific to happen to your animal!

I also linebreed - been doing it for over 20 years and have produced some really nice animals.

 

[OneFineAcre]

My bucks share a fence line with my does as well, it doesn't affect the milk.

If the buck is in rut, usually in the fall, and he is with the doe and rubs on her or pees on her then she can pick up the odor and it can get on your hands and then when you milk it can be a problem. But I have actually had by buck in the doe pen breeding my does and milking at the same time (well, not at the EXACT same time ) with no change in the taste of the milk.

@OneFineAcre are you just giving @Latestarter a hard time? I know that you know the answers to your own questions.

A lot of people don't like to line breed (called inbreeding when it doesn't work out so well). I do it, but as you know it can give you the best of the best or the worst of the worst. If I were to only own two does I would too would have an unrelated buck. I honestly do like a varied gene pool, I just tend to keep too many doelings and I don't like buying a new buck every other year.

No, wasn't meaning to give @Latestarter a hard time. Was on my phone last night and sometimes brevity can come across the wrong way. Sorry.

I had said earlier to the original poster about the term "strong milking lines" that it might not mean anything. People will use the term "line" when there is not real line there.

To me the term "line" with goats means that there has been line breeding.

So, you might want a totally unrelated buck. But, you might not either.
You're right, line breeding can bring out the best or the worst.
But, out crossing is no guarantee either. Breeding "paper". You've got this great animal here with the pedigree and good linear appraisal, and another totally unrelated with equally good "paper". Cross them and you might end up with a red hot mess.
Out crossing is probably more of a crap shoot than line breeding.

So then if you are looking un-related animals, how far back to you look for a common animal before they are unrelated.

My buck Rocky's aunt, is Zamia's great grand dam, and Rosemary's grand dam. I call that my "Cowgirl" line.
Unfortunately, it has given me nothing but bucks. Now, they have all looked great, but not what I've hoped for.

 

[babsbag]

@OneFineAcre I have some Alpines that have NO milking lines and milk great. I have another that comes from one of the most sought after "lines" and it wasn't until her third freshing that I decided to even keep her; now we will see about length of lactation. But that popular "line" is everywhere and I worked hard to find a buck in our area that wasn't part of that for the last 3 generations as I just wasn't impressed. Might look good on paper but the consistency of offspring just isn't there so I wanted to try something new.

I also have 2 does that are sisters, one has a decent udder and milks well, the other has a football hanging under her with teats that look like taillights on a 1960's Cadillac. They stick straight out too, just like the lights. Makes it easy for the kids to nurse. She certainly has the capacity, but the structure and attachment...

 

[Mike CHS]

You got my curiousity up - If all of your stock is registered, would a line bred critter be able to be registered or does it matter since you still know the pedigree?

 

[babsbag]

@Mike CHS you can register a line bred goat if both the sire and dam are registered; ADGA doesn't care about line breeding.

You can also register a doe if the sire is registered and the dam is not as long as they match a breed standard; they are considered a Recorded Grade. You cannot register a buck with unknown or mixed breed pedigrees.

Of course all of this changes for Boers and not sure about AGS either. I know that Boers can be line bred as well and be registered.

Did I answer your question?

 

[Smith360]

Same here. I've never noticed any change in the taste of the milk or maybe I've just never had milk from a doe who wasn't close to a buck, lol.

I want to address question 9. PLEASE don't use your goats for goat tying. (Just my opinion here and trying not to be judgmental) I'm going to paste an excerpt from a veterinarian:

1) Peggy W. Larson, DVM: "As a former large animal veterinarian, a pathologist, meat inspector and former bareback bronc rider, I don't have to imagine the trauma these young, small goats sustain in this ridiculous, cruel event. The injuries and the pain are real. There must be some collective mental vacuum in the rodeo crowd that would find this event fun. Substitute a 40 pound dog in this event and the roper would wind up in court for animal cruelty, probably felony animal cruelty in most states. These events are inhumane and cruel and must end."

If you do actually get some little goats and see how wonderful and loving they are I think you might possibly change your opinion and would NEVER want anything so horrific to happen to your animal!

I also linebreed - been doing it for over 20 years and have produced some really nice animals.

I dont like it personally, but my sister does rodeo and she wants a practice goat. Now I wouldn't let her use one of my babies for it, but only wanted to know if someone could even use one for it. She will have to buy her own goats.