herd advice needed

[pattyjean73]

I am mainly interested in meat goats. But will also be keeping 1 maybe two milking goats as well. I will only have a small herd. I'm looking to have:

6 to 8 boer does
2 boer bucks
2 milk goats - currently have an alpine but thinking about getting a nubian too.

I intend to keep my bucks with my doe herd (I'll seperate them later if this doesn't work out for me). Is it going to be ok to have the 2 bucks penned together? Or should I keep just one head sire?

 

[haviris]

I have 3 bucks, so it shouldn't be a problem. I've known of a few bucks that couldn't be kept w/ others, but I'm going to guess they were either raised w/ only does or by themselves (more likely). So you will probably want to start w/ young ones or ones you know get along w/ other bucks.

 

[wynedot55]

you really only need 1 buck to every 20 or 25 does.

 

[()relics]

you really only need 1 buck to every 20 or 25 does.

I'm going to agree...1 good billy could easily handle that many does...If you haven't already done so I would buy 1 good boer purebred or percentage billy...I would recommed that you shop around and buy the best one you can afford...Believe me every kid that comes from him will reassure you that you spent your money well. If after the first kidding season you want to add another billy; you can use him to cover all the doelings you keep from the first season...and if you like the kids the first billy gave you rebreed the same does to him for a second year...if not get rid of him and use your new billy for everything.

 

[pattyjean73]

I got "goat" happy and fell in love with my little billy. But after looking at many others, I think Billy is just going to be too small for my purposes. Although he does have great conformation. He is my first buckling. The new buckling that is coming in next month is HUGE, and so is his sire. Still good conformation just really big. Size is what I'm looking for. So once he comes home I'll have two bucklings. I do have 2 goat pens if the two billies end up having issues with one another. Although the pens share the middle fence line.

 

[riley]

i to have boers and i would like keep them all together but i dont know if it will work out how is it working for you so far i am very new to this

 

[username taken]

I have small flocks of angora, boer and dairy as well as sheep so I have at the moment in my bachelor pad:

Padre (boer stud sire)
Dynamo (young boer buck from last year's drop, will be grown out then sold)
Traveller (angora stud sire)
Heath (angora stud sire, to use over Trav's kids)
Joe (saanen buck to go over the saanen dairy does)
Billy (british alpine, silly name I know, to go over the british alpine and togg does)

At certain times of the year I also have in there

Arthur (border leicester ram)

And in a couple months time I will be putting

Russ and Elvis (damara rams)

in there.

So really, you can usually run all the males together, you do need to keep an eye out though.

 

[ludemank]

I have pygmy goats so I am not sure if its the same thing but, I would not keep my billy with the herd all the time only for breeding time. I made the mistake early when I first got my goats and didn't know better and I had a 3 month old female that came into season and when I noticed the billy showing interest I removed him but he had already gottten to her and she ended up dying when 5 months later at 8 months old she could not deliver her baby and she died when she was trying to wake up after an emergency C-section at the vets office. I just don't want the same thing to happen to you. I kept to billies together with no problems away from the nannies, but if you keep two billies they will fight when it come to breeding time. Seperate the billy and the nannies you want into seperate pens for breeding or just keep one billy it is much easier on you!

 

[Roll farms]

Boers can (and will) breed year 'round, you may be opening yourself up for unplanned kids at either really hot or really cold times.
Also, if you're going to have any registered bucks, you can't in good conscience register your kids out of them if you're not sure which sire produced which babies.

We have 25 does and will be down to 3 bucks by fall....currently at 5 but there was a reason for that (new blood).
If I didn't have 4 different breeds, I would only have 2 bucks.

All of our bucks live together when it's not breeding time.

We put a buck in w/ a group of does for 21 days, then watch to see if anyone cycles again. That gives us a 21 day window w/ each group of when they should kid.
(Usually we see the deed get done, right down the day, and are there in 150 or so days waiting w/ cigars....)

We put any who recycle back in the "clean up" pen...we put our most prolific buck in there to bat clean up.

With no more does than you'll have, I should think one buck would suffice, but he will be lonely and more likely to get up to mischief.

Really, though....whatever you want to do, that works for you...is best.
It's allllll about trial and error.
(And in my case....learning the hard way...)

 

[mully]

Boers can (and will) breed year 'round, you may be opening yourself up for unplanned kids at either really hot or really cold times.
Also, if you're going to have any registered bucks, you can't in good conscience register your kids out of them if you're not sure which sire produced which babies.

I agree with Roll Farms

Planned parenthood also applies to goats. Before breeding know the health and age of the doe and it is also important to know which buck bread the doeI also do not think it is good practice to breed the doe the first time she comes in season.