How to find the right buck for my does....time is now!

[Ariel301]

I can tell you firsthand about Chlamydial abortion storms. I had one this spring and it was horrible. I kept going out to feed in the morning and finding dead kids with the whole doe herd whimpering around them and pawing them.

I don't know how we got it, as we used our own buck and our girls had not left the property, unless it was spread by flies...but it is something to be VERY careful about. My does had no warning symptoms at all, just produced dead, deformed kids on their due date and then acted really sick for a week or two after.

Not to dissuade you completely from stud service, just be careful and know the risks. I've got a buck here now for stud service from a nearby farm myself. I know that the farm does have CL positive does, but they manage them carefully to avoid spreading it, and both the buck and my does are vaccinated and have negative tests, plus negative CAE tests and I know the owner well enough to trust her buck.

 

[cmjust0]

I can tell you firsthand about Chlamydial abortion storms. I had one this spring and it was horrible. I kept going out to feed in the morning and finding dead kids with the whole doe herd whimpering around them and pawing them.

I don't know how we got it, as we used our own buck and our girls had not left the property, unless it was spread by flies...

Birds.

There are several strains of chlamydia, but my understanding is that the one which is usually responsible for abortions in goats is Chlamydia psittaci...psittacines being a type of bird...parrots, actually.

In any case, C. psittaci is pretty widespread in wild birds.. I suppose all it takes is for a bird to come along and infect one of the goats.. I dunno how they do that, exactly, but I have read that c. psittaci+ birds can apparently be asymptomatic carriers who shed it intermittantly...somehow.

But however the transmission actually occurs, the bird gives it to the bred goat, the goat aborts, and then the other goats come into contact with the POC from that abortion...and get infected...then they abort...so on, so forth.

I've never actually seen chlamydia mentioned as a true STD in goats.. In fact, what I've read actually suggests that a case of chlamydia in a buck generally results in his sterility...and your probably not really gonna see many abortion storms if your buck doesn't work anyway.

Rambling...sorry...if you're wondering, though, how chlamydia could possibly have made it to your place, look to the sky.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Out of curiosity, if there are so many dangers to using a stud outside your herd or if you don't / can't have a buck yourself, why not use Artificial Insemination?

I have been reading all these posts and now I am scared to death to have a stud, and I really don't want a buck around (I only have 2 acres to work with, not enough room for a second barn to ensure my dairy won't be "bucky"). So I was thinking perhaps I will use AI methods, what would be the pros and cons of this? I was looking at prices and it seems less expensive. Are they still at risk of spreading the same diseases as if I were to find a stud?

This is where I was looking: http://superiorsemenworks.com/xcart/home.php?cat=6

 

[freemotion]

I have been reading all these posts and now I am scared to death to have a stud, and I really don't want a buck around (I only have 2 acres to work with, not enough room for a second barn to ensure my dairy won't be "bucky").

Take a breath, MS, the world is not as scary as it might appear on this forum at times! Millions of goats are bred each year and actually survive the process! (Not laughing at you....really. Laughing at....where this thread ended up.)

 

[savingdogs]

I was actually thinking AI sounded darned good................

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Now now ... I heard AI could kill a doe.

Not sayin' it's true. Just sayin' I heard it.

 

[helmstead]

I agree with CM on the chlamydia, it is environmental. ANY time you have an abortion, you should have a culture run on the doe and a sample of the afterbirth. In most cases, chlamydia is treatable and abortions can be prevented.

FWIW, I was of the understanding that chlamydial abortions produce normal but premature kids? I have never dealt with chlamydia, but this is what I had understood.

AI...the main reason it's not widely used on goats yet is that there aren't many producers who are any good at it, nor are there many producers willing to pay a good repro specialist. As far as it killing does, LOL...doubt that.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

I have been reading all these posts and now I am scared to death to have a stud, and I really don't want a buck around (I only have 2 acres to work with, not enough room for a second barn to ensure my dairy won't be "bucky").

Take a breath, MS, the world is not as scary as it might appear on this forum at times! Millions of goats are bred each year and actually survive the process! (Not laughing at you....really. Laughing at....where this thread ended up.)

yep MS.... dont let all this flamflam scare you off. there area million ways for your goat to die - but most likely they wont. after reading all this you'd think they were talking about rocket science and not farm animals!

some folks do AI but its NOT a guarantee (but neither is natural breeding, i guess). depending on where you are it may be expensive or just hard to find someone. we live pretty far out and its hard to find a livestock vet for goats around here.

call around to your local breeders. talk to the folks you got your goats from and see if they have recommendation. call your local vets also - they probably know who's running a good operation. and dont rule our your local 4H club as a resource.

if you are new to goats (especially full sized ones) you probably do not want a buck unless there are no other good options and/or you want this to be a business.

bucks are generally housed separately from does - especially for dairy goats, they are big, and any intact male can be dangerous and hard to handle. and they stink horribly especially in rut. like, you have to bleach your clothes to get the stink out. if you only have a few animals the costs and extra work with having a buck may not be worth it.

Freemotion uses bucklings (younger guys) and then sells them after they are um.. "done with their chores." which i always thought was a good option.

do you research and do what is best for you.

 

[glenolam]

If this is off topic, let me know and I'll start a new thread...

Since now we're talking about bucklings, not full sized bucks, if you breed a 'soon to be full sized' buckling to a full sized adult dwarf goat, does that solve the problem of a dwarf doe giving birth to a kid that's too big for her? Or does it not matter because the buckling has genes that say to produce XX size kid, not xx sized. Get my question?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

If this is off topic, let me know and I'll start a new thread...

Since now we're talking about bucklings, not full sized bucks, if you breed a 'soon to be full sized' buckling to a full sized adult dwarf goat, does that solve the problem of a dwarf doe giving birth to a kid that's too big for her? Or does it not matter because the buckling has genes that say to produce XX size kid, not xx sized. Get my question?

It's the potential size of the buckling you have to worry about, not the current size. The sperm of a 6 month old Boer will produce the same size offspring as a 2 year old Boer.