Management of bucklings

[Coolbreeze89]

I have 8 ND kids that are all ~2weeks old (4 bucklings/4 doelings). A couple of the bucklings are getting quite rowdy, mounting the doelings and generally causing some havoc. I plan to wether them all. I’d like to let the moms nurse and wean them all at 4 months-ish (I don’t milk the goats and will not re-breed anyone as my DH has said I have enough goats now!).

Goal for banding for urethral development is to wait “as long as possible”, but ~12 weeks? What if they start extending before this? Can I do at 10 weeks of extension starts? 8 weeks? How long after banding are they fertile? (I read three weeks? This seems like a long time!). Do I keep them away from mom after banding, thereby forcing weaning? Is this concern about fertility this young overblown?

Now that the babies are here, the details seem much more complicated than my reading beforehand!

 

[AlleysChicks]

I'm having the same problem. I had 3 boys and 1 girl born and everyone is <2 weeks old and mounting the doeling. I dont remember my pygmy boys being so bad about it.

 

[lalabugs]

I personally band at 8 weeks. Have not had a problem with the wethers. My oldest are 5 years old. I've had a 4 month old ND breed our does before. I would not wait until 12 weeks, especially with them being in with does & doelings. I've helped a lady i know pull a huge doeling out of her 7 month old mini lamancha. That means the doe got bred at 2 months old. If you want to wait to band. I would separate them.

 

[Nommie Bringeruvda Noms]

Ohhh, this is good to read, before we get to this point! Thank you for this thread, Coolbreeze!! I'm not even sure my (Nigora) girls are pregnant, yet, and already have a request for a buckling (it would be f2). I read somewhere, that it wasn't unheard of for bucklings to be able to reproduce as early as 4wks. I thought that had to be wrong - but, if it's correct, it looks like I'll start bottle feeding any bucklings at about 3weeks! I want milk, anyway, but had thought to let them have it all for the first month. Raising goats didn't seem such a complicated thing, for shepards, a hundred years ago...

 

[Coolbreeze89]

Ohhh, this is good to read, before we get to this point! Thank you for this thread, Coolbreeze!! I'm not even sure my (Nigora) girls are pregnant, yet, and already have a request for a buckling (it would be f2). I read somewhere, that it wasn't unheard of for bucklings to be able to reproduce as early as 4wks. I thought that had to be wrong - but, if it's correct, it looks like I'll start bottle feeding any bucklings at about 3weeks! I want milk, anyway, but had thought to let them have it all for the first month. Raising goats didn't seem such a complicated thing, for shepards, a hundred years ago...

Love your name!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

it looks like I'll start bottle feeding any bucklings at about 3weeks!

Just a suggestion - but if you anticipate bottle feeding you may want to start at birth or at most a day or so old. It's often times extremely hard to get a kid to start taking a bottle at three weeks.

 

[Nommie Bringeruvda Noms]

Love your name!!

Thank you, lol! Hubs gave it to me, years ago. Whenever he is talking about me, to the critters, he calls me 'Nommie'. The first time he did it, I looked at him like he was crazy, until he said to me, "because you're the Bringer uvda Noms!" I just busted up laughing, and it's stuck, ever since, lol

 

[Nommie Bringeruvda Noms]

They'll drink from a bucket though, right?

 

[Mini Horses]

When they nurse, that is what they WANT to do. While it can be changed, most do not co-operate well. Like FEM says, right away is best. OH, they can be retrained but, you will both hate each other by the time it happens.

You can separate does & bucklings...with moms. Or? Mixed sets are the issue. Yep, some can get pregnant at an early age. Not good. Welcome to goat issues.

They are cute and ornery!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've never had one take milk from a bucket. Sorry...