If you have or are wanting a decent sized herd, I would go ahead and buy a buck, cheaply in the spring. You can cross breed goats with just about any goat. I hear there is an exception with pygmies, but we had a "pet" that was fainting and pygmy. And that has to do with their sizes rather than genetics. I would stick closely with the breed of doe you already have.
A buck is ready all the time, just put them together and they figure out the rest. Bucks also stink, reek! And you will smell that way as well when you handle him. The stench can also get into your milk. You can keep them separate, but be sure you have a non milking lady with him. We had a buck that would cross through 3 different hot wire fences to get to a girl or two. If you plan to keep them separate, make sure the fences is super secure. They will do anything to get to a doe. The best option is to have a lot of room for them all to roam and keep the buck out with the herd. As long as your milkers aren't in close contact with the buck, your milk should be fine.
Bucks have bad butting habits. Even if you are careful and authoritative with him, that instinct will awaken eventually. So what is a person to do? The best thing is to raise your own. If you buy one, try to get one of your milkers to be a surrogate mother. The thing with boys, is that you don't want them to see you as part of the herd. Start working with him straight away, and don't allow him to become a pet. Be firmer with him, than you are with your does, putting up with no rough housing. He needs to learn that you are the boss. Train early, teaching him to lead and to stand quietly while you groom or tend to hooves.
During breeding season you should keep your young buck away from the does until he is 7 months old, then he can be allowed to breed with a few of your does.
Rent-a-buck is a good option for that small herd owner, the one with 1 or 2 does. Place a want ad on craigslist or look through the forums and ads for you specific breed. With a rent-a-buck, you should be able to take your doe to him, and bring her back that day, confident she is knocked up. This is usually cheaper than AI.
To recap, bucks stink, they butt and they are destructive, but worth it if you plan on having a 4 doe herd.
Any questions today?
More on goats next week. Monday however I have something to share with you all. I will now leave you in suspense.
Update on the Kids, think this will be their last night inside. Poor Small, he fell asleep on the couch.
Have a good weekend!
12 comments:
LOL :) King of the Small Hill! :) They are just so cute! I have a question...what do you do with the goat milk you harvest?
hahaha, great pics
LMAO the kids are too cute!
Those pictures are too cute! Don't you just love it when an animal doesn't get it that you don't want their privates in your face..lol.
They are precious and growing!
So, I'm in suspense. Are you really going to wait till Monday?
Jennifer, the State of Kansas allows me to sell raw goats milk for pet use only, and you can advertise. (raw cows milk, no advertisements allowed, except a sing in your yard) So if someone needs to feed a pet. . . but I plan on making cheese. I love goats cheese (just as much as sausage...mmmm cheese stuffed sausage) I hope to get on some cheese making this coming week. I will report on how all that goes.
Man, I LOVE those pictures! Absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing!
The tutorials are great! Love the pics as well. That last one looks like payback for your banner! HA!!
Cute pictures. Nothing like the smell of a randy buck! LOL Damg that smell is hard to get rid of.
I look forward to hearing about the cheese! I also wanted to pass this on to you...this lady (I follow her blog too) also just had triplet goats. She made baby goat sweaters! :)http://www.homesteadblogger.com/quiverfull/
Not realted to this post, but needed to tell Someone, and you seemed like the right person....the bottom of my financial world fell out today. I am still employed, I still make good money, but I received a phone call from my bank that will drastically alter my life. They called my loan and credit card. WHY? Well, I have never made a late payment in my life, not once in almost twenty years of a healthy credit relationship. This month, I was four days late but then made MORE than my minimum payments, blah blah blah. Doesn't matter, I was late, I actually didn't even REALIZE I was late, but whatever. They called me on the whole shot.
Readers, please please PLEASE know it can happen to you in the blink of an eye, you don't have to lose your job for the worst to happen. At almost 40 years old, I now have to grovel to faceless strangers who don't know me to keep the small life I have.
Thanks for letting me vent...I know everything will be okay eventually, but DAMN.
Great pictures! Thanks for the goat info.
To Anonymous- Good luck.
Judy
anonymous, I am so sorry to hear that! I have learned from experince that large banks can be less than helpful. I don't have any credit cards, I hope you can ind a way to call them out on all of this. Keep us updated on how it is going.
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