# To get a buck or not?



## KLSpoultry (Dec 14, 2008)

I'm debating on whether to get a buck or not. I am fairly new to goats, as I just got my two girls last December. I have done my research and am caring for my girls very well and have already been through one kidding. I know he'll need a seperate pen, but creating a new pen is not a problem, just takes some work. I just wanted to hear from those who have bucks and those who don't on why or why not to get a buck. I will have a small herd of 3-4 does, some Pygmy and some Nubian. I'm not breeding to sell babies, although I probably would sell 95% of them. I am breeding to freshen does. Most of the farms that will let me bring my does to them to are at least an hour away and costs $50 each time. I just need some help from people that have been there to help me make my decision.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It is up to you....but think of how much it will cost to feed , vaccinations , worming , antibiotics , vet bills if need be...to your own buck, compare against the price of the breeding charges and fuel prices ... If you only have a couple of does... which is cheaper in the long run?
There is only one bad thing about outside breeding...there is that risk of disease.....  


we have 14 does now and have our own bucks (2) to be exact, but of course... it is cheaper for us ...to have our own....it would kill us in the breeding fee's alone to get all outside breeding... if we didn't have a buck.... :wink:


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

MY Opinion is I would not. If you only have a few goats, and you bred them then what? They are a lot of extra work, and if you are not use to the smell, good luck. I do not notice it really anymore other then when they are in serious rut.

Really I would hold off until you have more goats. Look at the price to feed him year round, vaccines, OOPS. ditto what Pam said.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Really I would hold off until you have more goats. Look at the price to feed him year round, vaccines, OOPS. ditto what Pam said.


 LOL :ROFL: that OK... :greengrin:


----------



## KLSpoultry (Dec 14, 2008)

thanks for the advice ladies. is there any way to make sure the places i take my does to are clean and bucks are free from disease? i know my does are, they've been tested.


----------



## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

In your situation I would also hold off on purchasing a buck. We have three Pygmy does and do not have a Pygmy buck. I drove about an hour to our friend's house, the girls stayed there for a month and then came home and are due next week! 

Since you are doing this to freshen does, I'm assuming you drink the milk, right? If so, then bucky tasty milk will not be a problem for you at all. Even if they are separated (unless they are several hundred feet away) milk can take on that bucky flavor (YUCK!!  ). From what I've been told and noticed. . . maybe that is not always the case though.


----------



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I'm with those who don't want a buck at my house. I would only consider it if, in the future, I have about ten or more does and want to use the same buck to breed each of them. 

I actually housed a buck here for a month to catch one of my does who has silent heats and I did not like walking into the barn smelling him before I got around the corner. That wouldn't be the case if you had him in a totally separate building though. Also, because I had him in with my doe, and we were milking her (which is why I didn't take her to the breeder), it ended up that we couldn't drink her milk for that entire time as it was too 'goatie' tasting. Yuk!

You can, and should, require papers of proof on any buck you use to show that they are CAE, Brucella, Johnes or whatever you are concerned about, negative. The owner of the buck should require the same from you.


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Well, if you are taking your does to the boy, then you have to just take your chance, but when does come here I can require all the tests. I would say try to find people that you might want to use their buck, and get to know them and they way they handle things, that will help a lot. Ask ask around.


----------



## karmouth (Dec 1, 2008)

When I first had my goats and decided I wanted to bred them for the same reason I went and bought a buck for $50 from a local on-line classified .He got here in the end of Aug the girls all went in to heat within a few weeks ,he did his thing and I sold him for $75in Nov. I have found that if there is no buck and you bring one in ,the does have a tendency to all go into heat together. More than once m does have kidded one after another and at times together .I guess you can say that I find them , use them and forget them .


----------



## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

Well, I just had one doe and went out and bought a buck. But I live in an area where there were just NO bucks I could use.

He has a separate pen and his pal Uno and soon another pal, the buckling I am holding back. I have never had a problem with bucky smelling milk, and while he does stink on occasion, he's not that bad and you get used to it. 

My males only get hay, and do well on that, so its not that bad. Will be better when I find a way to buy more than one bale at a time.

Bucks DO like to tear stuff up though! We made Buckly's pen with cattle panel and gave him a very strong shelter and also a big stump so he can rub against that to his heart's desire.

It really all depends on you. If you have outside bucks available you should probably go that way. I'm not overly fond of Buckly but he does his job and now he's got plenty of girlfriends and more in the future hopefully. He's just such a pest sometimes. I'm just thankful he's not wild!


----------



## rebelshope (Sep 21, 2008)

I was in your situation last year. I wanted to get my doe bred, but I could not tell when she was in heat plus people around here do not want to bring an outside doe in for breeding. So I decided to buy a couple of bred does. That breeder offered me a great deal on a buck with great lines. I decided to go for it. So I have three does and 1 buck. It works for me so far.

Now for me, I have handled large livestock, including stallions. I have trained horses, dogs, etc. So I am very comfortable with large animals and I know how to handle myself around them. I have read many a horror story of people not handling their bucks correctly and situations get out of hand. So you have to ask yourself if you feel confident enough to handle an intact male animal.

Bucks do smell. Visit one before you decide. Maz smelled something horrible when I got him, he is much better now that he is not in rut.

I personally love my ol buck. Maz is adorable, and really sweet. He is not much trouble and he bred he his job this past fall.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have 6 does and 3 bucks.....all mini's.

I have never had my bucks cause foul tasting milk and they share a fence line and are housed with a plywood wall between the does.

As far as cost goes, it depends on how much you spend on breeding fees as well as the fuel to get your does bred, if it evens out with selling kids , you get the milk as well as the "fee's" back. The most does I have had kid out is 4...1 of which was unintentional....I like to have just 3 freshen at a time, it's easier for me at kidding time as well as milking.

Bucks do tend to carry the "aroma" at all times..it's only during rut that it is at it's peak....which with mini's they are always ready to go!

And if you do decide to get your own buck, you have the option of studding him out when you are not using him if you wish. Since you have to travel with your does, you may be doing someone in your position a big favor by having a buck closer to them and shorten their travel time. :shrug: It's all up to how you feel about it, bucks get the same care as does just a little more respect because they can get feisty :wink:


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

man.. I must be sick in the head or something.. the smell of my boys doesn't bug me at all, I almost LIKE it..

I had a buck for two does, it was cheaper for me to feed and house him than it was to breed the two does to outside bucks at 175 each plus board.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

:ROFL: You are a diehard goat nut if you enjoy, more than tolerate the bucky perfume! :slapfloor:


----------



## smwon (Aug 3, 2008)

SDK said:


> man.. I must be sick in the head or something.. the smell of my boys doesn't bug me at all, I almost LIKE it.


I'm with you on that one. I don't mind the smell when it isn't super strong, it's rather pleasant. When it is too strong... then it is pretty gross. It is others I worry about offending.


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

You know, my Nigerian bucks are housed just behind the house, maybe 50 ft, and frankly, they are not that bad. If I'm standing next to them I can smell them, and I see them doing their "bucky thing". But the smell isn't really that bad...now that doesn't mean I want to "touch" them! :GAAH: 

The Cashmere bucks are a little more pungent. They are farther back. I'm thinking about giving Casanova a little bath soon!


----------

