# What to look for in a boer buckling??



## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Hi all you meat goat experts!!! Need help on how to choose a good quality boer bucking! What do you look for when the buckling is only a few months old and just being weaned? How big should his testes be and what other structure should he already have?

There is a good looking dappled registered buckling for sale, but he was just born April 6th and the pics of him are from when he is only a few weeks old. Haven't looked at him in person, so want to know what to look for before I do. Here are the few pics from the CL ad:


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

It depends on what your breeding for just meat show animals or just pasture control


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## Crossroads Boers (Feb 19, 2011)

Yeah, it depends on what you want to see in your herd, what you're breeding for (show or meat production) and what your does need. 

What I'd like to see in a buck for my herd could be a lot different from what you want or need in a buck. That said, I like wide based, long and level bucks with long ears and a beautiful head. Heavily muscled is also important to me as is good teats/bite. 

That dappled buck kid looks pretty good in those pics, but seeing him at 2-3+ months old would be a good idea. He may be sold by then though.... so sometimes you just have to base your decision on how he looks at a young age and what his parents look like.


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

I agree a 100% look at the mom and dad I know in my area people that sell on CL have great looking babies then post pics of parents tht look really well ... Crappy for lack of a better description but then again we got a doeling who had a momma with a lot to be desired but we took a chance on her and she compares well to a doe I have who is from fancy wether bloodlines it just depends


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Well I will be using them for meat and also since the 5 girls I bought are registered I want a really nice registered buck so I can sell them to 4h kids or people who want to show them. Not sure how great quality the girls I got are, nothing real impressive if you ask me but I got such a great deal on all 5 I figured for a starter herd they would do. We also got an adorable little buckling, but not sure he will make a great buck! He is the most chill, laid back and slow like a turtle goat I have ever seen! He was born early January and he is still small, fat around the middle cause all he cares about is eating. And he shows no signs of acting like a little buck at all! All my little Nubian bucklings by 2 weeks old start acting like a buck and they all have bigger testicles then this little boer buckling does! Here are a few pics of him.


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

They don't look to bad how old are they ? If your wanting to raise for market wethers I would look for some with long bodies good muscling fairly wide in the chest square front to back







and a pretty level top this is a 4 day old buck kid out of our wether genetics








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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

These pics are all of the buckling we got who is just 3 1/2 mo old, and these pics were taken within the last week or two


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Here's a pic of his small boy parts that don't look very promising to me??


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

Any chance he's been banded?


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

If he's dehorned and his boy parts are that small I'm almost thinking he was intended for a show wether


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Idk he was sold to us as a registered buckling, but once we got him home and now that we have had him for the past 6 weeks I started wondering why his testicles didn't look like our Nubian bucklings did!! Not very happy about it either cause I have a feeling we will be buying another buck!


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

I know how that feels we brought a bucking home once then a few weeks later he was a wether we were not very happy but we bought him from the sale barn so it was kind of our fault for not looking closer lol but the people you purchased him from should have told you and if they didn't then I would get back in touch with them and ask if they got him confused with another kid they were selling and if not then see if maybe they would take him back and refund you your money but I would only do so if there's a band on him


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

It does look like he has been banded.


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

And no I checked now and he doesn't have a band around them. And I just messaged the lady I bought him from and she swears he wasn't emasculated or anything like that. So idk!


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## midlothianffa (May 5, 2013)

Well that's odd maybe he's a "late bloomer"


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

They are super small for his age, I would have a vet determine the cause.
If he cannot have babies and you bought him as a future herdsire, I would get my money back.
Show the breeder the results if he isn't good.

Are they hard or feel like normal scrotum?
There may be a split here as well?


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## lameacres (Jun 15, 2013)

Umm idk I will have to feel them again and see how they feel compared to our other boys. I guess I better get our vet out here to check him, so we know what to do with him! Very irritating!!


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## burtfarms (Apr 4, 2013)

I would be too, I would have a vet check him he might be crypt, I have a buckling the same age and he is huge. If so I would get my money back. 

The dapple buckling is cute I would take his parents into consideration,and see if their traits is something you want in your herd. also $500 for a buck in that area seems like alot to me, considering that the 4-H kids will pay between 150-200 for a wether, since expo prices for goats are low. One of my wethers are going down there to show in fair. ( so I had to cut my price) so hopefully you can make up your money in other sales. 

Sorry you are having such a hard time hope things get better. If you get him I'm jealous I always wanted a dapple buck, maybe someday


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