# Considering getting a buck or two...



## hawthorne (Mar 13, 2011)

Hi all, so I am new to goats and will be getting my first Nigerian Dwarf doelings within the next few weeks. My plan is to begin breeding. My original idea was to just buy some doelings and find a stud buck in my area when the time came to breed. However, Nigerian Dwarfs are very rare in my area and I am getting my doelings from 5 hours away. I have not been able to locate a Nigerian Dwarf stud anywhere! So, I have a dilemma. Should I purchase a herd buck for myself? Or possibly two? (I assume if I get one, he will need company?) My fear is that I have heard many off-putting things about bucks. My main concern is the smell... I have been told the bucks will stink to high heaven and I will need to house them completely out of sight from my does. This may prove tricky. So does anyone have any advice for me? What would you do? :scratch:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes bucks can stink but a young buck won't stink as much. Bucks only stink from September through February on average. 

My friend houses her bucks next to her does - they share a fence-line.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

If you don't have any quality bucks near you, I would probably get a buck and a wether to keep him company. And I would just start out with one buck for now. 

Yes, bucks do stink and will do gross buck things so be prepared. However, if you want to get into breeding, it's easier to have a buck of your own vs. driving to a buck for service. And bucks won't smell that bad year round. As Stacey said, they have a nasty smell during rut which is breeding season. During lat spring and summer they actually don't smell to bad at all....well, most bucks.

If you get a buck, it's highly recommended that he and the does are seperate. Sharing a fenceline is great so they can flirt back and forth and have some interaction. Also, when your does come in season, most does will stand next to the buck pen and flag for breeding. I would recommend getting a wether to keep your buck company. He will be much happier in the long run.


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## Mon Reve Farm (Jun 25, 2010)

Our bucks are within sight of the does but the pens are over 100' from each other. We set it up this way for expansion of the pens over time. They can "talk and flirt" easily.

In my opinion the boys aren't as bad as I expected with all the stories you hear. It's a strong scent but doesn't bother us like I had worried.


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

Most people burn the scent glands when they dehorn bucklings now, so that they stink less. Does love stinky bucks, but a less stinky or "de-odorized" buck can still breed just fine. I visited a friend's barn in December and the bucks smelled to me like a good goat cheese -- not bad. OK, I may have carried a little odor on my coat sleeve after one of them rubbed against me, but can be washed in the washing machine.

Nigerian bucks and mini bucks are SO easy to handle compared to standard-sized bucks. If you bring them up to be well-behaved, they can be fun. I have taught a buck not to jump up on people and to wait for his treat instead of stealing from the bucket or another goat. Not hard at all.

Chris


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## chigarden (Feb 26, 2011)

That's what we did. We now have 3 ND bucks and I love the little stinkers. They do tend to be smelly but it's not as bad as we feared. Thou hubby keeps threatening to "Febreeze them" LOL

2 of my boys are farily closely related and we just added a complete outcross so I can play with genetics for quite some time 

Margaret


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## chigarden (Feb 26, 2011)

That's what we did. We now have 3 ND bucks and I love the little stinkers. They do tend to be smelly but it's not as bad as we feared. Thou hubby keeps threatening to "Febreeze them" LOL

2 of my boys are farily closely related and we just added a complete outcross so I can play with genetics for quite some time 

Margaret


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