# my bucks are driving me nuts



## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

ugg.
my two new bucks.
when they were babies they werent given much human interacting...execpt feeding, I'm working with them so they arent so wild.

so today I started on trimming hooves on the genemaster. I had his head tied to a fence post..his horns dont fit in my stand. his hooves are L-O-N-G, to the point of curling upwards and turning in. on one side of the hoof I got it perfect. then he started acting up...so I let him off, gave him a drink then tried again to no avail. his feet are hard as rock...so I got a pan of water to put his foot in. that didnt work well  . 
I flipped him on his side which took some work, then soaked his feet. and took my clippers up again and just barely sliced through the hoof. my arms were tired from fighting him so I let him up and he went to eat. 

so all of that work and I got one 1/2 of a hoof done in 1 hour. and he's the small one, the boer is twice as big and more scared of me. :help: I figure i'll take it really slow so nobody gets hurt..including me. 

and tommorrow is deworming and blood drawing day!! :wink:

How do you all handle your big bucks?


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## sealawyer (May 31, 2009)

I was going to suggest you get a tilt table from Sydell until I saw where you are located! I have 3 250-300 pounders and they barely fit into the table. You just get them in, tilt them on their side, drop the bottom, and start cutting. I ain't trying to be a smarty pants, but have you considered recruiting a couple of strappin' men to help you out, Little Lady! :wink: Just funnin'! Gwen has a couple of young men, one is 16 the other 17, that come and help her whenever she calls. And do the work for $20 and a break on a show wether for the fair. Seriously, I'm truly not trying to be chauvanistic. but a man, under the direct supervision of an intelligent woman (was that a good recovery? ray: ), has more hand strength and can bear down on the shears more. Plus if you get them young enough, and dumb enough they will see wrestling them big old billys as a challenge, making your job easier!

Please don't throw rocks at me if we ever meet! :worried:


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

yeah no tilt tables up here.

I wonder how much that buck wieghs...maybe 190-220? he's 2 yrs. 
I'm 15 and I probably could recruit some friends to come help, I can lift and stack hay all day, but 2 hours with a wild buck is crazy. 



> Plus if you get them young enough, and dumb enough they will see wrestling them big old billys as a challenge, making your job easier!


 :ROFL:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Katrina,
Tie him to the post....also wrap a rope around his horns so he cannot get out of it... his horns will be tied to the post as well....do this as closely as you can get... ....it helps to not get hit in the face or head with his horns.....Also tie up one back leg ...on the side you are working on ..this method is doing one side at a time for the front hooves........make sure you have really sharp.. and new trimmers.....and someone with strong hands.. that can trim off that hard... over grown hoof......Soaking it ...is OK ...if you want to wait a while.....if he won't stand still ...this method helps alot.... For the back ones...it's a little more difficult to restrain....leave his head/horns as they are.....(if he gets out of the horn hold...retie it again.. to restrain him... keep an eye on that.......go to the back..untie his leg that has been tied.....What I do is... strattle(sp) the one back leg ...as if... you were a horse trimmer... .if he gets to pulling ..... pinch you legs together ....and hold with the one hand until he stops pulling....then release leg grip....continue to trim....he will do this ..on and off.....it takes sharp trimmers ...strong hands...to be able to hold the ankle... with one hand...strong legs... and to trim with the other........Good luck ....

During all this... be sure to wear gloves...and tape the areas on the fingers... where you tend to get blisters...I usually wear one glove on the hand that I use the trimmers so the other I can get a better grip to hold the ankles....but you can do it the way you would like...2 gloves or one.... :wink: :hug: Hope this helps.... good luck


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

thanks pam.

I did have the lead 'weaved' through his horns, and it seemed to work well. 
I didnt have his leg up though, that would keep him from kicking.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:thumbup: It really does.....and your very welcome...... :wink: :greengrin:


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

AlaskaBoers said:


> I can lift and stack hay all day, but 2 hours with a wild buck is crazy.
> Katrina aint that the truth!
> I have no offerings cause my little guy is only 4mos but I will keep this stuff in mind. Toth you brought up some good suggestions!
> Sealaywer boy howdy you got yourself out of that quick! :ROFL:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Toth you brought up some good suggestions!


 thank you nancy d... :wink: :hug:


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

well it went better today.. we got them wormed and blood drawn..I sent it first class to WADDL.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

great job Katrina..... :leap: .....you go girl......... :thumbup: :greengrin:


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

thankx pam :greengrin:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Your welcome ....Katrina... :thumbup:


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Our dairy bucks are big but fairly easy to handle, I usually just have my dad or mom hold them by the collar while I trim their hooves.

My brother's boers on the other hand, are huge and do not trust humans very well. When we trimmed Boomhauer, he's about 300 lbs, it took all five of us to catch him and get him down, then my dad and two brothers to hold him down while I trimmed his hooves. that was fun


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

This makes me content with my knee high goaties!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

The big guys... aren't bad ...if they have been worked with and trained as they are growing up ... to be trimmed on a regular basis......it seems like no goat likes ...there back hooves trimmed ..and do the yank dance...  ....at couple of times ...then are fine afterwards... :wink: :greengrin: 
Just want to clarify that they can be gentle giants....  

Katrina just got these big guys ....she didn't raise them.....so I can imagine... they weren't handled much by the way they are acting........ :wink: 


Sarah.........Boomhauer.....Love the name ....by the way....LOL :thumbup:


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## sealawyer (May 31, 2009)

I have to agree with Pam, our big boys are a bunch of spoiled brats. Big, demanding, rough spoiled brats that will hurt you without even realizing it just cuz they are being pushy for their food or your attention. They don't mean nothin' by it, but can knock you down just the same. Gwen won't go in the pen with them when there are does in estrus on the place. They just get way too rowdy, so we just drop their feed in the feeders over the fence and let them just beat each other up instead of us! When you get just two or less together, then they are ok, but the three together and they go KOOKOO! :doh: 
Katrina, go to Northeast Gate Co. at www.northeastgatemfg.com and look at the contraption called the goat master. Maybe you can get someone to fabricate something similar to help you contain the bucks to trim their hooves in. I have a similar machine called a billy buster that we purchased from Tractor Supply and it helps to control the goat, especially if you need to milk a semi-wild doe or work on a goat that is hard to control. You put them in the head gate and open the sides to do the work. Jeeze, I can imagine what shipping one of those things all of the way to Alaska may cost! :scratch:

Your sympathetic friend from that smaller biggest state, Fred V.


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

Yea I know.  I'd just be nervous having young kids and visitors come around when they're in rut. And since my parents and I live in the city and keep them at my grandparents, I think they'd be too much for them to handle, when I'm not around.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

well The guy I got the goats from offered me a buck stand. it's very short, has heavy duty wheels, and two swinging iron bars to hold the head and a feed trough on front. 

I wont get it since he's around 30 miles away...but I did a computer drawing on paint.

this will work well..just needs a paint job


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That would help out alot....that is super ......I wish I had one...LOL.... :wink: :greengrin:



> I have to agree with Pam,


 thanks Fred... :wink: :greengrin:


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## sealawyer (May 31, 2009)

Maybe a stanchion in the back on both sides with a rail about even wth their top line? To restrict their side to side movement? And give them something to lean against when you fold their leg back to trim the hoof. It would give you something to hobble a back foot to.


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