# Housing a buck ?



## Skyz84 (Jul 25, 2011)

Well I *thought* I had a little more time to work on a buck enclosure but today my little 5 month old buckling proved he can scale a fence if given a little time. :GAAH: I KNEW a buck could be a challenge to house but... WOW I didn't expect that so soon!

I'm wondering just how far away from the girls his pen should be? I seem to be getting conflicting info on this. I've had people tell me if he can see the girls he will smell worse all the time because he will be constantly trying to impress them. I've also been told he try HARDER to get to the girls if he can see them. I've had other people tell me it's only when the girls are in season this will be a problem. His breeder told me his pen could be near the girls without any problem. 

Also just HOW HIGH will a Dwarf buck climb to get out of a pen? I didn't even realize he would run/jump and climb so.... efficiently. I put him back in his pen and he was able to get out again in only a few minutes. He made a slight run at the fence, jumped at the last minute and managed to scamper over the top line of the fence with little problem! My girls pen is about 5 feet tall and they stay in. The fence he managed to get over is 45" tall. Shorter then my does pen but given the fact he is just barely 5 months old I thought it could hold him for a few weeks! Guess I was wrong! LOL 

If my girls are in milk should I not allow them access to the same pasture the buck uses (even if the buck is removed from the pasture?) I was told if I put the girls into the bucks territory everything will be covered in pee so the smell will get into the milk and make it taste bad? Or does this only apply if they are housed in the same pen at the same time? We have 2 different 3 acre pastures. Should one ALWAYS be designated girls & one ALWAYS boys? Never alternating?


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

I would suppose this depends on your buck. Sounds like, to me, the more your does are removed from his mind the better off he may be. We made our buck pen in June-for my 5 month boer buckling. We put his pen on the opposite side of the barn from the does paddock and pasture. So he can't see them unless we let him out to play. We routinely let him out in the evenings and he will run along the fence to the pasture they are in but we keep him in an alternating pasture. 

Our buck has shown no interest in trying to escape from his pen thus far. We also have a friend for him in his pen--he has a wether with him and 1/2 of the day our baby buckling is in the pen as well. 

Does your buck have a friend in with him?? That may solve alot of problems as goats hate to be alone.


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## Skyz84 (Jul 25, 2011)

Burns, I'm sure that is a BIG part of the escaping problem. I am looking for a wethered friend for him at as we speak. The breeder he came from said his pen mates were too big to be wethered & although herlsmaller babies were so beautiful I wasn't going to pay her price for a nice little buckling only for her to wether him. She did not give discounts for the babies because she said she could easily sell them at that age. Can't really blame her she had some beautiful babies.

I want to have my whole herd tested for CL ,CAE & Johnes before mixing everyone together but I was told my buckling couldn't be tested until over 6 months of age? He is where he can see & talk to the the girls but there is about 30 feet between there pens. 

The breeder I got him from had very healthy looking goats and they were obviously well cared for but I was still hoping to keep everyone separate until all the testing can be complete. I know CAE is usually only passed from dame to kids via milk & none of my goats have abscesses on them but I'm still trying to be safer then sorry. I'm a little nervous about buying a wether from someone else and putting him in with my buckling.

Are goats hardier then I'm giving them credit for? Am I being over protective...lol? I'm just trying to start the safe way to avoid heartache later.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

skyze84 not at all! You are being VERY responsible and I applaud you for that! You were given the right info many of those diseases can not be tested for until they are 8 months of age. I know for sure CL is that way-but I am not sure about CAE or Jhones. You might seek the knowledge of some of the other ladies here re: if you could test earlier for CAE or Jhones. I would think, if a goat was neg for these diseases then you could safely turn them out w/the others and just separate them at any sign of a CL abcess.

I always quarantine new goats before putting them in with my others-just makes sense, I have alot of $$ tied up in my registered boer stock and I don't want them to catch something. 

Usually when I buy babies or any goat I try to buy them in a pair-that way they are in isolation together. Do you have an lgd? Maybe putting and lgd in with him would help give him some company. My goats think of our lgd as one of their own anyway :laugh:


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

Getting a buddy is always a good idea, but will likely have no effect on your boy jumping the fence, especially if he smells girls in heat. My buck fence is 5 feet and they have only scaled four feet. However, I had a couple bucks that were so determined to get to the does they managed to climb over one way or the other. I put a stop to that by getting some foot high garden border fence and attaching it to the top of the buck pen fence, parallel to the ground so it faces inward. Every time the boys tried to jump over they hit their head on the fence. That stopped them in no time. I passed on the tip to others and this was successful for them as well.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

With him only being 5 months old, being alone may be the problem more so than hormones. It certainly wouldn't hurt to get him a buddy and see if that solves the problem.

I had to share a pasture with my bucks and does. Bucks were in for half a day and then the does got it for half a day. There was no difference in milk taste. I think it would make a difference if they were housed together.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I have to agree with everyone... :greengrin: getting him a buddy will help alot.... goats especially young kids don't like to be alone......... :thumb:


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

I agree...get him a friend


we had a buckling that wanted out and would get out every chance he could...put him with a buddy and he is happy and doesn't even try to get out.


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