# Need honest opinions on newbies owning bucks



## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Ok,
Sorry for posting a billion questions this week! I have two mini Nubian doelings and thanks to someone on the forum I was able to get in touch with a breeder that has 2 Mini Nubian studs I believe they are both 1st or 2nd generation that I could breed to when my girls are old enough. Now, she lives about 2 hours from me so it would cost quite a bit of time and money not including the stud fee. However, she has a GORGEOUS 6th generation registered buckling for sale! His mom is an excellent milker and he is from great lines. (Well I think so, I'm no expert but she said she would be happy to email me pedigrees.) We are not new to livestock. I've had horses and cattle my whole life. My husband and I are very savvy... just new to goats. Would it be better for me to just take them up there to be bred and see how everything goes? Or should I take this opportunity to purchase a hard to find buck in my area and just raise my own stock? I think because he's 6th generation his babies would be much more marketable and I'd have a great change of getting an experimental registration on the kids. Input please? :whatgoat:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Either way is fine. You are going to have to figure out what will work best for you. The buckling will need to have a buddy. You just have to have space for both sexes. It really isn't a big deal to own a buck if you have the space.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Karen is correct...also consider the cost of keeping two bucks (one stud and one buddy) for a year for two does...I personally like owning my own bucks..but its not for everyone..Bucks in rut smell bad..and with each year..it gets stronger..so you have to decide if you have safe space far enough down wind  The smell does not bother me any more and our boys are near the side of our house..lol..but some days Oh my.....


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

My Nigerian bucks have been very nice. The one I have now is not very stinky and OH SO SWEET!


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

I do worry about the smell since we only live on 1 acre and our neighbors are all fairly close. My hubby is also sensitive to smells, he likes everything to be very orderly and clean so I'm thinking the smell might bother him more than me. Now, can the buck have a whether buddy or does he need another buck to keep him company? Right now I'm leaning toward just hauling them to be bred since we have such a small acreage...but that buckling is just stunning. Gorgeous ears and he is what she calls "moon spotted" I think he would make some beautiful kids!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

a wether buddy is best...this way he has a great pen friend but not competition for the ladies
he does sound handsome...maybe you and hubby can visit a farm with bucks in rut and see how your husband does...consider you neighbors as well...Im sure you will do what suites your needs best


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

The buck "smell" is not all the time. It also varies greatly between bucks. I have two bucks neither smells really bad even in rut. However, my friend has a buck that I can smell way before I see him.. Goats are addictive. If you are going to have one buck, you might as well own 2. That way as your herd grows you will have a buck for the offspring with out much linebreeding. If you own a really high end buck, you could pay for his up keep and his buddy if you can stud him some.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Oh I can tell that they are addictive. I've never seen my husband enjoy any of our animals as much as he does them. He says people don't need antidepressants...just a couple of goats lol! They have stolen my heart but don't want to get in over my head either. I guess I'll have to see what my husband thinks when he gets home. However, I don't want to make enemies of my neighbors!


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## chapinranch (Apr 30, 2012)

consider the bucks personality and his temperment ask how he is when he is in rut cause some can be nasty and others are great . We had an experience with a buck he was fine the first time around and when second time came around he decided he was going to butt ya from behind needless to say he was out of here to many good bucks to have a nasty one around even though he sired great babies . Ask alot of questions .


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I think you should try to talk to people who have bucks and a acre of land to see how if they still get Xmas cards from their neighbors .
This will be my first time owning a buck as well. It will be a interesting first couple of years for sure , lol
If your husband is sensitive to smells , I would visit a farm with a few bucks during the rut and see what he thinks. That will tell you a lot right there before making such a commitment . I can relate to your hesitance about owning your own bucks. It's a commitment that shouldn't be taken lightly. Your neighbors can make a lot of trouble for you if they don't enjoy the odors of buck noir , lol 
I can say the smell didn't offend me much at all when I visited a farm with multiple bucks during the fall season. I have no idea why either !
I kept asking , " is this the buck smell" because I wasn't sick by it or anything and I was happy it didn't bother me because I had plans in the works to have my own buck one day , lololol
The bet you can do is visit farms and spend time there with your husband to see if it's right for the both of you. Then worry about your neighbors 
Good luck


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

And , just another note......I think that a bucks temperment and being cautious and respectful of the animal goes with the territory.
If your going to own a buck , some aren't snuggly animals like most does are . It's just what they are. You have to be careful , dont turn your back on them , or think you "know them". They are what they are.
There are exceptions of course , like anything else .


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

My bucks are just huge dogs. They come running to get scratched and a treat. Bucks seem more out going and easier to handle than does to me so far.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I have a feeling Archie is going to be the same way when he matures .

So , GTAllen , are you saying that the female genders are somewhat harder to,handle then males ?


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> I have a feeling Archie is going to be the same way when he matures .
> 
> So , GTAllen , are you saying that the female genders are somewhat harder to,handle then males ?


Not even going to answer that on this forum.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

:chick::chick::chick:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> Bucks seem more out going and easier to handle than does to me so far.


My two bucks have been far less temperamental than some of my does. They have both been big stinky babies. hlala:


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Aww , I was only joking around with GTAllen is all 
Sorry if I offended anybody .


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> Aww , I was only joking around with GTAllen is all
> Sorry if I offended anybody .


I don't think you offended anyone. I was joking around.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

Jekyll and Hyde. My Mini Togg buck pictured in my avatar is a big baby all summer long. I can take him out for leashed walks and he loves everybody. When the does begin their heats in the fall, putting him into rut he turns into a dangerous, untrustworthy, stinking to high heaven single minded 90 pound monster. He stays inside his TRIPLE fenced pen and has several times worn the hair and hide off his nose trying to get through to a flirting doe. I had to get between him and a doe in heat one time and ended up at the ER with a ruptured bicep tendon. He ran into my outstretched arm with such force it bent it back like a coat hanger. 
An F6 mini buck would be hard to pass up. You'll be able to use him for a long time. Never the less, I'd give it a good hard assessment before jumping in. He'll need secure, safe, separate living quarters and a wether for a pal, and it goes without saying, NO HORNS.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> Aww , I was only joking around with GTAllen is all
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh, I know you were joking; I'm not offended. I was just throwing my 2 cents in.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I ended up getting rid of my bucks because my husband was very sensitive to the smell and just couldn't stand it. They were very affectionate and extremely easy to handle. Loved to be pet and wanted attention. But in the end, the smell was just too much. Most people didn't even think the boys smelled that bad. Even city people who aren't used to barn smells. So if your husband is very sensitive to smells, that will be something to think about.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

Put some mentholatum ointment under the husbands nose. We do that to the bucks at shows so they don't smell the does.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

:ROFL: I must remember that , lol


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> I have a feeling Archie is going to be the same way when he matures .
> 
> So , GTAllen , are you saying that the female genders are somewhat harder to,handle then males ?


HAHA!! You guys are funny! I appreciate all the advice!


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

elchivito said:


> Jekyll and Hyde. My Mini Togg buck pictured in my avatar is a big baby all summer long. I can take him out for leashed walks and he loves everybody. When the does begin their heats in the fall, putting him into rut he turns into a dangerous, untrustworthy, stinking to high heaven single minded 90 pound monster. He stays inside his TRIPLE fenced pen and has several times worn the hair and hide off his nose trying to get through to a flirting doe. I had to get between him and a doe in heat one time and ended up at the ER with a ruptured bicep tendon. He ran into my outstretched arm with such force it bent it back like a coat hanger.
> An F6 mini buck would be hard to pass up. You'll be able to use him for a long time. Never the less, I'd give it a good hard assessment before jumping in. He'll need secure, safe, separate living quarters and a wether for a pal, and it goes without saying, NO HORNS.


Aaah! That sounds awful! I'm glad everything turned out ok! My husband and I are still thinking onder: This buck is a GREAT price too. If you are interested in seeing his pedigree and could give me your opinion that would be great. He is already disbudded and ready to leave mom in 2 weeks. After speaking with her again she has this bucks father at stud who is a 6th generation so I could very well just take them up there and have the same quality. However, if I did end up buying this buck and everything went well I'd probably end up selling at least one of the does as a family milker and investing in 1-2 registered mini does instead of trying to breed 4 generations from my grades.

I'm thinking my hubby would be in charge of dealing with the buck in rut...he's a professional horse trainer and Extreme Mustang Makeover champion...he's good a dealing with rank animals :ROFL:


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

GTAllen said:


> Put some mentholatum ointment under the husbands nose. We do that to the bucks at shows so they don't smell the does.


LOL does that really work?! That's too funny!


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## emmapal (Oct 4, 2012)

I thought the reputed buck smell would be intolerable until my neighbors recently got one. He had no smell all winter, and now in spring I can only smell him when we feed him over our common fence. We got a nearly yearling buck a few weeks ago, and he only smells when we pet him. It is not a pleasant odor, but not grotesque either. We have 2 wethers and a pyrenees dog with him. The other buck is older, substantially larger meat breed, and my little dairy buck is terrified of him. Since my neighbors have does, we probably have to get him a doe soon to keep him from going mad.

If this buck is really good quality and registered, he will be easy to sell if it doesn't work out at your place.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I have a buck in a drylot.....I use barn lime and clean his pen regularly....the only time you really smell him is if you are right next to the pen during rut or if you are right next to him. The boys are closer to the house than the girls are....

Maybe he doesn't smell bad as some but I don't have a problem with it. When I cleaned him out after the snow melted was when I smelled it most but I barn limed the lot and it went away within 2 days....

As for behavior, my buck is not challenging. He was dam raised and stays clear of people unless you have grain, of course.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

Esther88 said:


> Aaah! That sounds awful! I'm glad everything turned out ok! My husband and I are still thinking onder: This buck is a GREAT price too. If you are interested in seeing his pedigree and could give me your opinion that would be great. He is already disbudded and ready to leave mom in 2 weeks. After speaking with her again she has this bucks father at stud who is a 6th generation so I could very well just take them up there and have the same quality. However, if I did end up buying this buck and everything went well I'd probably end up selling at least one of the does as a family milker and investing in 1-2 registered mini does instead of trying to breed 4 generations from my grades.
> 
> I'm thinking my hubby would be in charge of dealing with the buck in rut...he's a professional horse trainer and Extreme Mustang Makeover champion...he's good a dealing with rank animals :ROFL:


Do they have him listed for sale on their website? I'd like to see.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

young bucks tend to be less stinky. So you could try him out for a year and see how your husband does. I like keeping young bucks because I never notice I have a buck in the barn - they have no stink! But those 2 year olds and up are RANK from what Ive experienced. 

But each buck will be different - it also depends on how much competition they have too. More bucks equals more odor. I would just keep one buck and have him in his pen that shares a fenceline with the girls. He will be happy and just give him some interaction. Ive done this and so have other friends of mine with no issues. If he seems real lonely you can get him a wether buddy. Another buck will just add to the odor.

I use to live on one acre and my parents didnt want to offend the neighbors so I couldnt keep bucks all year round (they did come for breeding time for like a month). But a couple years ago I kept a few bucks from that years kidding and no one was the wiser and they didnt cause any problems or oder issues.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

elchivito said:


> Do they have him listed for sale on their website? I'd like to see.


Thanks for the advice everyone  We have decided to wait on purchasing a buck until after our first set of kids. If and when it makes sense for our family we will add a buck to our herd. I am sad thought because that little guy is beautiful! :thumbup:

She doesn't have him listed on the website but I have a photo of him I could post ( I think) or I could send it in a message. He is dark brown with moonspots and big beautiful ears.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

Esther88 said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone  We have decided to wait on purchasing a buck until after our first set of kids. If and when it makes sense for our family we will add a buck to our herd. I am sad thought because that little guy is beautiful! :thumbup:
> 
> She doesn't have him listed on the website but I have a photo of him I could post ( I think) or I could send it in a message. He is dark brown with moonspots and big beautiful ears.


I think your decision is rational and well thought out. He's not the only good buck you'll find, and you might want to keep track of where he goes so you can possibly pick him up down the road if he proves out. 
I get calls from people far too often who have gotten in way over their heads or notdone their homework beforehand. Wanting to know if I'd like to have their goat or goats (no, thankyou).Can't handle the feed bills, have to move, sick goat and can't afford a vet. What's wrong with my doe-doeling-buckling-wether and on and depressingly on. Slow and smart is the way to go, not only for your own sake but more importantly, for the animals'.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Bucks are not for everyone. I love the convenience of owning my own buck. Here are a couple pics of my boy. He is a 2 year old alpine and weighs around 250 lbs. He has a gentle nature which is good when dealing with an animal of this size. He does stink in the fall for a while but the rest of the year he doesn't smell. I figure the smell is the cost of owning a buck, and I don't mind it that much.


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## OutdoorDreamer (Mar 29, 2012)

Last summer my boyfriend and I got our first goats, a pair of young does. 
As the months went on, 2 goats turned into a total of 5 does  because of course goats are addicting. Anyways in the fall we had to travel with our does when they came into heat to be bred. One of the bucks was closer than the other, but it still seemed like a hassle loading goats and putting them under the stress of leaving home. 
This year we decided to add two bucks to our herd, and I think I'll love the convenience of just being able to walk the doe to the buck stall when she's ready, instead of loading her up and driving an hour to get her bred. 

I've experienced buck stink many times when visiting other breeders. Yes they are really pungent. But I truly don't mind it, it is certainly not the worst odor out there. (I'm a taxidermist so experience a lot worse smells in my shop when working with certain animals like coyote or mink)


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

elchivito said:


> I think your decision is rational and well thought out. He's not the only good buck you'll find, and you might want to keep track of where he goes so you can possibly pick him up down the road if he proves out.
> I get calls from people far too often who have gotten in way over their heads or notdone their homework beforehand. Wanting to know if I'd like to have their goat or goats (no, thankyou).Can't handle the feed bills, have to move, sick goat and can't afford a vet. What's wrong with my doe-doeling-buckling-wether and on and depressingly on. Slow and smart is the way to go, not only for your own sake but more importantly, for the animals'.


Exactly. We have a responsibility to the animal as well as our family. After our first year of hauling to a breeder and seeing how much of a hassle it is or isn't and weighing the pros and cons we'll have a better idea of whether a buck is right for us. I can tell these girls aren't going anywhere even if we do decide to change breeds or get further into Mini Nubians and buy a couple registered does. I brought the idea up to my hubby of selling one or both of the girls down the road as family milkers and switch to all registered stock...he just laughed and said "that's not going to happen, those are my babies, they're family" LOL! He's usually the completely rational one, no issues selling horses but I guess goats are a whole different issue! :lovey:


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

peggy said:


> Bucks are not for everyone. I love the convenience of owning my own buck. Here are a couple pics of my boy. He is a 2 year old alpine and weighs around 250 lbs. He has a gentle nature which is good when dealing with an animal of this size. He does stink in the fall for a while but the rest of the year he doesn't smell. I figure the smell is the cost of owning a buck, and I don't mind it that much.


Those are great pics! He looks like a sweetheart


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## Axykatt (Feb 1, 2013)

@Peggy

What a sweet boy! He's got such a happy face, and it must be great to have a goat assistant when working on the car.


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks guys, yes he is a sweetheart but he is funny too. He sometimes gets frustrated about something and you can see he gets mad...lol.... He was running on the trail once when we had tons of snow and fell in the snowbank and when he got out you could see he was choked....lol..... you could read his emotions. He loves my husband and follows him everywhere. He is a pretty content fellow with his little harem. You have to treat bucks with love and gentleness and they reciprocate with the same and don't put them away all alone by themselves.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Peggy , you have the most darling buck and extremely handsome too "D
I cracked up when I saw the picture of him helping your husband , lolol
That is just way too cute ! You should send that photo in to a Popular Mechanics or
some other magazine like that , lol It really is hysterically cute 
Him curled up on his little mat or what looks like a door mat is just adorable too


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