# Bucks... Keep them together or no?



## RedLotusNigerians (Dec 13, 2011)

Alrighty folks, looking for opinions here.

The bucks that I currently have are quite vocal, and unfortunately the only place we could set up buck pens was just off where our bedroom is. Hence, we can hear them when they go at it.

And they're_ always going at it_. Singing their bucky songs constantly, because they never take a dang break. So I think we need a change.

I was talking with a friend of mine who raises Boers, and she says she never keeps her bucks together, just where they can see each other so they know they're not alone. I was wondering if anyone else does this with their bucks? For reference I raise Nigerians, if that makes any difference.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

So they are currently living together but making heaps of noise? All mine live together and sometimes they are loud but most the time they are really good. I have had them live next to each other at one point but the blubbered at each other through the fence all the time... So I put them together, to start with they were pound but after the first few weeks they have settled in perfectly. When I separated them for breeding recently and the. Put them back together they carried on for maybe a day and then back to being peaceful. They do have their mad run 2 times a day when they are vocal but for the rest they are good.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

I only have one Nigerian Dwarf buck, and he makes noise as long as he's awake.  He lives right on the other side of the fence from all the girls, so he spends his day following them around, snorting and making noise. He's quieter whenever he's put away at night and he can't see the girls anymore, but that's about it.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I've always kept mine together and they make noise off and on, usually just when a doe is in heat. I had the new guy apart from the two and they still did it. Now I am going to separate my boys simply because they are jerks and I'm done with all the bully and always thinking one got rammed to hard when someone is off


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## LibertyHomesteadFarm (Feb 1, 2014)

My bucks all live together, they only make noise when a doe is in heat, or they're fighting.
Even with that said, my bucks wear themselves out during the day and sleep at night, so no noise then! (my LGD is another story...)


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

My bucks live in their own pens. They have their own stall with their own runs. They are right next door to each other though. During breeding season I could never run them together. The fight way too much through the fence I couldn't imagine them being together and fighting. I am hoping when I fence in pasture that during the spring/summer when it's not breeding season I can turn all my bucks together to go out and browse.  During rut they boys are vocal but they have does in and out of the pens and they can see the doe pen even though it's quite a distance from them...during the other seasons they really don't make much noise unless it's time to feed.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

My two bucks I bottle-raised from just a couple days old. They live together and graze until breeding season when they are put with their own group of does out of sight of the other. They don't do well together when in full rut...too much machismo. After they are out of rut, it takes a brief period to get used to each other again and be buddies rather than competition. They are typically very quiet unless they see me and want attention.
Sometimes when I have paddock(s) that need extra rest, my bucks must get tied out in unfenced area until the paddocks recovers. They are both on 20ft chains within sight of each other. I check on them at least twice a day and they are content to munch in place until I move them.


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## VVFarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I keep my bucks together all the time except during breeding when they run with their own group of ladies. 
They get along great & never fight or carry on except a little bit of sexual behavior (but not aggression) when they are in full rut. 
They have a large pasture to themselves, so I don't know if space is a factor or not?
They are Boers. About the same size bodies & horns. I don't think I'd trust them with a smaller or a hornless buck in the same pasture... Keep any potential fighting reasonably fair. ;-)


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## VVFarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Hmmm... Another thought just occurred to me...
How OLD are your bucks? Could that be a factor? 
My bucks who live together are mature old men. However, sometimes the buckling weanling pen can get pretty loud, offensive to any prude or sensitive eyes and occasionally bloody as those crazy teenage male hormones rage. This usually happens right around shipping time so I don't know how long til they might outgrow it. 
If your bucks are young, maybe they just need to mature a bit?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I have my bucks all in one big pen- 10 dairy boys. 2 are 4 yr. olds, the rest are coming up on 2 yrs. old. They 
make some noise, especially when I bring a buck back from the main doe barn after a breeding session, but, 
they are ok together. They remind me of teenage boys- always fussing around, making silly noises and acting goofy! (sorry any teenage boys! not trying to be mean!).


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

Goats Rock said:


> I have my bucks all in one big pen- 10 dairy boys. 2 are 4 yr. olds, the rest are coming up on 2 yrs. old. They
> make some noise, especially when I bring a buck back from the main doe barn after a breeding session, but,
> they are ok together. They remind me of teenage boys- always fussing around, making silly noises and acting goofy! (sorry any teenage boys! not trying to be mean!).


You have TEN bucks? wow lol I thought I had my hands full with 3 adults and a kid buck. I could not imagine having that many blubbering guys around haha.
When I designed my buck barn, I only designed it to hold 4 bucks so thats my maximum number I can have at one time...And I did that for a reason...otherwise I'd end up with too many bucks!


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## RedLotusNigerians (Dec 13, 2011)

Sorry for the lateness in responding, folks! I somehow forgot I made this post until I got a notification email from TGS, LOL!

My boys are mature, one will be 5 in February, the other will be 4 and they've lived with each other for years now. They do have their quiet moments during the day and they're pretty quiet at night (for the most part), but it just seems like they're always harassing each other in the way bucks do (lots of singing and sneezing and etc.), lol. They always butt heads at night, too, right before they get dinner. They're especially rowdy when one or more of my girls comes into heat across the lot. 

Just wasn't sure if maybe giving them their own space (though just right next to each other) would help them quiet down or not. The bucks I had previously were much quieter and really only vocalized when the ladies were in heat, nor did they knock heads as much.

I was curious how others handled their buck spaces - very interesting to see all the answers others give


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## cfish001 (Sep 1, 2015)

I have 2 bucks that grew up together. They are now about 3 years old. They seem to get along just fine except when it is breeding season. They do tend to sing some, and alot of head butting. Then in the evening they settle down and sleep together and are best buds. However, it was a lot worse when we had a 3rd buck with them that had horns and the son of one of the older ones. The 2 saanens would gang up on my oberhasli and beat up on him. The saanen with horns is gone and my bucks get along much better with each other.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I have always kept my bucks together. I have had standard dairy bucks living with Boer and Nigerian bucks. They always got along.

I think most bucks tend to be vocal. Mine are actually louder when they are apart and quieter when in a group. My Lamancha buck likes to hum, it's pretty cool.


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## Crystal (Jan 20, 2013)

We keep our adult bucks together. Jr bucks in another pen. I have 4 around the same distance as yours by my bedroom window. Sometimes even more bucks if they are not at Brandy's house. The only time they get really vocal at night is when a doe is in heat close by them. Zumba is a little more of a talker and can take longer to settle down. Try a temp divider and see if that helps. Also try feeding an hour or so later. Mine are less restless at night if I feed a little later. If not switch your buck and does around.:thinking: Oh Momo's papers are done. Thank you


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I keep all 15 of my boys together. No problems at all. They have plenty of room to move around and get away from each other if needed. They get noisy off and on and will argue sometimes, but nothing that would cause problems.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I have my two bucks together. Of course, the bigger of the two is "boss" but they get along great. They head butt (but nothing hard) and act bucky together...no problems at all. In fact, when I put them back together after breeding they were really cute! The younger one was rubbing his head on the older one and they seemed genuinely happy to see each other after two months


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