# Nubian buckling - then and now!



## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

I don't know how, but I love Geoffrey Charles ("Geoffrey") more and more everyday! He's such a handsome little buck!

1 week old








2 weeks








About 2.5 months








3 months








4 months








Today, 4.5 months


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Handsome boy!


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Love his ears!!!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Nice


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

I love his "look"/face.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

He has the "correct" Nubian ears. So many have shorter ears with too much cartilage. He is a good looking buck kid.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

Thank you all!

Goats Rock, I never thought of that! We have six Nubians, and all but two have the shorter, wider ears. I am hoping that Geoffrey will pass those long ears down to his kids. 

This is my other Nubian with the longer ears. (The one of the left, LOL! )


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## ArborGoats (Jan 24, 2013)

I dunno that one on the right has some pretty big ears!:haha:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice.


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## Jaycies (May 13, 2016)

Oh he’s adorable!!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Goats Rock said:


> He has the "correct" Nubian ears. So many have shorter ears with too much cartilage. He is a good looking buck kid.


What do you mean by "too much cartilage" Goats Rock? I'm thinking you mean the extra cartilage causes them to flare outward or upward when they should hang loosely.

Curious to know as Boer ears are a pet peeve of mine! (a flaw in the goat of my profile photo) I love the large pendulous ears of the traditional African Boers and cringe when I see shorter ears that flare forward/have some erect-ness to them.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

I took a few pictures of Geoffrey today. My, how he has grown since I started this thread! He's now 8 months old, and surprisingly he was able to breed at 3 months - he's the proud father of a cute lil' purebred Nubian buckling! :happygoat:

I would like to get opinions on his width (or lack thereof). He used to seem so incredibly narrow through the chest, an area where I've noticed a few of my does fall short. I would definitely like to keep him for at least another breeding season, but I don't know...
Now, looking at him, he doesn't seem too horribly narrow, what do you think? Does anyone have any pictures of their young dairy bucks (that are about the same age) to compare?
We'll try to get some pictures of Geoffrey "set up" later I guess. Unfortunately, most of the time in these pictures he was on very uneven ground, which makes his rump look higher than it really is.


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## Kath G. (Jul 13, 2017)

He's still a baby. Do you know if his relatives tended to mature faster, or slower? Certain lines in Nubians (all breeds maybe?) tend to fast or slow maturing; it's helpful to know this so you can know when he's "done". 

My nubian buck looked like a gangly teenager, and grew tall and long before he turned two; then he filled out his frame. I'll see if I can find early this year vs late this year pictures of him, if you're interested...


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## Kath G. (Jul 13, 2017)

"Yes this young buck is totally pinched in the heart girth and is suffering from narrowing of the chest, an unfortunate result of the horrid, rotten, stinking, cruel anti-breeding apron the poor animal is saddled with. Remove the instrument of torture! And your buck shall be twice the width, his whole body over, immediately."
-Geoffrey Charles


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

I can’t see the pictures, but some bloodlines are just like that. I have a line of Alpines that are tall as ostriches, long as trains, and skinny as rails. Not lack of flesh skinny, but just very stream lined and narrow from front to back.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

@Kath G. - ROFL!  I just put that buck apron on him again yesterday morning (he'd had a break from it for 2 months)! He didn't like it at first, but then went running/jumping away kicking up his feet (playing with the little goat kids) so I think he's fine. 
I'd love to see pictures of your buck!

I think he is from slower maturing lines, but I've just never asked. He doesn't seem stunted or anything, he's just pretty tall and gangly looking. He's as tall as our 19 month old Nubian doe and about as tall as his mom. I weight taped him yesterday and he's around 70 pounds. 
His mom (2.5 years old) has just in the last few months started getting some depth to her. I don't know if it's because she was on the brink of death - from worms - back in June and is trying to get back everything she lost, or if she's a slow maturer as well.
Also, I bought another Nubian doe from the same breeder, and this doe, as a 2 year old, is in very good weight and she is about 90 pounds, and not super tall at all! She is related to Geoffrey (Lavender's Lark is her father, but is Geoffrey's grandfather too).


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## MadCatX (Jan 16, 2018)

Goat_Scout said:


> I took a few pictures of Geoffrey today. My, how he has grown since I started this thread! He's now 8 months old, and surprisingly he was able to breed at 3 months - he's the proud father of a cute lil' purebred Nubian buckling! :happygoat:
> 
> I would like to get opinions on his width (or lack thereof). He used to seem so incredibly narrow through the chest, an area where I've noticed a few of my does fall short. I would definitely like to keep him for at least another breeding season, but I don't know...
> Now, looking at him, he doesn't seem too horribly narrow, what do you think? Does anyone have any pictures of their young dairy bucks (that are about the same age) to compare?
> ...


What is that around his shoulders right behind his front legs?


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

MadCatX said:


> What is that around his shoulders right behind his front legs?


It's an anti-breeding apron. (From House of Bacchus) Most of our does just kidded and I don't want him to breed them. We have a separate area to put him, but the oldest kid isn't old enough to be a companion for him.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I have a couple of Granite - he is 5 months in the first pic and 7 months in the second. I would give your boy some time and see - my older buck put all his growth into legs and length for the first year.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

BTW - I just love your boys ears!


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## MadCatX (Jan 16, 2018)

Thank you I will be picking one of those up for my buckling. Poor guy lol all he does is snort and try to mate with everyone.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

@goatblessings - thank you for the pictures! Your guy is so bulky now!  And very handsome, did you breed him yourself?


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

No. He is from a breeder that does the whole nine yards as far as shows, LA, DHIR, etc. I had my eye on him for a while, but wasn't sure he was mature enough to breed my keepers from my other buck. I loved a lot of things about him, and had a lot of data as far as LA and DHIR so I went for it. I admired his sire and dam, and know his full sisters placed well at nationals. He bred my keepers no problem at 5 months. I do love his width and a lot of things about him and believe he will add to my girls. My breeder always says we need "lego" goats. Pick what we love in our animals and combine them together to get that "perfect" goat! As long as your guy has the possibility in adding to your girls, he is a keeper, never can tell until those babies hit the ground.


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## Kath G. (Jul 13, 2017)

goatblessings said:


> never can tell until those babies hit the ground.


I was able to audit a Nubian herd being appraised this past fall. The linear appraiser was a life-long breeder, had been doing dairy goats for over 50 years... she's had a turn at about every breed out there.

She said she doesn't care what a buck's LA score is (my jaw about hit the ground!). She explained that what a buck _has_ doesn't necessarily tell you what he'll pass on, and what he passes on tends to be consistent. She wants to see daughters and makes a judgement based on that.

@goatblessings, would you share his adga # so I can check out his pedigree?
@Goat_Scout, would you share yours?
If not that's okay!


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## Kath G. (Jul 13, 2017)

BTW Geoffrey is *very* handsome! 
Here's my standard buck Beau pictured at just around his 2nd birthday... and five months later. All of these are just candids, he'd look better being set up.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Sure.....my two year old who I will LA this year - "Shadow" is N1783841.
"Granite" is N1900050. I love his Granddams/Sires top and bottom. - Shadow is my favorite though so far...... I love his daughters and can't wait to see udders this spring.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

My current buck sire was like that- long, thin, gangly- to where I honestly went ICK every time I looked at him. Then, he hit 18 months and filled out nicely. Then he grew again. He ended up taller than one of my ponies with that long, gangly body again. Then, finally, as a coming 3 year old he stopped growing, but on muscle and looked awesome. He comes from a long line of slow to mature goats.

My current boy is a bit faster to mature than his sire, but still slower than average, and not quite so tall.

Give your guy time to mature and fill out, I bet you will be much more impressed with him.


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## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

Goat_Scout, I love his colors and ears.


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## TexasGoatMan (Jul 4, 2015)

Goat_Scout, I love his colors and ears.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

Thanks! 

Here are a few pictures I took today of Geoffrey and his lil' son (Naphtali). 
































And just for fun, this is the doe that is related to Geoffrey (one of her grandsires is his sire). Her buckling is also a paternal half brother to Geoffrey. <So confusing!


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## Kath G. (Jul 13, 2017)

Gorgeous. Just simply gorgeous.

You CAN tell Geoffrey I said that.


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## goat girls (Dec 13, 2017)

Semi's buckling is getting huge!


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

@Kath G. - Thanks, I'll be sure to tell him! 
@goatgirls - I know! His days of being toted around by me are almost a thing of the past.  
And poor him - last week, when he went to the vets to get dis-budded (and was gone about 5 hours) not ONCE did Semi call for him - she just went about her daily business, free and happy as a lark! I think she's getting to the point now where he's just a chore to nurse, and she obviously doesn't mind anymore when I separate him at night. :/ All that to say, she's still a great, attentive mother, just HE is very attached to her and doesn't want to leave her side, while she is quite the opposite! Sometimes moms just need to get away, lol.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

He is looking great! Cute kid too


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