# Wether flirtations



## rosebayridgefarm (Jan 18, 2014)

We have a wether we raised who lives with our buck. He is (was) a mellow boy. This has worked well so far. Our buck has just gone out of town on a breeding lease for a while, and we put our lonely wether in with the does. The wether's favorite jr. doe (same age) went into standing heat, and he's realy making us nuts, flirting & mounting & wailing his lungs out. The buck isn't nearly as loud as our wether. Do all wethers act exactly like bucks except for the peeing and fertilizing bit, or did we just get a loud one? I separated him from all the open does, as he was annoying the neighbors. 
Should I trade him for a quieter model, or doesn't such a thing exist? My buck in rut is only 8 months old, but he's never been this loud, so far

The wether's dam was sold because of loud yelling. She is an ND as is he.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They can get loud. Just wait till your buck is older.


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

One of my wethers thinks he's a buck (and he was banded and done before 3 months old). The others are pretty quiet and sweet. He just started this at age 5 months.


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## rosebayridgefarm (Jan 18, 2014)

Is the wether supposed to be really loud & aggressive too, or just the buck? I'm surprised that the wther chased the doeling in heat for a half hour & mounted her a lot & teased her (head under rear lifting & toppling her at times). Do all wethers think they're bucks? He was a really bucky kid very early on, but was neutered at 5 weeks.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Most of the time, wethering will stop that behavior. If the doe was a yeller, then it may just be that her kid will be too. I have a wether as a buck companion and I don't see that behavior with him. I know in cattle, steers will still have a tendency to mount especially if they are in with a female in heat. They will mount each other in a feedlot setting too. However, if your wether is being that rough with your doe, I'd definitely separate them. A wether shouldn't (shouldn't....doesn't mean there aren't some who are different) be so obsessed with a doe in heat that he chases her and mounts repeatedly. Of course, your doe may just have a really strong heat too.

If you aren't attached to him, I'd sell him and find another one.


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

I had to lock mine up when he was harassing a girl in heat. That took the wind out of his sails. He had been chasing, mounting, AND trying to nurse her! We'll see if he resumes when the next girl goes into heat. He WAS a lovely guy on his way to pack training. No sense packing with a goat who loses his mind around does in heat. :-(

My theory - he's out of an uber-buck, from an uber-milker. I think big milk and big fertility may come with oversized hormones.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I find that many wethers go through a period of puberty even though castrated. Their pituitary gland and Thymus is working over time producing growth hormone and other needed hormones necessary to grow the animal. Many of my young pack wethers and I have very long talks about some of their behaviors. 
I have found that they usually settle down real nice around age 2.


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## PygmyMom (Mar 3, 2014)

Good to know I'm not alone lol! My bucks are out on lease too so we put the wether in with the does. He thinks he is the man of the house now. Haha! Bleats like crazy, butts and chases after the baby buckling, and mounts, licks and sniffs after the does in heat. It's pretty funny actually. He gets better when the Bucks come back and he goes back to his place in the herd totem pole.  

It is my opinion that the ND's are the loudest of them all! My ND doe Peanut is absolutely ridiculous with how loud she is. ALL of her kids seem to inherit that loud wailing too. During heat, between her, her kids and the wether it sounds like there is a goat massacre in our back yard lol!


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

goathiker said:


> I find that many wethers go through a period of puberty even though castrated. Their pituitary gland and Thymus is working over time producing growth hormone and other needed hormones necessary to grow the animal. Many of my young pack wethers and I have very long talks about some of their behaviors.
> I have found that they usually settle down real nice around age 2.


Thank you! There may be hope for him yet!


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## rosebayridgefarm (Jan 18, 2014)

Ah-hah! Good advice, thank you all, and thank you for the words of hope, goathiker. He is probably sick of being mounted by the buck, who came in when they were both "teens", and he is now trying to make up for lost time. The doelings have gone out of heat now, and he still chases them and moans. Luckily, the leased buck is coming back tomorrow, and he can leave the girls' room. I'll give him some time to calm down. He's got tul next spring's wethers are weaned, at least.


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## Buckleberry Woods Farm (Dec 20, 2013)

My wether was after one of my girls in heat this morning. I'd never seen him that active before. He was vocalizing, mounting, sniffing and doing everything except peeing on himself. They still feel the urge.


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