I have two nigerian dwarf bucks, registered, 2 years old. one has horns the other scurs. They get along fine until rutt and I think we all know what that entails.
My questions is... My kidding this morning gave me a nice buckling and doeling registered. I want to keep them and the buckling and not wether him, making him my 3rd herd sire.
I was going to separate him and put him with my weather, who is 1 year and 1 month and disbudded. This buckling will also be disbudded.
1) Can I eventually put him in with my two bucks in their pen, is 3 okay?
2) what age would be a good time to put him in there?
3) maybe I should put him in with the bucks sooner? My weather stays with the does right now.
4) If he is smaller, should I take him out of the older bucks pen during rutt but leave him in out of rutt?
attached is a picture of this gem.
thanks..
Replies
Okay, I will have a shelter where the little one can get away safely. One of my bucks has scurs the other horned. The one with scurs has knocked off most of the horned goats horns.. LOL
I can keep the little one w/the wether in another area until he gets bigger and then put in with the big boys, I guess day by day watching...
No I don't take any baby away from the dam prior to 2 months.
We have had as many as nine bucks together with no problems. However, all of our bucks are either disbudded or polled. Having horned and non-horned animals together makes me nervous.
There is no problem leaving a buck with mom for two months. I usually take mine away at about 10 weeks. If they are acting really bucky, I might take them away a little earlier, but I've never taken a buck away before 2 months.
Okay.Thank you so much for the clarifying answers...awesome...
I don't want to wether him as I want to use him as a 3rd herd sire. I have watched my two current bucks throughout the years. They fight pretty bad during rutt for dominance and status. I understand the top buck is the only one that needs alpha status to breed the does and the lesser status buck gets the left overs LOL
They change every year...the first year one was top buck they fought and bloodied horns and the status changed, they now it's back to what it was to begin with.
I'm concerned about leaving him with mom for 2 months, since I usually intermingle the does and their babies before then. You don't think I'd have a problem with the little one try to breed the new baby does? Perhaps I'm thinking that would happen after a buck is past 2 months? I would usually wether a buckling at 6 weeks.
You can leave him with mom for at least two months, even though you aren't wethering him. I wasn't clear if that was your plan, but you can do that.
1) Can I eventually put him in with my two bucks in their pen, is 3 okay?
I just recently added a third buck to my herdsire pen, and everyone is getting along OK. I know people who have more than that in their herdsire pens, with no issues. I'm not sure if they do anything differently during rut season, but I don't think they do.
2) what age would be a good time to put him in there?
I had plans to wait to put my 10 week old newest buckling in with my big boys, but he's small enough that he got through the fence (I'm moving things around, and the shared fenceline isn't secure yet for the littles, which I don't have any of, other than him.) and things are going better with the bucks than they did with the does! lol
3) maybe I should put him in with the bucks sooner? My weather stays with the does right now.
There is another discussion about a buck with a wether, and some of us think that wethers might get more abuse than other bucks because the bucks can tell the wethers aren't intact, and try to mount them a lot. You might find that your buckling does better with the big boys than the wether, even though he's smaller.
4) If he is smaller, should I take him out of the older bucks pen during rutt but leave him in out of rutt?
attached is a picture of this gem.
I would play this one by ear. So far, my bitty baby is doing GREAT with the big boys, and I don't think rut will change that. If it does, I might have to create a separate pen for him for a few months, but I think he'll be able to stay with them.