I have 2 6-week old bucklings who are actively trying to breed my 6 month old NDG doeling who is small for her age. She is in heat and the boys are chasing her constantly, muttering to her and actually leaping onto her while she is running, trying to perform the deed. They are definitely "extending" when they are humping. I know everyone says it's not possible, but for SURE? Prita only weighs 25 lbs and I will not be breeding her until next year. What if she "stands" for them? They can definitely reach the target! I had to catch the little buggers this afternoon and put them in the crate to give poor Prita a break. They are relentless!
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You are welcome. I started separating mine at two months, but they had woven wire fence between them in their stall and I had been putting good stuff in the feeding in the night pen. It was a nightly ritual, with me loudly saying, "Bedtime" three times and eventually them going into it. I also put my single doeling in it. Outside, I had a pen that was separated by chain link. I was very lucky that there was no crying on the parts of either until morning when they wanted their milk!
When the barn is finally up this fall, I'm not sure how I will handle it but undoubtedly a separate pen with chain link sides. It sounds so sad when they cry; they know how to load on the guilt.<g>
Thanks Glenna, for your input. I just finally separated them today. Interestingly, one buckling developed diarrhea the day I was going to separate them (oh the irony!) and I wanted to keep him on his dam as long as possible until I knew what was going on. Turns out it was just tummy upset from something (maybe cherry leaves as fall is in full swing), but after a day of probios, he's fine now. Tonight is their first night apart and mama cried herself to sleep-- the babies did too in the next pen where they have their new buck barn. Unfortunately they can just barely hear each other :( I hope the pain of separation is not too long as I will definitely suffer too.
Just read that, typo: Capri (not Ginger) is mother and grandmother to the boys while Ginger is half-sister to all.
Glenna Rose said:
[snip] In my case, Ginger is half-sister to all the bucklings and Ginger is mother and grandmother to them so I really did *not* want any breeding. [snip]
Honestly, Julia, I would separate them. If you absolutely do not want them bred by those bucklings, you likely need to separate them now. In my case, Ginger is half-sister to all the bucklings and Ginger is mother and grandmother to them so I really did *not* want any breeding. I would be heart-broken as all the babies would be meat goats - with the way things have gone this year, it would have been two sets of doeling triplets making it even more heartbreaking. I was told to separate them at two months and they could breed as early as 3-4 months so I had planned to wether them in another month. If I *had* wethered at two months, I would not have broken my arm - it happened when I was separating them for the day because they were very badly harassing Capri who was definitely in heat as Ginger was a few days before. Honestly, it has not been worth the stress all this time of wondering and not sure which way to go. I'm very grateful there will be no babies until spring when their barn will be ready for them (and my covered patio will be only that again).
That's good news, Glenna, but please do let us know if anything changes! My precocious boys are still with the girls and now they're 10 weeks old. One young doe was in standing heat yesterday and they were really working it. I will definitely follow up with you all if she turns up preggers.
I have very good news! Capri is definitely not pregnant (via blood test results) so it is unlikely that Ginger is and is, as Deborah kindly put it, "Well loved." She is too fat (sorry, that *is* the right word for her!) to get a good blood sample without risking hurting her if she jumped but if Capri is not, then Ginger wouldn't be either. So based on my experience, the boys are still shooting blanks at about 10-11 weeks. If I find new kids out there in a couple of weeks, we will know a negative for Capri was no guide for Ginger but I am confident enough I am not preparing a birthing area. Maybe someday, I will learn the difference between baby movement and body movement before the last two or three weeks. Though I was reasonably sure there were no kids on the way, I could not risk a surprise given Capri's experience this year. The jury is still out whether to breed her again or at least this year.
I hope I don't have a positive answer (as in they can) for you here about my 10-week old bucks who were wethers shortly thereafter and my in-heat yearling doe. Ginger is looking pregnant and starting making an udder two or three weeks ago. If she is pregnant, she would be three months now; her sister started making an udder nearly two months before delivery of her first litter, triplets, this spring. While I am certain Ginger is just overweight and affected by the other two adults milking, I am concerned that she has not been back in heat and clearly was in June. I am considering the blood test just to put my mind at ease.
I had a buckling that stayed here for about 3 months this spring. He was constantly making advances on one of our jr. does. She was really getting upset with him and I ended up often letting her graze outside the fence to get a break from him. I was thinking we might end up with kids, as she went through at least one heat while he was there. Fortunately she was over 40 lbs, so I wasn't too worried. However, as authentic as his efforts seemed, she never got pregnant. Of course, each situation is a little different, but at least I can say that it can look for real, even when it's not. :)
I used my bucks to breed my does last year when they were 5 months old, and all three does settled. I was very glad it worked at that point. :)
"They" say that it can happen as young as three months. I separate at three months, if I haven't wethered. I had a boy with one testicle this year, and he's in with the bucks until it's time for freezer camp. However, neither of my bucks were able to get anyone pregnant until after 6 months. I don't personally know anyone with a buck younger than 6 months that got the job done, but I'm sure it's possible.
I am pretty ignorant about the young bucks....
How young can a buck be and still get a doe pregnant? In general, by what age will the buckling be a "danger" to the does and have to be separated from the girls? Is six months too young?
Thanks,
Michael
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