I am looking for tips, tidbits, and advice on how to go about choosing a quality buck(s) for my herd. While my little girls won't be ready for some time for breeding I do have one girl here I am potentially looking to breed in Fall to get on a Winter kidding schedule. She was a FF this year at age 2. I have looked around at some farms/breeders in my area and also on the Nigerian Dwarfs Goats For Sale Page on FB and feel overwhelmed. I know a good buck is so important to the herd and I'm really looking to boost milking potential. I understand pedigrees fairly well but would appreciate any advice from those of you experienced with obtaining your first bucks.
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This is good to know, as I really trust you as breeder and mentor. Of course having two of your sweetie babies here already helps a lot too. ;) If you should decide that you want to sell some of your older bucks please let me know as I'd be highly interested. I loved hanging at the buck pen when I was at goat class, they were all delightful to visit.
I do have plenty of unrelated goats. I have enough bloodlines to go on for a long time without inbreeding. But the only bucklings I have left at the moment are related to the doelings you bought. I have eight adult bucks and really should sell some. My buck-doe ration is about 1 to 2, which is kind of ridiculous.
Thank you Deborah, I think this really sound, solid advice for me to go on. As you know from our chatting via email when I was first deciding on kids my criteria and goals are quite similar to yours. I want quality home dairy animals not only for us but to be able to sell to future customers also. At some point in the future I do see us going in the direction of getting on milk test and while I'm not high on getting in the show ring for official scores I want my girls to at least have the look like you stated.
Too bad all your girls are probably related in someway to half of my herd, LOL!! Well, I guess only two out of three....hmmm.. and I'll probably be heading that way soon anyways.... oh goodness. Do you still have bucks?? Ready to do a Fall breeding?
Find a doe that you really, really LOVE, and buy her son. Unless you can say, "I wish I had five does exactly like her in my herd," then you should not consider buying her son.
Your criteria may be different, but for me, that means that it will be a herd that is on milk test so that I can see what kind of production records she has. She has to have earned a milk star, and she has to have decently long teats, as well as very good conformation, and I mean "very good" as in having VG scores in classification or linear appraisal -- or at least look like she would have those scores if she has not been officially scored.