Keeping bucks together

Is it safe to keep bucks together? I thought I had seen comments about bucks living in the same pasture. I have a 16 month old buck, and just brought home a new one, 7 months old and quite small. I have a 6 month old doe who is just as tall and twice his weight...go figure.

My question is, how do I introduce the two bucks and eventually have them living in the same pasture? How bad will they fight? I am worried about the bigger one hurting the little one just by sheer size and weight difference. We have 10 acres, so their pasture would be big, but I don't have a way to build very many separate pens, so it would help if I could consolidate the bucks.

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  • Well, we decided to go ahead and put them together this afternoon. They did a lot better than I expected. No fighting, no head butting, just kind of "oh hi."  Brownie is dominant, but they were less violent than the does that we put together a few weeks ago. I had forgotten that before we got Peppernut, he was in a pen with other young bucks. So he has some concept of social order.

    We will still definitely keep a very close watch on them. But they seemed to be okay. Even with my youngest doe in wild heat just across the fence. Didn't realize she was in today, when we moved them. Even then the bucks didn't fight.

  • urg, I just went through this today! Both bucks are 2 years, but one is at the max (as far as I can measure that is) for Nigerians so he is larger and heavier. The back of their heads is raw and bloody this a.m. thanks to a doe in heat going down to their pen this a.m. They had chosen their shed as a sparring arena both equally bloody. At this point the bigger boy is on breeding duty and given his size I have decided to sell him - my favorite buck I might add. :( But he is a large buck and more than I can handle. :(

    Jane Wagman said:

    I keep all my bucks together.  Sometimes they battle it out, but most of the time it hasn't been an issue.  If you can let them run in pens side by side for a few days that can help them get slowly introduced.  But regardless they will have to figure out the pecking order.

  • My bucks definitely seem to have a rut season, even though they *can* breed year round. My does also seem to have stronger heats seasonally, which I notice directly impacts the boys' behavior. Even on a month to month basis, when none of the girls are in heat, they get along much better. When someone is in heat, they are constantly vying to get to be "the guy' for her at the fence line. lol 

  • Ok.

    I would hope Peppernut would be smart enough to be lower on the social ladder, because Brownie could steamroll right over him. But yeah, I will definitely stay out there with them for a while whenever we do it.

  • Bucks can bred year round.  They are a little stinkier in the fall which corresponds to the strongest heats.  

    Not having a doe in heat near them should make the meeting go a little smoother.  Regardless they will have to figure out the pecking order.  As long as the younger one acknowledges the older ones leadership it shouldn't be a huge deal.   I've had my most dominant buck take young bucks under his wing and fend off others that try to "put him in his place".     You never know until you try - so do it when you have some time to observe them for a few hours.

  • I have one doe who is bred, one who has been penned with Peppernut and may already have been bred by him (but if not she will be anyway), one who is not bred but apparently has some other fertility issues I am trying to figure out, and one who is too young yet. So I could put at least one of the older does with Peppernut til he is bigger. That could work.

    Do Nigerian bucks have a seasonal rut? I mean I hear that the does can breed year round, which seems to imply that the bucks would too, but for instance, is it better to put Brownie and Peppernut together now if they are not in rut, or wait til spring, or just time it when nobody is in heat? (Sorry...dumb questions...)

  • Are your does already bred?  If so, I would put the buckling in with them until he has more size to him.  Just a thought.

  • I keep all my bucks together.  Sometimes they battle it out, but most of the time it hasn't been an issue.  If you can let them run in pens side by side for a few days that can help them get slowly introduced.  But regardless they will have to figure out the pecking order.

  • Hmm.

    I am glad to hear about what you guys have done! Keeps me from making more mistakes than I would otherwise...

    I originally had Brownie with two Pygmy wethers, both with tipped horns. One was taller than him and very obnoxious, and they would both try to beat him up, although he had hormones on his side. When we offed the big Pygmy, Brownie immediately became dominant over the littler one. After a few fights, they settled down and all Brownie had to do was do his dinosaur bark at Elmo and get him to back off. I had hoped that it might be easier for them to settle into a pecking order if Peppernut was smaller. But Peppernut has already been in with a couple does and at least tried to breed them (hilarious as he is so much shorter than they are). Since they both know they are bucks, I didn't know if they might see each other as a threat...

  • I put my two 3 month old bucklings in with my 2 year old buck. He does occasionally mount them and harass them (they are 5 months old now) but he seems to know they are kids and doesn't ever harm them. Even when a doe is in heat over the shared fence, the worst he does is chase them away from where the girls are. I even put my in-heat doe in with them all and the little ones seemed to "get it" that this was a job for the big guy and didn't try too hard to get to her since he made it clear she was HIS. They all lay down together and share the small buck barn with no problem. I'm sure there will be more intensity when they are all grown but with them being young, I think he knows they are not a threat. 

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