I would like some advice on just how to take this little Buck away from his mom. She has been nursing him and he is now 6 weeks old. I have read that they can breed a doe at 7 weeks and I need to introduce him into my other pen with the one other buck I have. The older buck is about 7 months old. Thanks for your help.
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I agree, I would never wean the little buck. When I had my Alpines, I always wethered the bucks or sold them at 12 weeks and never gave any thought to them breeding a doe. And I also bottled fed the kids until they were around 12 weeks. I have had the Alpine breed goats for the last 13 years, I have just never had Nigerians or a buck of my own. I have been reading a lot on the internet to learn more about the Nigerians. You have been very helpful and I am still learning. I appreciate your experience and advice.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Every doe takes it differently when you remove their kids, and some definitely get more upset than others. If he is only six weeks old, you definitely do NOT need to take him away though. In fact, I don't know any reputable breeder who weans any earlier than 8 weeks. I know little bucks "act bucky" at an early age, but that doesn't mean that he has any idea about how to actually mate a doe. I've seen bucks only a few days old do the snorting and scratching thing. I know a lot of people online say that young bucks can mate does, but I really think that a lot of them are just repeating what they've heard other people say. After eight years of keeping bucks with does for 12 weeks and never having a breeding, I think it would be incredibly rare for it to actually happen. The other half of the equation is that the does MUST be in heat for breeding to happen, so if the doe isn't in heat, it doesn't matter what the buckling does.
Susan Landoll said:
Thanks Deborah, I guess what bothers me the most is once when I let the little buckling play with the bigger buckling while I am with them in the buck play yard, mama just has a fit and really cries for him. After a few moments of play I put him back with mom. They did play real well and the older buck really liked having a friend to play with. The two pens are separated with an electric fence, 5 strands of white, and a cattle panel at the end by the pen. Maybe I should put up a separate building where the doe can not see her little buckling. I have read on the internet from other breeders that a little buck can breed a doe. This little guy can really pester his mom, snorting and sniffing and crying around her behind.
Every doe takes it differently when you remove their kids, and some definitely get more upset than others. If he is only six weeks old, you definitely do NOT need to take him away though. In fact, I don't know any reputable breeder who weans any earlier than 8 weeks. I know little bucks "act bucky" at an early age, but that doesn't mean that he has any idea about how to actually mate a doe. I've seen bucks only a few days old do the snorting and scratching thing. I know a lot of people online say that young bucks can mate does, but I really think that a lot of them are just repeating what they've heard other people say. After eight years of keeping bucks with does for 12 weeks and never having a breeding, I think it would be incredibly rare for it to actually happen. The other half of the equation is that the does MUST be in heat for breeding to happen, so if the doe isn't in heat, it doesn't matter what the buckling does.
Susan Landoll said:
Thanks Deborah, I guess what bothers me the most is once when I let the little buckling play with the bigger buckling while I am with them in the buck play yard, mama just has a fit and really cries for him. After a few moments of play I put him back with mom. They did play real well and the older buck really liked having a friend to play with. The two pens are separated with an electric fence, 5 strands of white, and a cattle panel at the end by the pen. Maybe I should put up a separate building where the doe can not see her little buckling. I have read on the internet from other breeders that a little buck can breed a doe. This little guy can really pester his mom, snorting and sniffing and crying around her behind.
Thanks Deborah, I guess what bothers me the most is once when I let the little buckling play with the bigger buckling while I am with them in the buck play yard, mama just has a fit and really cries for him. After a few moments of play I put him back with mom. They did play real well and the older buck really liked having a friend to play with. The two pens are separated with an electric fence, 5 strands of white, and a cattle panel at the end by the pen. Maybe I should put up a separate building where the doe can not see her little buckling. I have read on the internet from other breeders that a little buck can breed a doe. This little guy can really pester his mom, snorting and sniffing and crying around her behind.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
All of my kids are dam raised unless there are some extraordinary circumstances. At the moment, we're bottle-feeding two does because they were quads from a first freshener, and I'm not going to trust a first freshener to feed quads. I've had a couple who could feed triplets, but I don't want to risk having kids starve. A goat has to produce minimum of half a gallon a day to feed quads, and I don't want to find out the hard way that a yearling can't do that.
When we bottle-feed, we give them fresh goat milk for three months.
Susan Landoll said:
Thanks for the info. This is the first time I have kept a buck, well he was the only kid I had from my Nigerian Doe. The Alpines I would raise were sold when they were weaned. So your saying you never take little kids from the does to bottle feed?
All of my kids are dam raised unless there are some extraordinary circumstances. At the moment, we're bottle-feeding two does because they were quads from a first freshener, and I'm not going to trust a first freshener to feed quads. I've had a couple who could feed triplets, but I don't want to risk having kids starve. A goat has to produce minimum of half a gallon a day to feed quads, and I don't want to find out the hard way that a yearling can't do that.
When we bottle-feed, we give them fresh goat milk for three months.
Susan Landoll said:
Thanks for the info. This is the first time I have kept a buck, well he was the only kid I had from my Nigerian Doe. The Alpines I would raise were sold when they were weaned. So your saying you never take little kids from the does to bottle feed?
Thanks for the info. This is the first time I have kept a buck, well he was the only kid I had from my Nigerian Doe. The Alpines I would raise were sold when they were weaned. So your saying you never take little kids from the does to bottle feed?
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I never wean any goat before 8 weeks of age, and I only wean them at 8 weeks to sell them. I leave bucks with moms for 10-12 weeks, depending upon how they're acting, and I never wean does. I know there are people who swear they've had 2-3 month old bucks breed does, but in my experience, they have no idea what to do at that age. I've even had bucks six MONTHS old who didn't have a clue. I also know someone who left her doe at someone's house with a three month old buck for a month, and she didn't get pregnant. I never say "never," but I don't worry about two months old bucks breeding anyone. Maybe one in a thousand bucks could do that, but it's not the norm.
As for weaning, you just take the buckling away. I had a doe about five years ago who would go to the buck pen and stand there and let her boys nurse through the fence for a couple months. Some people will let bucklings nurse supervised a couple times a day after they're eight weeks or ten weeks or whenever they separate them.
I never wean any goat before 8 weeks of age, and I only wean them at 8 weeks to sell them. I leave bucks with moms for 10-12 weeks, depending upon how they're acting, and I never wean does. I know there are people who swear they've had 2-3 month old bucks breed does, but in my experience, they have no idea what to do at that age. I've even had bucks six MONTHS old who didn't have a clue. I also know someone who left her doe at someone's house with a three month old buck for a month, and she didn't get pregnant. I never say "never," but I don't worry about two months old bucks breeding anyone. Maybe one in a thousand bucks could do that, but it's not the norm.
As for weaning, you just take the buckling away. I had a doe about five years ago who would go to the buck pen and stand there and let her boys nurse through the fence for a couple months. Some people will let bucklings nurse supervised a couple times a day after they're eight weeks or ten weeks or whenever they separate them.
Replies
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Susan Landoll said:
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
When we bottle-feed, we give them fresh goat milk for three months.
Susan Landoll said:
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
As for weaning, you just take the buckling away. I had a doe about five years ago who would go to the buck pen and stand there and let her boys nurse through the fence for a couple months. Some people will let bucklings nurse supervised a couple times a day after they're eight weeks or ten weeks or whenever they separate them.