OK - don't tell them but after my 2 bucks have done their job and things seem likely - they will ensure the snip snip.
So right now - we have the thick body, the lovely gorgeous manes and beards, the pig-tail, the interesting hair-do, the stink and the swagger.
They are 9 months old and likely will be castrated when they are 11 months old.
What will I see happen and how long?
And HOW long until I can run them with others and not be worried about residual semen?
Judy
Replies
Lovely guy! I was reading all about colors - just lovely!
I'm glad to hear they might not change a lot - I do love the little warthogs! But either way- it will be just fine as long as they can enjoy their days out and about like the rest. Judy
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
My la mancha buck's body did not change, but keep in mind that he was 3 years old, and your little guys are still growing. The beard, however, did look more like a wether's beard than a buck's beard after a few months, as you can see from this pic. I didn't really think much about changes when I did this, so it will be very cool when you document it with pictures! Please share with us!
Oooh! YEAH! That's a cool question! I love that you are going to document it! (I don't know, so I look forward to seeing)
Last part of the question - I was pondering physical attributes. Do we lose the body type, the excess hair? I'm going to document it anyway but just wondering what to expect in looks. Will they look like a wether that was wethered young or will they always have a buck appearance? Either way fine - I'm just curious.
Judy
I've always thought it's interesting that they still breed when they're fixed, but really, I guess it's not THAT weird... I mean, my wether tries it... he is too small to really do things well, but he mounts. I could see how an older buck would still react to heats... and then when you add in that even the GIRLS try it with each other... lol They really are pornographic animals. lol
I think those reasons are as good as any, Judy!! I only asked to clarify. My two cents on what you'll do for breeding in the future, would be to lease your bucks. If I couldn't have bucks here, that would be the next easiest choice, and my last choice (which was the one I started out trying, and had a heck of a time with) is to take my does to the bucks. ALTHOUGH: If you can find a breeder that will allow you to BOARD your does on their farm until they are bred, that is a good option too. That was the only way I managed to get my doe bred when we didn't have bucks on our property. Taking them for a quickie one day breeding never worked for us.
We castrated a 3-year-old la mancha buck, and he lost his stink by about a month of age. Although your boys will be castrated, they will still think they're boys, so you will see them mounting does when they're in heat and stuff like that. I'm not sure exactly when the plumbing is completely cleaned out, but if all your does are bred, then you really have nothing to worry about anyway, other than being sure of who the daddy is. You could always do DNA testing if they kid seven or eight months after they were bred to a certain buck.
I don't live at my farms. To best give the boys a nice life - I've spent the entire summer going to 2 areas of the farm - duplicate housing, duplicate supplies, and interfering with the lives of the people where I keep the boys. Tired of it. But love the boys. I'm moving slowly into the whole goat thing and while I'm breeding this year- my first 3 years I didn't. I spent it learning about Nigerians and diet, needs, etc.
I'll be learning next about milking and what to do with milk - not walking my boys so they can get enough browse. If they are wethers - they can run with the others on a very nice piece of land with lots of browse and lots of attention from my "goat snugglers" - volunteers that help me give everyone attention. The volunteers really don't feel comfortable with some of the boy behaviors and smells.
If I breed next year - I've got great options between going to breed there or leasing. So - snip snip to give them more flexibility and happiness in their life. Yes - they are nice bucks. I had them reviewed by a successful show person and my main buck comes from really great udders and is expected to produce lovely udders but slow is better than being overwhelmed.
That is why.
Judy
What made you decide to snip?