HI, all Moved to the country about 6 weks ago. I plan go do all the usual things done on the farm , but on a small scale. This leads me to mention my purchase yesterday of two nannies and one smelly billy goat. I had read about and been told about the smell, but was still taking by surprise by it. Can't seem to go in the barn with him and not come out smelling like him. The two nannies are currently "with kid", so I really needn't keep them in the same area with the billy, but don't much want to isolate him totally. Thinking seriously after 24 hrs of owning him of selling him or giving him away. I only bought him for servicing the nannies in the event no billies may be easily available in the spring. Would appreciate your wit and wisdom (mostly the wisdom) in this matter. PS Any way to make him stink any less? Thanks Scout

-- Brian McCabe (scout@kanokla.net), November 22, 1999

Answers

you're right that bucks do smell, to say the least. we have noticed with our bucks that the odor is the strongest in breeding season,which we're well into right now. usually by early winter the smell is mostly gone. housing the buck away from your does may help to decrease the smell as well as have the smell out of your main barn. we have our bucks housed in calf hutch type buildings with covered hay rack and grain feeder. also you mentioned,having the buck for service in the spring, you didn't specify the breed of goats you have, but many are seasonal breeders and won't be ready to breed until late summer early fall after having kids in the spring/late winter. on the dollar and cents side of things with only 2 or 3 does it is usually less expensive to pay service fees to have your does bred than to keep a buck all year..if you're in an area that it's possible. good luck with the goats, they're great animals. the American dairy goat association is a great source of information on goats and has membership directories that may help you to connect with someone in your area that would have a buck...i've had goats for a lot of years. don't always know the best way but do know what works for me. would be glad to help with any questions if i can...ron

-- ron in n.y. (ronmister@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999.

Ron is right. Chances are after breeding season the smell will be less but there will always be some. If you do decide to move him away from the does, consider getting or keeping a wether with him for company. he will be much more content. If you do it when they are kids, you can burn the scent glands on their head, like disbudding. This will help too as well as cutting off his beard to get the urine smell gone.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), November 22, 1999.

Also, another reason to move him is that his odor will contaminate the milk, so I'm told. So if you are going to milk the does for the household use, you'll want to move him. Most of the books that I've read have the billy separate, but where he can see people. We put ours in the front, between the house and the barn, so he can see us, and then we hung a tire inside, and he plays with that a lot. We also made his pen extremely strong, by using metal electrical conduit pipe (20 feet for 2.50 or so) put vertically between 4/4's. Like a jail cell, but he can't get his feet on it to pull the wire down, or get enough traction to jump over. If I have to go into the pen for something, I have to change my clothing - he's pretty smelly. But the girls seem to like it. And I've read that the smell helps to bring the girls into season.

-- Mary (CAgdma@home.com), November 23, 1999.

You should bathe a buck goat at least once a year,after breeding season.Come on,be fair,if you acted like he does and never bathed you'd stink too!You can use cheap shampoo and vinegar and that should fix the problem until next fall.If it's cold where you live,use warm water and keep him in a garage or something for a few hours so he won't get pneumonia.Goats cannot tolerate being cold and wet. I don't know if this buck is registered or not,but unless he's fairly special,why are you keeping him.You could hire a vet to artificially inseminate your two does to the best bucks in the country for what it will cost you to keep him for an entire year.Don't use just any buck. There are too many cull goats being abused and neglected already. Bucks seem to be especially prone to this fate,and end up lonely,with long overgrown hooves ,often underfed;so if you don't really want him it might be kinder(if he is not registered or valuable) to eat him. Wash him first in either case!!:)

-- Rebekah Leaf (daniel1@transport.com), November 25, 1999.

Hi, We keep our buck in the pasture next to the does. That way I will know if a doe is in heat. The buck also would not get lonely if he can talk to the "girls" all the time. But you have to have the fence thats between them Strong. Also if the buck runs with the girls, the milk will be unfit to drink. When a doe comes in heat, she goes to the bucks pen. Otherwise all the goats are going to smell like the buck. Anyway this setup works well for us. linda

-- Linda Hess (hesscat@cot.net), November 25, 1999.

Re: buck smell contaminating the milk. I have to disagree on this one. I have let my buck run with the herd for several months at a time and it did not effect the taste or smell of the milk.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), November 28, 1999.

I have read that a vet. can descent a buck by removing the scent gland behind the horns. It can also be done during debudding as was mentioned above but if it is to late for that then you can contact your vet. and have Him/her remove them.

-- Stacie (Radiclmom@aol.com), January 16, 2000.

brian, i agree with several other of the writers. unless this buck is something special get rid of him. there are lots of ways to get your does bred without having him there. remember, your buck is half your herd. if you have to keep one, keep the best you can find,be it for meat or milk. there are many ways to deal with the smell,as pointed out, bathing him, then trimming or clipping him helps a lot. do not do this if it is too cold[since i don't know your location]. karen

-- KAREN MAUK (DAIRYGOATMAMA@AOL.COM), January 29, 2000.

We have a African pygmy billy goat that has long, exiotic horns and we keep him around just because he looks neat. He was fixed, neutered or whatever they call it with goats and he doesn't smell real bad I've heard that if they're neutered, it eliminates some of the small. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), February 08, 2000.

You won't have a problem with the smell getting into the milk unless the buck is smelling up the milking parlor. I make sure that I keep him well avay from there, and have no problems. Keep the barn well ventilated,(but no drafts), and get an inexpensive pair of coveralls for "barn clothes". Other than that, once breeding season does down, so should the smell, and a "shave and haircut" will help too, not that he will much appreciate that(grin). If you really don't want him around, consider "renting" a buck from someone for the neccessary amount of time, then send him and his perfume back home.

-- Connie Christoffer (litlgaea@cs.com), February 17, 2000.

Well, since you already own him, the buck does deserve a fighting chance to satisfy you. If you bathe him, and his temperment is pleasing, and you can afford to feed and shelter him properly, then keep him if he's worth keeping. You can easily calculate what it will cost to care for your buck for the year, and compare that to the $35 (or more) cost per doe to bring them to another breeder every Fall.

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), February 17, 2000.

Something else to consider Brian is to purchase a new born kid (or if you don't want to raise one yourself) a just weaned kid. New born kids in our area are 50$ with papers (contact large operations like dairies) after weaning you will probably pay more. You can get a kid born in Dec. or Jan., use him in Aug. thru Dec. and then butcher him or sell him and repeat the practice. Must bucks don't come in to full stink here (LaMancha and Nubain) until they are 2. You obviously will be getting a buck out of a first freshener or a more utilitarian type doe at the farm, but for most the worst animal at someones show-milk farm is a huge improvement on what they already have. Vicki McGaugh vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 17, 2000.