Nearly every goat book I've read tells me to seperate the buck from the does when they are near kidding time, as the buck might injure the kids. Most goatkeepers I know do this. So I just wanted to share whats been going on in our barn this kidding season.

Our buck Reflex, is a very gentle fellow. He is gentler and more loving than many of the does. He doesn't stink because he's not in rut and he's also descented. Even in rut he is not all that smelly. There were several does that I wasn't sure were bred, so I turned Reflex loose for 'clean up' duty. ( they were bred after all) He's still in with the does, and has been present at the kiddings. He does not hassle the laboring does or bother the kids at all! What he does, is to stand guard over the laboring doe and protects her. If any other bossy does come near and try to butt the expectant mother or make her move from her nest, he charegs after them and chaes them away! Then he goes back to guard the doe again. He doesn't interfere with her in any way, or bother the new kids, though he does sniff them briefly. It is especially nice to have him around when young yearlings, that are so nervous and low on the pecking order, kid. If a dog or other nuisance came around to bother the doe, I believe Reflex would do everything he could to protect that doe. He doesn't mind my coming to assist though! He is a real asset in the goat barn at kidding time.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 05, 2001

Answers

Hey Rebekah, Maybe that's my answer to this bossy doe :) How can you get them descented? At what age? Apparently, it doesn't effect the breeding.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), April 05, 2001.

hi Rebekah, just wanted to say I enjoyed your story about Reflex. He definitely sounds like a "keeper". Did you raise him from a kid, or get really lucky? What breed do you raise?

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), April 05, 2001.

Rebekah, Your Reflex sounds wonderful!What kind of goats do you have? I have Nubians and LaMancha.I got them from Vicki a few weeks ago.They are the sweetest girls you ever saw.Now I want more goats! I am looking to buy another Nubian milker and a LaMancha buck. Bettie

-- Bettie Ferguson (jobett@dixie-net.com), April 05, 2001.

I have never known our bucks to show any interest in the kids either way.Mine isn't de-scented and thats why he doesn't get to stay with the girls.

-- JT (Gone2seed@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

Hey Bettie, I have a 3 year old nubian, and her 1 1/2 year old daughter for sale! Wanna buy some does? They will be breed before I sell them. Sissy

-- sissy sylvester-barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), April 05, 2001.

I have a nubian buck who was making noise and acting strange one morning and I couldn't figure out what was bothering him.That same eveing a doe gave bith.A week latter he did the same thing and that late afternoon another doe gave birth.He's done it 2 more time ,and every time he acts that way a doe gives birth.The last doe to kid,he didn't cry that morning,that doe was breed by a different buck.He's desented, and if Dee didn't get her answer yet,his scent glands were removed when he was dibudded , the disbudding iron is placed on the scent glands that are behind his horns,(some goat books show where) and are done the same way as horns.Ouch

-- Steve (a12goat@cs.com), April 05, 2001.

Reflex is an Alpine. I raised him on a bottle, and spoiled him rotten! Last year he sat on my lap while I posted to this forum(now he's too big for that:) I have another bottle kid in the house now, genetic half brother to Reflex, and he's not gentle. It must be partly due to the genes though, because this one gets loved on all the time too.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 06, 2001.

My Sparky is an Alpine, and I let him out with the does and kids, and watched him to see what he would do. He was very gentle, never even once tried anything with the kids. In fact, a little later in the day, I saw all the kids lying in a group, with Sparky grazing right there with them, and all the does were off grazing. I know he was babysitting.

Poor fellow will have to be separated when the girl kids get a bit older. He won't understand. He's upset when he is in his stall and run alone, and calm when he is with the herd. I wish the little girls just couldn't take till they were older, like come fall. Why is it that they can be bred at 3 months anyway? So many people around here just leave the whole herd together all year long, baby boys and girls and bucks too. But I don't want the little girls bred. Reflex sounds like a very nice buck. I put Sparky's pic on the picture page.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 06, 2001.

Rebekah, write us back when Reflex is 6, and in rut! Descenting? Yeah right! :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 06, 2001.

My alpines don't come into heat from late spring through late summer, so I let all the bucks run loose with the does during that time. They are so much happier when they can graze and socialize with the herd, and I think they are less likely to get surly or have bad attitudes. They can use up some up some of that energy running around and eating in the sunshine. I have never had an accidental breeding during this time. Several weeks before the does are due to start cycling, I seperate the bucks into their own pens.

Vicki, Magellan is two years old, and he didn't smell much when he came into rut either. Of course they still spray urine all over the place, so that smells, but it is not the smell that you can detect from 1/4 mile away!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 06, 2001.

Sissy, Email me about your Nubians you have for sale. bettie

-- Bettie Ferguson (jobett@dixie-net.com), April 06, 2001.