We took in a massive buck goat last weekend. He was found on a loading dock of a downtown factory, miles from any farm or rural area. Animal control speculated that he may have been obtained for a ritual or sacrifice, as that culture does exist in the area. Anyway, he is a BIG boy, about 6 years old, with tremendous horns that prompted us to name him "The Yak". I told the lady who rescued him that she had to get him castrated before we'd take him. She did, and it was discovered that he had a retained testicle, but the job got done anyway. She brought him to us on Sunday, and he promptly busted down the fence and bred all my does. (This is a BAD thing). Now that that's done, he has calmed down some, but ohmyGod, THE STINK!!!!!!! My question is, being that he is such an old buck, and being that he was fixed only about a week ago, and being that he still frequently "reels it out" & pees in his own face, how long do you think it will be before the smell goes away and the buck behavior stops?? He is a nice goat, but we are NOT getting off to a very good start!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), October 10, 2001

Answers

Probably it will take a month or more fpr the odor and behavior to subside,the behavior may be so ingrained due to his age that it may persist.Theoreticaly, he may have been feril,even though castrated as seman is stored in the seminal vesicle for up to a month

-- Keith Etheridge (grandpa@chipsnet.com), October 10, 2001.

Don't know too much about the reproductive part, but you might give him a GOOD clip about the face (isn't that where the glands are?), so as to help keep it clean. And a bath, if it is warm, or you had a warm place to do it. Maybe in O-Do-Ban, a deoderizer that they sell at Sam's Club (good stuff, and non-toxic). Or oxy-clean...????

Maybe with his reproductive hormones gone, he will gradually calm down the stinky-ness. But whooo---eeee---you'll want to burn the clothes YOU have on after you clean him up!!!!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

Goat people, when we disbudded our baby bucks, we also burned out a spot between the horn buds. The more experienced breeders said that this destroyed a gland that produced the "bucky" odor, making them LESS stinky. Is it too late to get it removed now? Leann

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

Shannon, It was very good of you to take in a full-grown buck with horns. If you have clippers or know someone who does. You can bathe the big guy then clip him, how much you clip depends on the climate. You might try a vinegar rinse to help too. My guess is he will always retain his "bucky" habits but should tone it down when breeding season ends. good luck! I bet Vicki will have some good suggestions for you too.

-- karen in kansas (kansasgoats@iwon.com), October 10, 2001.

With regard to LeeAnn's question about the scent gland being burned out during dis-budding... We also have a year old wether who we did not dehorn, but did castrate while he was still a baby. And though we didn't mess with the horns or that gland, he does not stink at all. For what it's worth!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), October 10, 2001.

Shannon, wow.........no stink like the buck stink!!! I would really be interested in knowing if he stops stinking in a few months as I have a buck that I am particularly attached too but who will soon be unable to be used on my herd do to he will be related to everything in my herd. I would like to keep him around but would prefer he not stink me up every time I get near him. We had a goat club that printed t-shirts with the picture of a buck and underneath the words BUCKS STINK. They sold out. blessings......I really love to hear about your rescues.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 10, 2001.

When they castrated did they go up inside and pull out the retained testicle? If they didn't than he is still a testostorone producing intact male, who will more than likely shoot blanks, but will stink, and have all the other wonderful male behaviors bucks have. Find this out first :)

If you want to handle any pregnancies he caused than get with me privately. Even after castration they can have semen stored in the glands of the penis. They also will have stored up testosterone for about 30 days, well that was here and in a yearling, it may last for months in a 6 year old :) And honestly we consider a 6 year old to be in their prime, old enough to know what they are doing, to breed anything offered to them, even the bossy older doe. Good luck Shannon! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

Shannon, you can try gving him a bath, paying special attention to the head and neck area. If you have some goat milk soap use that, or dish soap and ample amounts of baking soda do the trick for me when I've been handling a buck. If the weather is cold where you are, try to use warm water and dry him off really well before you put him back out in his pen.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), October 10, 2001.

Just an idea and don't know if this would work on Buck Odor, but the formula for getting rid of skunk odor on dogs is as follows: Mix one pint of hydrogen peroxide with 1/3 cup of baking soda and a squirt of dish detergent. It'll be foamy. Lather in well avoiding the eyes and nose and mouth. Rinse well with plain water.If anyone tries it let us know!

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), October 10, 2001.

I hate to throw cold water on all the washing instructions, but part of being a buck is peeing on your beard. Until this behavior subsides, even if you remove the beard there will still be some stink (he can always just aim for his chin!). I would think that his odor would start subsiding in about 30-60 days. By then his testosterone production will be down enough that he won't stink quite so bad, but he may not stop acting like a buck. Fortunately for you, by your next year's breeding season that's all he'll be doing....acting! He could actually be quite useful as a heat detection device! You'll be the first person I ever knew who had a goat teaser!

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), October 10, 2001.

Shannon, our steer with a retained testicle acted just like a bull, jumping fences and mounting everything that would hold still. I doubt your buck will stop his bucky behavior. He should stop some of his peeing if all your does are bred, my bucks are quite pleasant over the winter when their services aren't required.

On another note, when one of my bucks got out and bred some babies, I used Estrumate instead of Lutelayse to end the pregnancies, if that is a concern of yours. The Estrumate is supposed to be safer and more effective.

-- Julie (julieamc@eagleslair.net), October 10, 2001.

I just got a 9 month old buck. My orginal plan was to use him for two years then sell him before he gets too stinky. Well, I named him Stinky and decided to change my plan before my husband realizes where that smell is coming from. Is there a goat eating holiday in two months?

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), October 10, 2001.

Julie, Lutalyse and Estrumate are the same thing. Lutalyse is the natural form and Estrumate is synthetic forms of PGF2. Here is a blurb from the drug bible at saanendoah.com Vicki

LutalyseŽ (2mg/ml), Prostin F2 AlphaŽ" both by Upjohn & ProstaMate, Phoenix Scientific. - Naturally-occurring PGF2a as the tromethamine salt. Dinoprost tromethamine 5mg/ml. Prostaglandin F2 Alpha 5mg/ml.

Estrumate (Haver) cloprostenol - synthetic analogs of PGF2a. Cloprostenol (cloprostenol sodium) 500 mcg / 2 mL

-- Vicki McGaugh TEXAS (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 11, 2001.

Yes Dee there is holidays coming up. I posted them under goat holidays I think .I sent a buck to auction 4 weeks ago and got $65.00 and he wasnt all that big .Last auction some went for $100.00

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 11, 2001.

Thanks Vicki, just goes to show that if you want right information you've got to dig it up yourself, I was just repeating what the vet told me. Wonder why they told me that?

-- Julie (julieamc@eagleslair.net), October 11, 2001.

Julie, because they probably didn't have any lutalyse at the time :) My vet suggested I use Mu-se one year (selenium injections we used to give religiously) instead of Bo-se, I of course trusting her judgement didn't even hesitate. Luckly nothing happened, it is the same vitamin, but in such a condensed form I am lucky I only gave it prebreeding (3.5cc just like what I gave Bo-se at, now I have big goats :) just not that big) , I am very lucky I didn't use it pre delivery and abort my whole doe herd! Mu-se is 1cc per 200 pounds, Bo-se is 1cc per 40 pounds! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.