I bought this buck,she said he was a great one.I have had him since may and I have never seen him bred one yet.I would see by the harness he had been there but never did I see him in action,and no kidds to prove it happened.Thanks for all the help folks.

-- Pastor Hughes (ruby74869@hotmail.com), January 01, 2002

Answers

Response to What would cause your buck not to be able to settle doe's

Did you spend a lot of time watching the does to see when they were in heat? Did the buck act like he was interested in them? Breeding takes just a second or two, it is very easy to miss the action if the buck runs with the does! If the does are not coming into heat then I would say they are bred!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 01, 2002.

Response to What would cause your buck not to be able to settle doe's

PS, what breed do you have? Many breeds do not come into heat until fall, so your first kids would be due starting in a month or two.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 01, 2002.

Response to What would cause your buck not to be able to settle doe's

She is so right. It is just now starting to be kidding season. Depending on your weather your does may have started cycling early or late - it varies a little each year. Did you ever see the buck seeming to stick close to the side of a particular doe for a day or two? That would be when the breeding action was taking place. They can be pretty sutle, especially early in the season (Aug., Sept.) Do any of your does look a little hefty?

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), January 01, 2002.

Response to What would cause your buck not to be able to settle doe's

Hi! Noticed you said you used a marking harness. Are your does white? We used the marking harness when we ran boers, and it really only worked on those does with real boer white markings. Our red and black does weren't marked though they were bred. Friend even teased me that the boer buck had choosen not to breed the "colored" gals! So first perhaps your marking harness wasn't working very well. But nutrition or lack of, can cause sterility, though certainly even a buck with very low libido or sperm count would settle even a few of your goats. Unless your stock is boer or pygmy, than kid before December aren't happening. Unless your stock is Nubian or part Nubian you wouldn't see kids until the week before last and now. If your stock is swiss breeds, then kids should start coming in late January. Even if you are just choosing to pasture and hay the goats, always keep a good quality loose cattle mineral out, one that has some selenium, E and Copper in it. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 01, 2002.

Response to What would cause your buck not to be able to settle doe's

We have alpines tog,sannan, nubains.The buck was part boar.We now have put a nubain buck in there about 8 monthes old.I was told these all breed and produce year around but not knowing to much about goat at all lol I just don't know if these do breed and produce year around after all this is really our frist time lol.Thanks all.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 01, 2002.

Response to What would cause your buck not to be able to settle doe's

We are in the south, East Texas, north of Houston. I know at the Houston Livestock show that is held end of Feburary early March, that Swiss breeds, Toggs, Saanens and Alpines are rarely sanctioned in the milking classes, usually ran as AOP classes because the swiss breeds rarely kid this early in the year, its also tough to pay 10$ and probably higher now, a head to show with the deadline to pay due in December, when you aren't sure she is going to kid on time! LaMancha's can even be iffy for us. Nubians are all having kids right now, and of course the Boers kidded in November. Even putting one of my older Nubian big stinky men in with one LaMancha didn't "talk" her into cycling in July like the Nubian girls did. I would think that you should be looking for kids end of January beginning of Feb, unless your boer is a dud! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 02, 2002.

Paster Hughes, How many does do you have? How old was the part Boer buck? I have bucks that whistle and yell and carry on big time when a doe is in season and other bucks(like my new guy) who never make a sound and you have to catch in the "act" to know if anyone is bred. I raise Nubians, and my first doe is due any day now, and they bred earlier than usual for me. I have had a doe kid twice in a year. Even Boers do not always breed twice a year. and then, there are sterile bucks as well as sterile does, so it was a good idea to try another buck. Good luck. karen

-- Karen in Kansas (kansasgoats@iwon.com), January 02, 2002.

tHE BOAR IS OVER A YEAR OLD THE DOES OUR ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD SOME RIGHT AT 1 YEAR OLD NOW.WHEN i BOUGHT THESE THEY WERE RUNNING WITH BUCKS AND I HAVE LET THEM RUN ALSO WITH A BUCK SINCE THEY CLEAN CAMPMEETING GROUNDS BUT I DON'T JUST LET THEM RUN .i ALSO TAKE CARE OF THEM SINCE THEY ARE THE lORD'S PROPERTY I GIVE THEM THIER SHOTS AND FEED THEM AND,PUT SHEDS OUT AN WE PUT WARM WATER FOR THEM,AND WORM THEM.AND MINERALS LIKR ALL YOU HAVE TOLD ME .aLL i KNOW IS WHAT ALL OF YOU HAVE TOLD ME AND I FOLLOW ALL YOUR GOOD ADVICE BECAUSE i KNOW YOU ALL KNOW WHAT TO DO AND i REALLY THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL THE HELP,i HAVE RECIEVED.tHE ONES THAT WERE BRED WHEN WE GOT THEM SEEM TO TO BE DOING FINE.THERE IS ONE THAT IS FEELIN UP WITH MILK IN THE LAST MONTH SHE HAS ONLY STUMPS FOR TEETH BUT SHE IS STILL EATING GOOD AND BIG AS THE DOORS ALMOST IN PG.i REALLY WATCH THAT OLD GIRL.sHE REALLY HAS A BIG BAG,i DON'T THINK IT WILL BE LONG ON HER.tHIS NUBAIN BUCK SEEMS LIKE HE IS DOING A GOOD JOB BREEDING ALL THOSE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BREED BY THE 1/2 BOAR THAT WAS NOT HAVING ANY KIDS.THANKS A LOT ALL

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 02, 2002.

Have you actually seen the new, Nubain buck breeding the does, by this I mean blubbering, mounting, and actually inserting? (Sorry to be so graphic). If you have definitely seen this with the Nubian buck, then the Boer wasn't working. BUT, if he was just running around chasing them, they might already be bred by the Boer. Bucks typically chase does when they are first put in with a new group. just because the Boer was not seen breeding doesn't mean they aren't pregnant- Nubians will breed and kid all year round, your others are all Swiss breeds and don't come into heat until fall, they should kid in the spring.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 02, 2002.

YES THE NUBAIN BUCK ,I HAVE SEEN HIM REALLY BREED AND SO FAR ALL HE HAS BRED HAS NOT COME BACK IN TO HEAT.He SEEMS TO DO A GOOD JOB.

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 02, 2002.