I’ve got my eye on something… and it ain’t pretty.
Nor does it smell nice.
But even though I may regret it (and maybe even am regretting it a bit already), I still want it.
He’s called a buck, my friends. And he’s a male goat.
A buck is a goat who hasn’t been castrated. A dude who can breed. A man with a mission. A suave man with a sp— okay you get it.
A buck has one job and one job only, and that is to breed with my female goats and produce lovely, adorable, squishy babies here on the farm.
In order to have milk, we must breed our goats every year so that they will “freshen” or in other words “have babies so their bodies produce milk.” Does (female goats) cycle into heat every 21 days. Some goats can breed year-round and others will need to be bred only during fall/spring. A buck (male goat) can cover up to 20-30 does in one breeding cycle. You can read more about goat breeding behavior here.
When you’ve got a lot of female goats, it makes sense to get a buck. But, when you’ve got a small herd like me with only 4-5 does around at a time (and a couple of them being different breeds), it can be a harder decision to make. We’ve got one Nubian & three Nigerian Dwarfs right now. We’d love to get a Nigerian buck and breed him to both the Nubian & the Nigerians.
But still, I’m undecided.
Let’s be real: Bucks are disgusting.
Bucks can be fairly tame animals during the off season, but when it comes time to breed they go into “rut,” which means their disgusting level hits an all-time high.
Bucks have a musky, sweet, urine smell. Doesn’t that sound lovely? While in rut they urinate on themselves, emit strong pheromones, and do whatever they can to woo their mate. They are known to even attack and mount humans, if their urges are strong enough. Yikes.
The cons of owning a male goat (buck).
- They smell.
- You need to have a permanent area for the guy, away from his concubines.
- The cost of feeding him throughout the year. (Roughly $300-$400 per year depending on the size of the goat)
The pros of owning a male goat (buck).
- Having one around makes it easier to tell when your does are in heat (they’ll be attracted to him and yearn for his affection)
- No need to take your does (female goats) off the property to be bred, therefore, no worries about the transfer of diseases.
- When it comes time to breed the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year and so on, you won’t have to ask the buck owner to milk your doe who would need to be milked every day until she dries up that year.
- And finally, the last pro…
This…
And this…
And this…
And this…
And this…
Hi, thank you guys for being so informative on so many different topics! I recently added a Buckling (9 weeks) to my herd of Nigerian Dwarf Does and am still not 100% on what to feed him. He’s currently eating high quality horse hay (which he won’t eat much of), free ranges a good portion of the day in the pasture, & he eats Alfalfa hay with my Does. There’s so many contradictions online about feeding Bucks Alfalfa, which my Does get a good amount of daily. What is your take on it? What is the best diet for a growing Buckling?
Hello Cristina-
This is how DaNelle feeds her herd, including bucks: https://www.weedemandreap.com/optimal-nutritional-goat-diet/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Oh, Danelle!
Bucks are the best! I am so glad you got Zorro and Napoleon! It’s sad that Winston had to be castrated but I’m sure he is happy with the ladies, right? Every bucks dream. Lol. I have an Alpine buck and, oh lord, he is SO sweet. He is a bottle baby and I have had him since he was two weeks. This November he will breed my two does and I am so exited for babies! I will milk the does so I am really exited for milk! Now to my question, is there a difference between goat milk mozzarella and cow milk mozzarella? I hope to make my own using your recipe! Thank you so much for this post! ?
Hello-
Yes, there are differences when making cheese with goat’s milk vs. cow’s. This article can explain some of that: https://modernfarmer.com/2017/06/whats-difference-cow-cheese-goat-cheese/
Thank you!
-Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I really hope they keep a buck or doe from fern and iveron 🙂
Hi,
I have been reading you blog and web site when I was thinking about getting goats.
I decided on two Nigerian Dwarf Goats and been waiting till just this weekend to bring them home, than I decided to add a older goat who just had kids when mine was born so I figured that with me getting older and my allergies are off the roof what could it hurt to milk her and consume what she is eating off our property, well now I am loaded with training questions we want to put them on a lead, got to adjust the milking stand a bit, so when I am milking on my own hopefully haha I dont have to many problems. Now that I am learning all the benefits and the milk is pretty good deciding to get a male would it be cheaper that taking the girls off the property ? There is not to many people on the coast that have registered NG goats and then there will be travel coast ~
-Maryj
So I’m curious…did you get a buck? We are in the same debate right now.
ps. I love your mini farm!
Racine
Hi Racine-
No, DaNelle did not end up getting a buck. Right now though she is housing a buck for a little while just to breed her does, but he’ll go back home after the breeding season. You can see the latest on that situation here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QP45whTkD1c
Thanks! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi! I love your blog! We have decided to get a buck, and I have a question. If this is already answered somewhere, I’m sorry! How far away does the buck’s pen need to be from the does? We are getting a wethered buck for his company. Thank you for the help!
Mandy
Hi Mandy-
As long as the bucks pen is not right next to the does pen, or the milking station, it should be fine. A small alley way between typically works well. Just make sure you have sturdy fencing and gates to keep the goats where you put them. Also, that’s good you are giving your buck a buddy. Just make sure that the buck doesn’t harass the wether too much during the breeding season.
Best of luck and Happy Goating!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi, I am new to goats and just bought two Nigerian Dwarf does, twins, that are just shy of two years old and have never been bred. I live in town and have a large yard. Plenty of room for the does but not big enough for me to want a stinky buck hanging around. If I want to hire a buck for his “services” is there anything I should ask the owner to ensure the buck comes from good stock and is heatly? I would be taking the girls to the buck. Also, my girls are registered and I was wondering if it is worth the expense and hassle to register the babies? My main reason for getting goats (besides the cute factor) is milk. Thanks! Love your blog, by the way. It is totally your fault that I got goats 🙂
Hi Heather-
Congrats on your new does! When you go to find a buck, check out the location first and see what the operation looks like. If it looks like a healthy happy goat place then you are on the right track. You can ask the buck’s owner if there are others that have used the buck for breeding. Contact these folks and see how everything went and how the offspring turned out. Sorta like asking for references at a job interview.
As for registering your babies, that is up to you. Most people register them if they plan on breeding, selling, or showing. If these are not on your agenda, then registering really isn’t that a high priority.
Lol!….Yes, DaNelle is a bad influence when it comes to saying NO…to goats that is. 🙂
Thanks so much for reading and posting! Best of luck and Happy Goating! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
We got the buck. For several reasons: 1) We are not in dairy goat country. This is meat goat area where I am and so it can be difficult to find a breeder. 2) We wanted to reduce risk of disease coming into our perfectly healthy herd and because of our limited number of options, we wouldn’t have the luxury of being picky. 3) We have the space and people like seeing the breeding stock on sight when they buy registered kids. 4) I have young toddlers and NO time to watch for elusive signs of heat. That being said, that guy seriously grosses me out and he is an escape artist. I wish sometimes we did not have to keep male stock on sight. But that’s livestock for you.
Btw, LOVE your blog, I have used it as a resource for my goats many times!
Hi Karly-
Those are some very sound reasons to get a buck. And yeah, no matter what, they are just gross, necessary, but definitely gross. Thanks so much for reading and posting. I hope all goes well with your buck and other goats. Happy Goating! -Bobbi
I have a herd of Nigerians. https://boonedockswilcox.blogspot.com/
If you are going to keep bucks, keep them shaved May – October.
Take good care of your boys – nutrition, hoof trimming, hygiene, keep their living area’s clean.
Brush them every once in a while.
Wow, I’m extra late commenting, but had to add my 2 cents because our buck was my favorite goat! Full Nigerian, so he was only stinky for a few months … but seriously, the sweetest goat ever. Didn’t affect the milk with a shared fence, had a couple boy friends to hang with, and was the sweetest Daddy to his kids. Used a calf halter to train him to walk nice on a leash, ended up just walking him with a dog collar. He was very gentle with little kids (people) as well as his kids (goats). I loved him enough to brush him while he was stinky and that helped with the nasty pee smell. In my limited experience, the more time you spend handling them (brushing, training, clipping hooves) the better behaved they are. The bucklings I didn’t work with much were out of control, but Handsome Rob (daddy buck) was like a big dog.
I agree! Our buck was a bottle baby and is the sweetest guy ever, but can be a little too affectionate sometimes…haha. He hangs out with our stallion mini horse who can be a stinker and anytime I go in with them our buck stands in front of me to protect me from the horse! We just had our first kids (six girls and a boy) and he is so sweet to them! I think like any animal it is important to give them attention and affection if you want them to give it back to you! I want to milk our girls and was concerned our milk will be musky since they share a fence so its good to hear it hasnt affected your milk. He sure misses his girls though, hah. It will be our first time milking and I want it to be a success! Yay for nigerians, love love love them.
I have some alpine does and a buck. The buck is so sweet and he loves o stand in front of me when our Shetland sheep rams come over because he is stingy about the amount of attention I give everyone else! He is so sweet and has just started to smell, since he is kind of a buckling but not really. He is such a big baby and is always licking me? I have no clue why he licks me but he does… His name is Oreo and I am so exited to see the baby’s he produces.
I would go with no buck,they stink,run over fences,bite,headbutt and who no’s what else.I would just take my goat to stud buck or use AI.Also my mom dad’s dog gave birth to five puppies the same day your dog Minnie gave birth,Funny Huh?
I’m late to the party, but thought I’d put my two-cents in….
I have 3 mini-nubian girls and 1 ND girl. We decided to get an ND buck a year and a half ago, and couldn’t be happier. We got him at 8 weeks old and raised him in with the girls. They all got pregnant the first month he was tall enough to do the deed (he was about 9 months old), and we separated him once they kidded. He has a wether buddy so he doesn’t get lonely.He was a great papa, and we put our bucklings in with him when it was time to wean them. He played gently with them and has been great with the human kids, too. He shares a fence line with the girls, but their milk tastes fantastic! I’ve made all kinds of cheese, too. All my herd share customers say it’s the best milk they’ve had, and I’ve converted several people who swear they can’t stand goat milk or cheese. One time, my husband forgot a jar of milk in his work fridge for two weeks, and it did get goaty, but that’s the only time we’ve noticed an “off” flavor. As for our buck, he smells like a buck. However, I find that giving him a summer cut makes a big difference in how strong he smells. I gave him a mohawk just for fun…
I hope that helps!
This DOES help! It makes me want a buck now!
could never imagine a goat can be a pet, but I think to make it possible , you need to have a farm too 🙂
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that having a buck anywhere near your does skunked the milk because of the does physiological response to the buck’s pheromones. Then you end up with icky, funky, bucky milk. At least, that’s what my research had shown MN e when I was looking into it. I don’t have any does yet, but was planning on doing the driveway date thing for them when the time came. Wham, bam, thank you, sir and we’re on our way!
Hi Rachel,
It really depends on the doe and how “affected” she is by the pheromones. Mostly, I tell people to not have a doe & buck with only a fence separating them to avoid the taste in the milk.
Stop it already with the cute goats pictures; I’m totally in love and envy!!!! This ciTy gIrL wants goat and chickens too.
🙂
This year we got a buckling for $50 that we are using for our does then when he’s done he goes in the freezer. They lady agreed to keep back a buckling for us every year if we wanted. It’s only our first year, but seems to be working fine. Since he’s young he didn’t start smelling bad until the does started into heat.
Few things worthy of mention
– $50 buck may sound like a bargain, but do you know the genetics of that buck? Anything you want in your kids? Did you see the mother of the buck and LOVE everything about her? Just because he has a shlonkie does not make him an asset, especially if you want quality genetics in the offspring. A good buck will generally be in the ballpark of $150-500, depending on your area and breed, as well as pedigree.
– You mention freezer after the work is done. Word of caution – intact bucks not only smell when they are alive. That transfers over to the freezer… And that is regardless of whether you slaughter during rut or not.
If you want your does just to milk genetics isn’t such a big issue so a 50$ buckling is quite fine, however think about when it comes to what you wish to do with the offspring… do you plan to keep some or sell them to breed or for meet?
About the feezer that is a mith, unless you know nothing about properly tending goat’s meat since there are specific stinch clusters contained in intra muscular fat (called bedum) wich have to be taken out before freezing or cooking. Same aplies to lamb meat. As long as you do that no goat or billy is to old for the freezer.
We don’t breed for genetics. Just for milk. I would worry about that if we were to sell the kids, but you can’t hardly give dairy kids away in our area. It’s a bummer. If we could sell them, we would get a higher quality buck. Even $150-$200 for a decent buck that will eventually go in the freezer isn’t too bad considering you get meat, and kids to sell. We did look into starting a breeding program with quality kids, but couldn’t sell any. So, most likely the kids will join their papa in the freezer.
Hey Girl!
Thank in part to your website advocating these adorable bundles of bouncy cuteness known as goats, we started our own nigerian herd a couple years ago. We decided that even though we only had 3 does, we wanted our own buck so we didnt have to worry about finding a stud.
Best. Decision. Ever.
He is a sweetheart. He does stink, but only when he’s ‘feeling romantic’, as the kids call it.
And its not really that bad.
He does NOT make the milk taste bad.
Lemme repeat that.
He does NOT make the milk taste bad.
I have him running with my does all year round, and ALL my milk is sweet and creamy. I have never had a bad batch! EVER.
He is not aggressive toward us at all. Never tried to mount anyone, even the smallish munchkins.
He is protective and concerned whent eh does are giving birth.
Anywho, my vote is, yes,, go right ahead and get that buck!
Best of luck and thanks for the inspiration!
DaNelle,
I periodically check your blog, as I find your posts very interesting and amusing. When I was just thinking about getting goats, some of your blog posts got me motivated. So here we are, with 4 does and a buck, among other living creatures. I decided to get one because I did not want to be dependent on anyone for breeding. For example, I am not a very experienced reader of estrus in goats. My buck is though. And even with that, I just had a doe go back into heat, when I thought all of them were already bred. Lets say I did not have a buck on premises – I would have to drop everything and get her in my car and drive a few hours to a buck. And the weather is absolutely awful, not to mention Thanksgiving time… So yea.
The drawbacks are minimal – cost of feed and the smell. Now all my chore clothes smell putrid, but I am almost at a point of getting used to it. This rain and cold got my potbellied pigs smelling things up too, so its ok. Also, he is getting a bit out of hand around the children. He knows I am the boss, but will push into my boys til they fall over, if I am not around. Thats why he is in his pen most of the time, and especially now with the rain, since they dont go out to the pasture anyway. He always has visual contact with the rest of the crew, and I did notice my milking alpines changing milk taste a bit, but not bad. Nothing compared to some musky milk I have tasted before from a goat farm.
I plan on getting a few more does and a few more bucks this coming spring. All purebred nubians. My alpines will eventually produce offspring that will one day be American Nubian, and I will do that with the aid of my purebred bucks. Right now, my buck is penned with a wether, but soon he will have intact buddies to hang out with…
We have found it is easier to buy a buck, keep him for a few weeks until it appears all the does/nannies are bred, then sell him. We have come out pretty even on this each time so far. We just have 3 ladies, and yet not convenient to take them to a buck when they are in heat. We have still had nice bucks, but smelly they are, and a bit obnoxious to keep around any longer than needed.
Danelle,
bucks are total sweethearts! I think the idea of having a herd sire is the most efficient/economical. (keep in mind, breeding costs can be expensive- though, I’m sure you are.) the issue with having a permanent herd sire is you can’t breed the babies with him. I think the pros outweigh the cons… if you can handle the stank. 😉
Ok so I own two goats one pygmy about 4 years one born this spring I’m pretty sure she’s a nigerian I really want to milk but I don’t think I want to milk the goats I have. I was planning on buying a nigerian already bred but I couldn’t find a goat, now I have an option of buying a doe in milk in the spring buy I’m unsure about that to. also I’m scared about Nubians and fencing because I might get a baby nubian in the spring any advice?
Hi Libby, Nubians are fine with fencing, I wouldn’t worry at all:)
We were up in the air if we should get a buck or not, but we ended up getting one along with a whether for company.
He is one stinky buck in a rut right now, but he is a love other than his disgusting behavior right now. He is still the sweetest guy and we can’t wait to breed him next month for the first time with our does.
Don’t do it! We raised 2 bucks from bottle babies to adulthood. They were the sweetest dog-like goats ever! Then puberty hit and they turned into JERKS. Headbutting us and overall aggressiveness majorly increased. Then we castrated them and have our sweet babies back ha ha.
I bought a buck when I had only 2 Nigerian does, and I’ve never regretted it. He is definitely stinky, but that’s really the only bad thing I can say about him – well, that and he also has horns (which wasn’t supposed to be, oh well) and he loves to scratch the wood off the barn… 😛 He lives with his wether buddy in a field that has an adjoining fence with my herd of 7 girls. My milk has never had a bad flavor from him, even when the girls are clearly in heat. Although I have heard of aggressive Nigerians, my buck has never been aggressive, with me or even other goats. It seems like bottle-baby bucks are the mostly likely to be aggressive towards humans, because the line between ‘human’ and ‘goat’ were blurred when they were babies, but Nigerians are so small I think any bad behavior can be corrected pretty easily.
I too have a small herd, although mine are Nubian( 4 does) and Boer (1 doe). I debated the process for almost a year all the way up to breeding season and then, well you have to make a decision. So…I costed it out and decided that for what I would put out for a registered buck in costs versus breed fees, transport and testing/lab fees, I would break even in the first year and the only costs after that are feed. Yes, you do wonder at times if it is worth it to keep a buck all year long for what amounts to about a weeks worth of work, but ultimately, for me anyway, the answer is yes. They do smell, and its not like you can blame that one on a late garbage pick up. They can be overly friendly during rut but really, how close are we getting to them during that time anyways? But…and this, to me, is hands down one of the best reasons to keep a buck…Iit is oh, so nice to go out to feed in the morning, notice that my doe is in heat go open the gate walk her the 30 feet to my buck pen and put her in. There you go, all the drama dealt with. He does his thing, a couple times for good measure, and then back to the doe pen she goes. Thank you very much, totally cute babies in the spring. 🙂
GET ONE! I love mine! I raised him from a baby and he is the SWEETEST! In fact, I have a little buckskin that was born in May looking for a home. He is also very very sweet, he’s been raised with my other buck and my wether and his temperament is perfect! And I was worried about the milk turning funny after I got my buck initially, but I have yet to notice any changes in the taste of it. Even when I have does that are still milking and are in the same pen as a buck. When they aren’t in the same pen, they share a fence, so they are very close all the time. Let me know if you would be interested in meeting my little guy!
I have my nigerian buck in a pen next to my girls. I have never had a problem with “goaty” flavors, even when he’s in rut. I love him (most the time), and would hate to have to look for a buck year after year. However, I also only have one neighbor and he’s been great with the various smells and sounds coming from over the fence. Do what’s best for your situation 😉
Don’t do it, the taste of the milk will change. My friend raises goats on 5 acres and despite keeping the bucks away the cheese tastes sooo overwhelmingly goaty I ( an extremely adventurous eater) couldn’t stand it.
Uh oh, that may convince me!
That may not be the buck at all, check the grass and shrubs they are eating. Last year my goat’s milk started to taste funky, and the cheese had that overly goat flavour and I don’t have a buck arround… I discovered it was a particular wild shrub they were feasting on that produced that after taste on milk and cheese.
Like DaNelle I’m also considering on having a permanent buck. I only have 2 to 3 does and I don’t have a separated lodge for him. I don’t even have problem borrowing a buck there are many localy and neibours are always ok about lending a man for a month or two. The real problems I meet are:
#1 To have a buck in september is easy the problem is he may not beat all that mr gourgeous and genetic heartbreaking guy I wish to breed my ladies with.
#2 I can only borrow a good buck off the rut season because their owners need it when the rut is on, of couse.
#3 To buy a decent buck just for rut is a no no in my opinion. I once did that and ended up selling under priced just for the sake of not having him with the preg girls fearing he could molest them.
#4 Desease and parasites can infect my ladies. Couple of years ago my ladies got infested with lice brought by the mr gourgeous that came to serve them. It was an itchy headache belive me!!!!!
#5 I can choose the genetic line I want the offspring to have instead of being dependant of what my neighbours have.
#6 I noticed my does have multiple births when I can have a buck when the rut spikes to its max (arround October here).
#7 when a buck is with the does they graze better and are less jumpy.
So having said all the above I’m seriously thinking of getting a buck permanently. From the several breeds I’ve experienced the Lamancha and the Alpino bucks are the sweetest to handle so next year one will join our tine herd and live happily ever after :))))
Generally, “goaty” milk is caused by not being chilled quickly enough. It’s critical to the taste to get it cold within a 1/2 hour or that distinctive, tangy taste (and aftertaste) begins forming and milk and cheese forever taste awful instead of wonderfully delicious. I suspect that this might be the problem, not the buck.
We bit the bullet and bought our own buck this year (nigerian as well). We were also on the fence and literally pushed into as a result of a fall out of our planned buck (long story). We loved having him around. In addition to being a handsome gentleman, we found that as soon as all the ladies were bred, he smelled significantly better. Once we started having babies (ie – the girls were going into heat again) we found a great second home for him during our ‘off season’ of breeding, when this other home wants to breed. We retained ownership but only have him for the half of the year that we need him. Since we both have closed herd (and tested yearly) we have little concern about disease issues. We are loving the part-time buck ownership business!!
– Katie and Mark
Such great advice! Thanks so much Katie!
I first heard of Nigerians right here. I then wanted my own for several years! We purchased a house and acreage that would accommodate and quickly started our herd because…why not? We are up to 6 girls and just recently bought a proven buck from a friend I met after buying some of her goats! I had planned to use a friend of a friend’s buck to service my ladies, but things went sour quickly. His registered buck was actually in a different registry and not transferred to his name. Registration paperwork takes a long time for one registry much less 2. I soon realized goats were an after thought for him while I was “all in” as I tend to do. Luckily, the lady who sold me 4 of my girls still had one buck left and it was one that we pondered when we were first there picking out our girls. He was a bottle baby so he is super friendly and, yes, he has made a pass at me. I couldn’t imagine one just attacking or humping without warning. He did the tongue out, foot stomping thing at me and I quickly let him know that wasn’t going to fly so he backed off 🙂
Wow, interesting Shawna. Thanks for sharing!