How far away do you keep the bucks from you milk goats?

dhansen

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A friend of mine has limited acreage and wants to put up a fence to separate the buck from her does? ( I have several acres so it is not an issue for me)
I've heard the milk can taste bad if the bucks are too close, but how close is too close?
 
frustratedearthmother

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I too have limited acerage. My Nubian does are only separated by a fence from my Pygmy bucks. (I'm trying to start a Kinder herd) I haven't noticed any off-taste in the milk. My best guess is that, at least for me, quick chilling of the milk and clean milking practices are more important for sweet tasting milk. Might be different for other folks. It may even be that dairy bucks stink more than pygmies, lol!
 
babsbag

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My alpine buck and boer buck are only separated from my does by a fence and a hot wire. No problem with off tasting milk. The bucks only smell in the fall when in rut , even my boer doesn't smell most of the time. I milk in a shed right next to the buck pen. No problems.

When the does are with the buck for breeding you might notice lingering smells on your doe and that could be a problem. My dairy stock never live with the bucks; we breed one day and remove them the next. I don't notice a problem in the milk.
 
LeviS

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I have been wondering this also, great to hear that its more how you handle the milk. I think I'm going to be putting my buck barn to the north of my main barn, and was worried that the smell might drift down to my barn...or something. The wind almost always blows to the south east, which would be blowing it right down to my barn and my house. Not sure where else I could set it up though.....
 
goats&moregoats

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frustratedearthmother said:
I too have limited acerage. My Nubian does are only separated by a fence from my Pygmy bucks. (I'm trying to start a Kinder herd) I haven't noticed any off-taste in the milk. My best guess is that, at least for me, quick chilling of the milk and clean milking practices are more important for sweet tasting milk. Might be different for other folks. It may even be that dairy bucks stink more than pygmies, lol!
Click to expand...

off topic. does a pygmy buck stay in rut all year? also if the females that he bred all settle will in go out of rut or stay in rut/
 
G

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Any update on this? Is your milk still good to drink? We have a pygmy one year old buck and two goats (Nubian and Saanen) in the same field, but not same house. Does are due to give birth shortly. I do not want the milk spoiled!
 
T

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I keep saying I would like to, but I haven't separated my buck from my does and my milk has been fine :)
 
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