Descented Bucks

I've wanted goats for years. My family and I live in town and if the city approves our animal permit, I'd like to get 2-3 goats.

I've never thought of getting a buck, even though I want to breed for kids and milk, because of the Bucky smell. However, I just found a Craigslist ad for a DESCENTED buck!

I didn't realize that was possible.

Now I'm wondering if any here have had descented bucks? Does it really make them smell better? Any cons to this?

Hmmmmm. Sounds a little fishy.

I'm guessing maybe they mean a wether, or castrated male. They don't smell- but of coarse they don't make babies either.

I'd suggest buying goats from a local breeder who is willing to offer stud service as long as you don't add goats from other farms. This is something I do for those who want a few goats and aren't able or don't want to have a buck.

Gotta agree with FullHouse... Not sure how you "de-scent" a buck when most of the smell comes from him urinating all over himself, specifically his face and beard. Evidently the goat ladies go wild for those stink faces. The stink is really only for a 3-4 month period in the fall/winter when they go into rut. But all that aside, if you'll only want to have a few animals, try to buy from a local breeder who will allow you to bring your girls back to receive stud service. That way all you need is 3-4 does and you'll have less tension, no bucks to worry about, no smell to deal with, can still have goat kids and milk... Life will be GOOD!

Some, when disbudding burn the bud, and do another burn right behind the bud to get the musk gland.
We don't do this, but I know others do. Some say it helps, other say it doesn't.
Yes, your buck will still pee on himself.

I did a quick search to see if I could find a diagram.
This goat has swollen musk glands. This pic shows where the gland is located.

I appreciate the responses, y'all. Thank you!

I looked it up online and it seems to be a thing, like Goat Whisperer showed. Somewhere it said that it's not the urine that makes the bucks stink, but that gland. Of course, I have no clue as I've never had goats before. Seems the urine would smell bad, too!

I figured if this was a real thing and it really helped, there would be folks here who did it. Just like disbudding. Since nobody seems to...

Part of me (the wannabe prepper ) wants to have a buck of my own. The more sensible part of me, however, is screaming to only keep does and find a breeder!

At any rate, I still have time to decide. I'm saving money and trying to get our backyard in order and reading, reading, reading!! to learn all I can before jumping into this. Though, honestly, when I see all the pictures of cute kids, handsome bucks, and beautiful does, I just want to ditch responsibility and dive in headfirst!

If anyone has descented bucks, please share your experiences. I'd love to hear if it actually helps with the stink.

You know, you CAN do this like chickens, they're just a little larger... And there's a bright side! You don't need to keep them inside in your spare bedroom in a brooder! But you will still need to have fencing to keep them home and some sort of shelter as they are typically little divas that abhor getting wet... But like a coop and run, you can get that done real fast, any time! Go get you some goats!

We have several bucks that are de scented (just the way the head was burned during disbudding) and I honestly can’t tell much of a difference.

Latestarter — We have a 10' x 20' shed in the backyard. Its split into 2 rooms, so the "goat side" would be 10' x 15'. It needs siding (it's currently wrapped in plastic) but other than that, it would be perfect for goats.



Our backyard fence is wooden. There are 2 spots we'd have to "goat proof".

This area, where the fence and stone wall meet...the fence is only 3' tall. I'm assuming it would be easy for a goat to hop over and get into the woods.


And here, where the gate gives potential foot holds:


Any ideas on how to secure these areas would be much appreciated!

Goat Whisperer— Nuts! I was hoping there would be a difference in smell.

From the pics, I'm not sure which side of those steps the goats would be on... up top, or down bottom. Either way, you are absolutely right, they can (and will) easily jump over a 3' height. Not knowing the exact "lay of your land", I can't really make any worthwhile suggestions. I'm sure you can figure it out though pretty easily. I mean, a 4' fence is generally speaking sufficient to keep the goats in and keep most bad things out. Attach it to (or make some way for them to get from) the shelter into a fenced area and you've got the basics. Most will tell you don't skimp on your fencing. Don't waste your money on welded wire unless that's all you can afford. The woven fencing is best. They will lean into it and walk along it for side rubs. They will climb up on it to reach for tree limbs/leaves. They will stick their heads through it if they can fit, and babies can go straight through 6" field fence, even though it's woven wire. They'll put their hooves up on the cross supports of the wooden fence, but that shouldn't cause an issue. Unless they aren't nailed securely to the posts, in which case they might push the nails out and knock the fence panels off...