Am I crazy?

[Our7Wonders]

The dairy I bought my girls from told me I could have my girls re-bred in the fall to her buck. (Same buck they were bred to this year). But things have changed for her. She has decided to sell her dairy and keep only a couple milking does for her personal use. She's been doing this for 20+ years and is ready to not be committed to the dairy anymore, she want's to spend more time being a grandma.

This leaves me needing a buck for this fall.

After the stress and worry I had when I was afraid Jasmine had CL a couple months back, I don't want to risk a craiglist ad breeding for my does. I don't know of any nubian breeders locally.

My does have come from a long line of goats that seem to do well on holistic worming and no vaccines. I want to maintain this by getting a buck that has had the same. Goats are not popular in my area, especially those raised naturally.

So, I'm taking the plunge. I have a nubian buck coming home with my husband today. He's from some customers of ours that run an organic dairy about 100 miles away. My husband is there today making a delivery and they have a buck that they thought would do well for us very milky lines. Purebred, not papered like my girls. I have no idea what he looks like so it will be a surprise when I get him today. I'm not too picky about color/markings I just want to keep my girls in milk and want to produce healthy/hardy offspring.

I doubt that I'll keep him long term. I don't have the room and my neighbors are too close and wouldn't appreciate the aroma of a lusty buck. Hopefully since he'll be young he won't be as smelly as a more mature buck and then he'll likely be sold this fall after we confirm the girls have settled. The lady I bought my does from is interested in using him with her remaining does as well.

I'm a little nervous about sight unseen, but she said he had good nubian looks and was the biggest/strongest of the bucks she had on the ground so far. He was born Tuesday (the day before my guys were born) and was on mom for the first 4 days and today will be his third day on the bottle. I was relieved to learn that he's been introduced to the bottle already.

So am I out of my mind?

 

[poorboys]

MAKE SURE HE HAS HAD BO-SE, AND A VIT-E CASUPLE SNIPPED OFF AND SQUIRTED IN HIS MOUTH WOULD HELP. SITE UNSEEN SOMETIMES IS SCARY BUT SINCE HIS SO YOUNG YOU CAN DO ALL THE PREVENTIVES TO MAKE SURE HE HAS A GOOD HEALTHY START!! CHECK HIM OVER REAL GOOD, BUT I THINK AS LONG AS YOUR THE ONE IN CHARGE OF HIS HEALTH YOU'LL BE OKAY, ONLY WORRIES WOULD BE CAE CARRIER, OR CL WHICH THAT USUALLY WOULD NOT BE THE CASE UNTILL HIS ABOUT 8 MONTHS OLD BEFORE YOU SEE THAT. HOPE THIS IS HELPFULL TO YOU AND GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[chandasue]

Sounds like a plan as long as you trust the seller.

 

[msjuris]

Congratulations on bringing home a buck.
Do you have a companion for him already?
I had to go get another goat just so the buck would have company while my two does kid and are in milk. I made the mistake of getting another doe to put in with him. Feeding time means bringing her out of the pen so that she can have some grain. Different feeding requirements for different goats in the same pen complicates things a little. It never occurred to me until after the fact.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Our7Wonders]

Welllllll,

I'm not exactly sure how we're going to work things just yet. I have two new babies on the ground - another few expected soon. My bucklings will be taken from mama in the evening to sleep in the kid stall once they're two weeks old - so he'll be with them. But that's a little over a week away. I really wasn't expecting the new buckling for two more weeks -but she had a nice one early on so we've bumped things up.

We'll be playing it by ear to see how it goes to have him in the main area during the day -obviously only supervised to begin with. If he doesn't do well with them (or rather, them with him) we'll be pulling one of our babies sooner than not to put with him in a kid run.

 

[msjuris]

Sounds like you've got a game plan. I didn't and now I'm hoping for a buckling from either of my does so that I can have a wether companion for my buck.

 

[mossyStone]

you are not crazy, I had to do the same thing this yr..I love my Buck he is sweet and has added so much to the homestead....
I am like you i follow the more natural way of manageing my herd, so i was not wanting to take the girls out any where once my friend sold off most of her herd.....


One thing i made double sure was my buck was tested for everything before he came here... now i have a closed herd for a few ys before i have to worry about a new buck or a new doeling


Congrats you'll love having him......

 

[phoenixmama]

Re: the buck smell...

I live in a suburban area with very close neighbors. I have one buckling now and have one reserved that hasn't been born yet. The smell was my concern too. However, I have a few friends that give their bucks baths every week. When you are right up next to them they smell bucky, but you can't smell it from any further away. And yes, the does still think they are hot stuff when the time is right. Anyway, that's my plan when they start getting sticky and smelling bucky.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I would love to see a buck get a bath. Seriously


ETA...I have 2 bucks right now. They smelled very fragrant for a month or so...not enough to make anyone complain. I think my dog smells worse :/