Help, a lost new goat owner needs HELP - updated (with PICS)

[Carolina Chicken Man]

Quote:
According to you pictures, one of your boys is a wether, and the other is an intact buck?

If that's the case, you should keep the intact buck seperate from the does, because he will start trying to breed them very soon. I think you said yours are 3 mos old? He is capable, and they will be very soon.

You would need to keep the wether with him for companionship.

Just curious, why did you get a buck? Yours will not be ready to breed for a year, preferably a year and a half. It would have been much easier to make arrangements to breed them then, than to keep a buck.

 

[calgal98]

Nigerians are quite precocious. They are capable and have made babies at the ripe old age of two months. Its not as common for the doelings, but can happen with the boys. My bucklings are out of the common pen by 6-8 weeks depending on their *inclinations*. They are usually inclined!! LOL. I don't take chances with the youngsters. They don't get put alone, there is always another one or two to keep them company. I also spend lots of time with them, playing and handling. They are usually just as friendly as the doelings left with mom. I seperate no later than 2 months with bucklings.

 

[katrinag]

Quote:
I agree even at very young they can reproduce. I would play it safe then be sorry later. It is not good for them to have babies at such a young age.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

Yes I have a buck and a wether. They are housed separately than the girls and according to what I hear here, I should keep it that way. The reason why I got the buck early is because kinders are hard to come by and she had a non-related buck baby, so I took him. I don't regret it because I love seeing him grow up with the girls (well, separate of course) I can't imagine keeping the boys with the girls because of what I saw today. They were playing rough - bucking their heads together (if that's what you call it)

Wow, we sure have lots of goat people on here, this is awesome, come on backyardgoats

Today they were much calmer, although it looked like the boys wanted to get to the girls, vice versa (when it was getting dark). Probably because they were used to a big group.

Also to 2009NewChickMom, hopefully I'll get some good recent pics soon, within a day or two.

 

[hikerchick]

My girl pygmies do the head butt thing, too. One has horns and two don't but they still all do it. I also have a wethers with horns and they butt heads with him too- he doesn't always win, trust me. And they have never once hurt one another.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

just watching them gives me a headache.