mixing goats

[chicken 101]

I have 2 weather goats (for now) 1 is a alpine and the other is a pygmy alpine cross but I want to get some dairy goats can I mix them with the weathers or will there male instincts take over and start to fight over the females . Also what is a good milk breed I am looking more toward a Boer but do not know yet

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your wethers might fight a bit when she comes in heat, but nothing too serious. The winner might act bucky even though he can't do anything. Boer is a meat breed. Good milking breeds are alpine, Nubian, toggenburg, saanens, Nigerian dwarf, la mancha.

 

[chicken 101]

ok thank you on the milk breeds but will my boys kill each other or brake a bone or draw blood

 

[linbee]

I have 2 wethers in with my 3 alpine girls - some posturing when girls are in heat, have had some blood when horns are broken, but nothing out of the ordinary for goats. I agree with previous post--Boers are meat goats. I think the alpines are great milk goats and the Nubians have a higher fat content in their milk.

 

[waddles99]

Wethers will fight to establish a pecking order, once it is established they won't fight much except for the occasional head butt to enforce dominance or during feeding. You can keep wethers with does but make sure they are properly castrated.

 

[chicken 101]

how do you tell if they are properly castrated

 

[cassie]

If they start exhibiting bucky behavior like smelling like a buck, blubbering, peeing on their heads etc. that's a pretty good indication.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They will still have a buck odor if something was missed during castration, some wether will try to do buck behaviors around a doe in heat, but they can't pull off the stink or the actual breeding even though some will still mount the doe and follow her around to guard her.

 

[chicken 101]

ok is that when the female is around or just every day if it is every day the they are done properly

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If you haven't noticed an odor with your goats they have been properly castrated.