Weaning bucklings..

Suzyq2u · #1 04/14/12, 02:51 PM

At what age do *you* pull your intact bucklings from the nursery to head
out to the buck pen?

prairiedog · #2 04/14/12, 04:13 PM

We put them in the buck pen no later than 3 months old. They still get a bottle a day though.

yarrow · #3 04/14/12, 04:20 PM

we have a *little bucky boy pen* where they spend the first year (I moved them away from the doelings and into this pen at 3 months)... after they are yearlings...somewhere around 18months, they go into the REAL buck pen...

susie, mo ozarks

FrogTacos · #4 04/14/12, 06:13 PM

I pulled one from his mother 2 days ago, he is 2 and a half months old. My reason: He is hunching and peeing on his face, and keeping his nose buried in all of the does back sides.

My two bottle baby bucks (brothers) are a bit younger. One of them is keeping his nose in the ladies business now, they are coming out here in about an hour and a half with their last bottle for the day.

That will leave me with one buckling left in with the girls (and his momma) - he is coming out the day he displays too much buckiness or 3 months old, whichever comes first.

Suzyq2u · #5 04/14/12, 06:16 PM

Thanks everyone! We're just at 6wks on Wed, but noticing some bucky behavior and figured we'd better ask before went too long, lol

Backfourty,MI. · #6 04/14/12, 08:50 PM

I move our bucklings out at 10-12 weeks, depends on the goat.

All babies even the doelings will hump each other Suzyq2u, not saying it can't happen at 6 weeks but it is not very likely. I'd say he still has a month or so till I really worried.

Suzyq2u · #7 04/14/12, 09:01 PM

Oh yes, I figured we were good for a little while, just wasn't sure when that cut off line was

Sonshine · #8 04/14/12, 09:40 PM

I was told 3 months, and that's what I usually do.

Alice In TX/MO · #9 04/14/12, 10:20 PM

I waited a week too long last year.

I'm pulling them just over two months this year.

ozark_jewels · #10 04/15/12, 10:56 AM

Personally, I think it depends on what the bucklings are running with. If they are running with doelings, I wouldn't trust them past 2 months to be safe.

If they are running with their dams and other mature does(as is my case since all doelings are lambar-raised), and no doelings, I just watch and usually leave them in there till they are 3-4 months. But, I also kid out early so my bucklings are NOT going to be still nursing their dams anywhere near breeding season. 3-4 months for my boys means pulling them off at about June.

And no matter what, my junior boys have a pen to themselves until after their first birthday sometime. Usually around 14-18 months of age, then if they are growing as they should and have good size on them, they go into the mature buck pen. They grow the best this way, not having to compete with older bucks or become the older bucks "boy toys" during breeding season. This can take a lot of size off a growing buckling.