A couple of questions about weaning and bucks

[sriston]

We are new to goat keeping here on our homestead. We have 5 goats. Two of them are bucks but we will soon be trading our oldest buck (he's a little over a year old) for a doe. We plan on keeping our 5 month old buck, Dandy, because he is prettier and has a great personality. We have had Dandy for 2 months.

We plan on using our goats for our milk source. We have 2 does, one is 10 months old and the other is a little over a year old. The yearling has a 3 month old baby girl. I have read that you cannot keep a buck in the same pasture/pen with the milk does because it will make the milk taste bad (hormonal reactions or something). How far away from the does would we need to keep the buck housed to keep the milk from aquiring a bad taste?

My next question is about our doe, Honeysuckle. She is a little over a year old and has a baby, Rosemary. (I have a garden theme going with names, LOL.) We have only had them for a couple of weeks. The baby (Rosemary) is three months old and is nursing but not a lot. None of our goats had ever been handled until we got them. They are friendly and curious but won't let you pet them yet and I have to corral one to brush it and have a good look at it. Our goats have no interest in treats, so enticing them has thus far failed.

Ideally, I would like to separate little Rosemary (the baby) out when she is old enough to wean and work with her; socialize her, teach her to lead, etc. Although it may be a year or so before I get our milk goats "established", I have to have goats that can be easily handled. When can I separate the baby from her mother?

Thanks for all the help and information. I appreciate it.

[Minelson]

Can't help with the questions but I am the picture nazi so I am looking for pictures here....especially of the baby! I'm sure someone will be on soon to answer your questions.

[sriston]

Here's their pictures. They are of no particular breed that I am aware of. Thistle and Honeysuckle, our does, are both colored the same but the back of Thistle's ears is white. Dandy has floppy ears, so I am guessing that he is a different breed or mixture of breeds. The baby is black. Gruff, the older buck, has long hair (at least it is much, much longer than Dandy's). Hopefully this photo will post correctly..I have never posted a photo before.

[Cyngbaeld]

Bucks can run with does if all you care about is milk taint. It won't taint the milk. However, you will have no control over breeding times. You could end up with a too young doe bred. Don't let them share a fence line as they can, and will, breed thru a fence or go over it. You can put a buck apron on the buck if you want to let him run with the does.

You need to start working with all the goats now to get them used to being handled. Get your milkstand set up and start training them to eat their grain on it. No grain to be fed except on the milk stand. Let them get used to the grain in the pan then get used to having the head gate shut then get used to you touching them. You need them all tame and used to being handled asap, but especially before any are ill or need assistance with kidding.