The Buck Effect

[Frosted Mini's]

I am thinking about next breeding season already.

Has anybody here used the buck effect successfully? I would like to have more kids born earlier in the year next year; a lot of my does didn't cycle until the end of October, which has been the norm for the last 2 years. I would rather have early to mid Feb kids, and then another round later in the season, if I can manage it. I've just recently built a pen for the bucks that is out of sight of the does, but I'm sure it won't be far enough to be out of smell (about 550 ft to the closest ends of pasture and buck pen, as the crow flies). The farthest I could possibly put the bucks from my does on this property is about 1/4 mile, not counting the inclination, but then caring for the bucks would be a bit of a challenge, out in the boonies. What is the closest the bucks can be to the does and still have the buck effect work? Wish I knew someone with property nearby that I trust and that doesn't mind buck smell that I could house my boys with for a few weeks this summer.

[nehimama]

Can you explain "The Buck Effect", please? I've never heard of it.

[Frosted Mini's]

The buck is removed from sight, sound, smell of does for at least a month (I think) and then introduced to the girls and that is suppose to sync them up. It should also help to give an earlier breeding season (supposedly).

[Squeaky McMurdo]

For what it's worth, when I took Cocoa and Lily to be bred and left them for a month, it brought them into heat within a week both times....they didn't take either time though. Would have been Cocoa's 2nd freshening and Lily's first.

I took Toast to be bred and if she isn't pregnant than she is smuggling 2 watermelons. But I think she was starting to go into heat when I took her. She was covered the next day. I don't know how many times she has kidded but she's turning 4 this year so this is probably 3 or 4.

Cocoa went with her but I don't think she took.

[Doug Hodges]

CIDR. I'm planning on January and February kids.

[mygoat]

I've seen it work just moving them into sight. The buck behavior is very stimulating to them, lol. Wether the induced heat is fertile is not always the case, but the next cycle should be so the group of does would then have 2 duedates. I'd suggest putting a marking harness in him if he's just going out on the pasture.

Alternately, you can use lutelyse or CIDRs. Lute is the method of choice for seasonal animals during the fall at a local dairy. They give a shot about 10 days after a heat to induce a fertile heat in season... they AI or breed naturally. Alternately, you can give a group the lute anytime, wait for them to go through the heat, then put them with the bucks to breed next cycle and they should be all pretty synchronized. Cidrs are left in for 14-21 days, and when pulled you expect a heat within 36hrs or so. They work better than lute Allen for out of season breedings too. (Though I bet 2ds of lute at least 14 apart, 2nd one with PG600 would induce a fertile heat) Usually use CIDRs and PG600 here.

[Frosted Mini's]

I've had some failures with synching does using both lute and CIDR protocols, though I suppose it would probably still give me an earlier season if I started early enough with those. Hm.

I am planning to introduce buck across the (extra secured buck proof fencing of some kind which I will install sometime this summer...or double fencing). I am planning to do some of the does AI, so I may wait until second heat. So, I will probably start fairly early, to get the kids when I want them.

[mygoat]

Yup, with any synchronization method you're going to have some variants. It's never as good as natural. I doubt you'd see any different with the buck effect. One year with CIDRs I got almost everybody bred but some AI does that were open. The next, I had some issues with the does in heat the day of pulling CIDRS (of course, I had tried to reuse them and did a 21 day pull the first time, then tried for a 14d pull and they were in heat on day 14... oops. Throwing 7 does in raging heat in with a buck, without getting their PG600 shots, I think only one settled. :/ )

The fastest way to get them bred would be to pen the buck next door and toss them together when you see heats. OR, just put the buck in there with a marking harness and watch for goats to turn red/green/orange etc. Worked great for us. I did my best with CIDRs to synchronize, then kept the buck in there to catch any open/straggler does.

[CAjerseychick]

Newbie to goats, but our little (non stinky btw) buckling was in with the goats and they all - even the Oberhaslis-- cycled in Feb/ march over a 2month spread--
I didnt know they werent supposed to have a spring heat season?...

[Frosted Mini's]

My alpines cycle into the end of Feb/beginning of March, sometimes.

[dozedotz]

Our boys are not within eye view...not sure about the odor. When the first girl comes into heat (usually the oldest) she goes to the fence and begins bellowing in the general direction of the boys that she cannot see but KNOWS are out there...Once that happens (usually the first week of Sept in Missouri) we move the boys in with their partners for the breeding season and very quickly the other girls come into heat. We have one exception to this routine: Hummingbird. She will not come into heat until at least a month or two after the rest. In 2013 she kidded in April...everyone else in Jan/Feb. In 2014 she kidded in March (the 30th)...everyone else in Jan/Feb. Honestly, I just thought "that's the way she is" unless we would do something with chemicals.

[Frosted Mini's]

Maybe she has silent heats for awhile? Probably not, but maybe if you just stuck her with a buck when everyone else is getting bred, she would get bred too?