Housing Bucks Together?

Xandras_Zoo · #1 03/22/05, 09:59 PM

Can bucks (INTACT) be kept together? Or will they attack each other?

windyhollowfarm · #2 03/22/05, 10:09 PM

Depends on the buck.

Some can live together fine but during rut have to be seperated.

Some of my boys try to mount each other but do okay. They were raised together.

If introducing new bucks together you may have a problem. However, they may settle down. I wouldnt introduce new bucks together during rut when they are all hyped up.

Can you run them next to each other to see how they act?

AnnaS · #3 03/23/05, 07:15 AM

I've never had more than 1 buck here at a time- but the farm I leased the last buck from keeps all their bucks in one pen after rut.
This is a well known show herd, been around since the 70's, so I guess they know what they're doing

GoatsRus · #4 03/23/05, 08:20 AM

I have 2 intact bucks together (big boers). One is about 3 1/2 and the other is almost 2. Now that Jake is coming into his size, he's able to fend for himself better. They head butt each other...especially when we're within "seeing" distance (I think they like to put on a show), but I also notice that they lay out in the pasture together actually touching each other. I will caution you that difference in size is a big issue even if they have been raised together. We got Jake as a baby, but Abe was already mature and about Jakes current size. We did have a problem with Abe breaking Jake's front leg last August (we don't know if it was an accident or not..or even how it happened). We had Dr. Harry put a cast on it- left it on for 6 weeks and he's been fine ever since. Even during rut they seem to be OK. This will be the first year that we'll split the girls between them. It will be Jake's first breeding (he missed out this past year due to the broken leg!)

elly_may · #5 03/23/05, 01:05 PM

My three bucks are in together (separate stalls at night) and most of the time are ok. In the morning when I let them out into their yard, they spend about 10 minutes butting heads and pushing each other around then get down to eating. They will chase and play usually, but sometimes it can be quite serious as they seem to keep wanting to change the herd order. Well the top buck is not losing his position, I can tell ya that ! The junior bucks love a challenge and that is just a boy thing. Kinda like the little guy that wants to start a fight in a bar with 'big bubba' with high hopes that he will get some good punches in this time (lol).

Helena · #6 03/24/05, 09:23 AM

We always seem to have a few bucks at a time. The only real problem we seem to have is this...with having the older buck the smaller ones really don't seem to grow as well until they are on their own away from him. Not that they don't get enough grain and hay etc..I think it may be some mental goat thing. I know..it sounds stupid. But after selling the younger goats they literally grow really fast. Maybe my bucks need some sort of "therapy"...or is it me that perhaps needs the "therapy" for having so many bucks ??

JR05 · #7 03/26/05, 06:55 PM

Hi, I have 6 bucks together with 4 large wethers. They get very upset if 1 of them is out of sight. But during rut I sometimes have to separate 2 of them until they cool down. We have holding pens in the their bvarn for that purpose, generally they all play and get along really well. Most of them grew up together except for 2 of the nubians they were brought in a 2 years old.My senior buck really runs a tight ship, he doesn't let the bigger ones pick on the new or younger ones. They get along really well because they have 13 acres to roam so one gets cramped!

JR05