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Boer goats


Mona Howard

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I am toying with the idea of getting a few Boer goats. I am wondering if the Bucks smell as bad as the dairy breeds I have been around?

I want to be considerate of my neighbors and not stink them out. If smell was a problem would it be feasable to get a well grown buckling

and then wether him after the breeding season? My husband is really balking at the idea of entire male goats too. Thanks, Mona

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If you can dehorn them at about one week of age with an electric disbudder, you usually can get much of the scent gland with a second application of the disbudder that overlaps with the first, but you'd need to check on the positioning. It's been so long that I just don't remember.

 

The buck I had for many years lived in the barn next to the doe pen, and pastured with them out-of-season. He didn't smell pretty but the judicious use of the disbudding iron had rendered his scent glands less potent than they would have been otherwise.

 

However, not much you can do to prevent the bucks from urinating on their head, and that sort of scent you'd have to live with. Goats have pretty interesting concepts of what smells sexy...

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I'm too cowardly to use the disbudding iron so that option is out. I am thinking about them as there is a good market out

here for the kids (meat). There are buyers close by that take them pretty much year round. Also I was thinking of keeping

one or two with a ram so he can have company when away from the breeding flock. I'm too stingy to feed a wether year round.

Also I was thinking it would be something different to work with the dogs. Just tossing the idea around. Thanks

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Mona,

I know I'm a little late in answering, but Julie is right, they smell horrible. They will not only pee on their heads, they will pee on you if you get close enough. And just like rams, DON'T trust the bucks. I had about a 325lb. buck that when the girls came in, he would kill you if he could get close enough.

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Maybe I'm weird but I loved our Alpine buck. He was pastured alone but he did love to be scratched on his head (with a stick of course). He was the only one of my dairy goats who would eat all the weeds we gave him. Miss him still. Boer goats tend to get their heads caught in fencing a lot from what I hear. Good luck with them. Love their personalities.

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hsnrs, I love my nubian buck (although he is REALLY stinky right now) After breeding season he has a great personality and loves to be pet. Right now "petting" isn't what is on his mind... :rolleyes:

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