So you think you want to own a buck?
I have to admit, if I didn't NEED to own a buck, I wouldn't! Sure they are cute & sweet as babies but then they grow up!Does in general are very clean, calm and manageable animals while bucks can be the complete opposite.
Peeing:
When a buck starts to come into maturity one of the 1st things they start doing is peeing on themselves. Buck pee is a lovely collone to the female goats. This pee is what makes a buck really start to stink (and smell good the the lady goats!) They don't just pee on themselves occasionally, especially when they are around females. They pee on themselves litterally dozens if not hundreds of times during the day. They pee on their front legs, they pee on their face, the will pee on animals or people around them & they will even pee right into their mouth! This is just a day in the life of a buck. When I go into my buck pen I have to watch what clothes/shoes I'm wearing because it's almost inevitable that they will pee on me. They AIM for me & they have GOOD aim too! I've been peed on from over 6 feet away! When the does in heat come up to the buck fence line they usually get peed on too.
Smell:
All that pee really starts to SMELL! It's really STRONG. It's not a "good" smell but then again I wouldn't really call it a "bad" small either. I would rather smell a Buck then a Skunk! It's a smell that gets into everything it touches. It does not wash off easily. Dawn dish soap will not wash it away from my hands. It is a smell that has gagged people who were not use to it and it is a smell I would NOT want to wear out in public! When I go out to work with the bucks I usually need a shower right afterwards. I own 2 bucks and during the fall, when the air is still, I can smell them anywhere on our 6 acres. I feel bad for the neighbors who are closer to the buck pen then I am! Now this smell does not just "wash away". I have found one of the few things that takes it away is goat's milk soap. If you think you can just wash your buck and the smell be gone, think again! A good bath will lighten the smell on him but it won't last long! Bucks will start peeing on themselves right after a bath. With a buck, the smell is there to stay.
Now the good news is they typically smell the worst in the fall. When the near by female goats start coming in heavy heat the buck will start to smell the worst. If a buck is kept with the does and allowed to breed the does as they come in heat the smell seems to be less. Once all the nearby girls are bred he should calm down. The downfall of this is all your does will kid at around the same time. If you run mutiiple bucks with the girls you have no way of knowing who's the sire to the kids. Your females will start to smell like the buck. Finally, most Nigerians will come back into heat 2-6 weeks after kidding. This puts a lot of stress on their bodies to be bred so often and will not leave you much time to milk the does.
If a buck is kept near the females but not allowed to breed them as they come in heat the smell will be a lot stronger. This is because he keeps trying to impress them every time they come in heat.
Peeing:
When a buck starts to come into maturity one of the 1st things they start doing is peeing on themselves. Buck pee is a lovely collone to the female goats. This pee is what makes a buck really start to stink (and smell good the the lady goats!) They don't just pee on themselves occasionally, especially when they are around females. They pee on themselves litterally dozens if not hundreds of times during the day. They pee on their front legs, they pee on their face, the will pee on animals or people around them & they will even pee right into their mouth! This is just a day in the life of a buck. When I go into my buck pen I have to watch what clothes/shoes I'm wearing because it's almost inevitable that they will pee on me. They AIM for me & they have GOOD aim too! I've been peed on from over 6 feet away! When the does in heat come up to the buck fence line they usually get peed on too.
Smell:
All that pee really starts to SMELL! It's really STRONG. It's not a "good" smell but then again I wouldn't really call it a "bad" small either. I would rather smell a Buck then a Skunk! It's a smell that gets into everything it touches. It does not wash off easily. Dawn dish soap will not wash it away from my hands. It is a smell that has gagged people who were not use to it and it is a smell I would NOT want to wear out in public! When I go out to work with the bucks I usually need a shower right afterwards. I own 2 bucks and during the fall, when the air is still, I can smell them anywhere on our 6 acres. I feel bad for the neighbors who are closer to the buck pen then I am! Now this smell does not just "wash away". I have found one of the few things that takes it away is goat's milk soap. If you think you can just wash your buck and the smell be gone, think again! A good bath will lighten the smell on him but it won't last long! Bucks will start peeing on themselves right after a bath. With a buck, the smell is there to stay.
Now the good news is they typically smell the worst in the fall. When the near by female goats start coming in heavy heat the buck will start to smell the worst. If a buck is kept with the does and allowed to breed the does as they come in heat the smell seems to be less. Once all the nearby girls are bred he should calm down. The downfall of this is all your does will kid at around the same time. If you run mutiiple bucks with the girls you have no way of knowing who's the sire to the kids. Your females will start to smell like the buck. Finally, most Nigerians will come back into heat 2-6 weeks after kidding. This puts a lot of stress on their bodies to be bred so often and will not leave you much time to milk the does.
If a buck is kept near the females but not allowed to breed them as they come in heat the smell will be a lot stronger. This is because he keeps trying to impress them every time they come in heat.
