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Post by mzgarden on Jan 27, 2016 20:33:02 GMT
We are pretty new to having a buck -- our big boy did his job well last Fall and we're a couple weeks away from seeing the results. We had a terrible time trying to find a buck to breed our girls -- closest Nubian from a herd that tests - was almost 2 hours away. Yes, we were picky - had to be a clean/tested herd and we wanted registerable Nubian kids, so probably our fault. Eventually we bit the bullet and bought our boy and his pal.
We are thinking about offering breeding services this year and I'm interested to hear how others have done this.
Our going in plan so far is:
Build a somewhat temporary pen on the 1/2 acre grassy area between our house and barn, near the driveway. Bring the buck to this pen for breeding other's does. Offer only day-visits - no keeping someone else's girls overnight and no leaving the buck there beyond that day. Offer 'buck rags' in advance to people that want our buck to breed their girls.
The thinking is -- this would be keep their does from mixing with ours and keep them on land that would not later be shared with our girls and we're not responsible for anyone else's girls beyond the one day.
I'm thinking once we have his progeny to show results - we'll use that to do some advertising.
So -- inputs? If you were looking for breeding - would this set up sound ok or would you expect to leave your girls somewhere for longer?
If you are offering your buck for 'drive way' breeding -- how are you doing it?
Either way -- what kinds of 'contracts' are you using/have you used?
TIA
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Post by Wendy on Jan 27, 2016 22:33:49 GMT
Your plan sounds good. I do outside breeding once in awhile. However, I had a gal bring her doe, I put them in a stall in the barn & she actually left her overnight. Picked her up the next morning. Well, apparently she missed the time frame as she called a few days ago saying the doe was in heat again. She wanted to bring her that day. I was gone & didn't get the message until evening so she missed it again. I assume she will call me again a few weeks when she is in heat again. I am not going to stop my life to work around someone else's schedule. I'm sorry she didn't get bred, but it's not my fault. If I only had 1 or 2 does I would keep a buck just to be sure I had one when needed.
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Post by shellymay on Jan 28, 2016 1:31:53 GMT
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Post by mzgarden on Jan 29, 2016 20:01:59 GMT
 For no other reason than because DH snapped this picture of him today -- Meet King Solomon. |
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Post by shellymay on Jan 30, 2016 4:34:34 GMT
He is a handsome looking buck, how is his temperament? how old is he?
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Post by mzgarden on Jan 30, 2016 19:03:41 GMT
shellymay, thanks. He's just shy of a year old and so far, he's a sweetie. He loves to be talked to and petted and half the time tries to sit in my lap when I'm outside on one of the benches. He's good with the does and his wether pal. The only thing is he doesn't realize how big he is when he leans against me to tell me to stop working and pet him 
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Post by mogal on Mar 5, 2016 17:06:51 GMT
I only allow buck service to people I know if their animals and facilities are clean. Years ago, I was a little more liberal about it until I had a really bad experience. I had explained to the woman who called that I wouldn't allow does with horns or obvious illness. She was okay with that but when she and her husband arrived, not only did the doe have horns and an bad limp, they brought their Chow dog. They promptly let the dog out and he terrified my goats. I told them to put the dog back into the truck while I examined the doe. The husband argued with me that the dog wouldn't hurt anything. I told him I didn't care, that he was upsetting my goats even though he hadn't gone into the barn. The jerk still argued with me so I told them to put both animals into their truck and leave. They were a youngish couple, college age, but it was obvious that few people had set rules and limits for them, much less backed them up.
Imagine my surprise when the woman called again the next year. They'd gotten a different doe so I thought I'd give them a second chance. I told them not to bring their dog--period. When they arrived, the husband had fresh, livid red scars all down both arms. I asked what he'd tangled with and he said, "Remember that dog we brought last year? Well, he did it." I asked him how long it took to get the dog to the vet for euthanasia. "Oh, no," he replied. "We still have him and are using him for breeding." I was incredulous at their stupidity. No wonder so many breeds of dogs have bad reputations for poor temperaments. They complained when the doe didn't settle but I didn't hear from them the next season. Didn't break my heart.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Mar 10, 2016 0:55:58 GMT
mogal, experiences like that are why I chose NOT to offer any of my bucks for outside breeding when I had goats. I didn't want the liability of having outside people and their goats on my property, and just because a doe doesn't have an obvious illness doesn't mean she isn't carrying CAE or other illness. I had a hard enough time with my hay man at the time, who would NOT leave his dog at home or in the truck when he came, despite my asking him repeatedly not to bring her. I no longer use him as a supplier - not only because of the dog, but because the quality of his hay decreased so dramatically over the course of several years. mzgarden, only you can decide whether it is worth it to you to stand your buck, but there are risks...whether they outweigh the rewards for you is the question. 
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