Post by tractorgrl on Dec 29, 2016 16:02:14 GMT
Hello All,
I'm usually a lurker, but you all give great advice so I wanted to run my current situation past you. We have a very small herd of 4 does, we do not keep a buck. Last year we bred our girls to a friend's buck and planned to do the same this year. Things ended up falling through and our girls never got bred. Our does originally came from his herd and I know his place and am comfortable having his buck breed them. I'm not very comfortable driveway breeding them with bucks/farms I don't know. So it looks like they will not be bred this year. Not a huge deal to me, but starting to think ahead for next year. I'm considering getting a buckling in the spring (or a buckling/wether pair - I'd imagine he should have a buddy?) to breed them in the fall. I don't really have any desire to feed and house a buck year-round. Would it make sense to buy in spring, raise through summer, breed in fall and butcher before the nasty weather hits (we're in the Northeast)? Would a buck butchered after he comes out of rut still have a bucky smell/taste? Basically, I'd like the convenience of having our own buck without having to deal with feed, separate housing, etc. in the winter. Can anyone help me think through this?
I'm usually a lurker, but you all give great advice so I wanted to run my current situation past you. We have a very small herd of 4 does, we do not keep a buck. Last year we bred our girls to a friend's buck and planned to do the same this year. Things ended up falling through and our girls never got bred. Our does originally came from his herd and I know his place and am comfortable having his buck breed them. I'm not very comfortable driveway breeding them with bucks/farms I don't know. So it looks like they will not be bred this year. Not a huge deal to me, but starting to think ahead for next year. I'm considering getting a buckling in the spring (or a buckling/wether pair - I'd imagine he should have a buddy?) to breed them in the fall. I don't really have any desire to feed and house a buck year-round. Would it make sense to buy in spring, raise through summer, breed in fall and butcher before the nasty weather hits (we're in the Northeast)? Would a buck butchered after he comes out of rut still have a bucky smell/taste? Basically, I'd like the convenience of having our own buck without having to deal with feed, separate housing, etc. in the winter. Can anyone help me think through this?
