# Where do you keep your buck?



## NPgoats (Mar 18, 2010)

I have read a few posts and a few of the questions on the board right now had me wondering...
Where do you keep your buck(s)?
Are they close to the does pen, on the other side of the barn where they can't see the girls, or closer to the neighbors fence-line so you don't have to smell them as much (jk)? 
But really!
Just where and how do you keep your buck(s)?
And do you keep them together or separate?

Linda


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

I keep them separate, but they are right by my does.


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## Theresa (Oct 26, 2007)

I keep mine separate. They do share a fence line with the does, but have separate areas. They have their own shelter. The only time mine are with the does is when it is breeding time. Then if I am pen breeding, I separate each set of does and put them with the buck. I perfer to hand bred them, so I also have an area to put the doe and buck that I want to bred for a few hours.
Theresa


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Mine all live together, with two miniature lamancha bucks right now also. They have the run of acreage of woods, once in rut and the majority of the does coming into heat, their gate will be close so they can't go out into the woods anymore, so that they are not on ahared fenceline with does. Vicki


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## Rose (Oct 26, 2007)

Last winter, my bucks were in a separate pen next to the does, sharing a fence. I have unexpected kids :help from this situation, so now my bucks are about 50 yards away from the girls in a COMPLETELY separate pen.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

We have a big buck pen and an intermediate buck pen. They both share a fenceline with the does. Once the intermediates reach about a year they go in with the big bucks. The fenceline has t-posts and big wooden posts that are checked often . 
Tam


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Mine live together in a pen right outside my bedroom window. I hadn't originally meant for that to be my buck pen. It was the first pen we built, so I could keep an eye on the first doelings I bought. As my doe population increased and I needed more room for them, we built a much bigger goat yard across the road for the girls. Around this same time, I bought my first buck and put him in the smaller pen. I like having my boys in a pen away from the does and in a place I can keep an eye on them. They aren't very stinky yet and by the time they get real smelly, it's cold enough we keep the bedroom window closed most of the time. The doelings are in a pen on the opposite side of the house on the other side of where the cars are parked. I can see them from the computer room, but the bucks can't from their pen.
The pasture is adjacent to my main doe pen with a gate to close it off. In fall, I'll take a chosen buck down to the pasture and see if any of the girls I intend to breed to him come to the fenceline to be bred. I then put those does in the pasture with the buck. If a doe who is to be bred to another buck comes to the fence, I'll get that buck and hand breed them outside the pen.


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## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

Our bucks are together and last year were on the fenceline with the girls. This year we have a pen that is away from all the doe pens, they can't see each other and I only keep the buck I am using for breeding this year in the pen that shares fenceline. He is easy on fences but a great indicator of heats and has been very helpful this year. this arrangement would not work with my other buck who is much more persistant. 

Jana


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## Squires (Jul 23, 2010)

Rose said:


> Last winter, my bucks were in a separate pen next to the does, sharing a fence. I have unexpected kids :help from this situation, so now my bucks are about 50 yards away from the girls in a COMPLETELY separate pen.


I get the impression that goats could easily breed through a fence (other domestic livestock do). Cattle panel fences, sturdy posts set 2 1/2 ft in the ground, and a space of about 10 feet between pens for males and females should do the trick.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

The buck stalls are right next to the does stalls in the small barn/kennel that used to be a 1 car garage. It goes buck, does, buck, does, dogs. The buck's outside pen is next to the does, they share a fence line. During breeding season the buck runs with the does unless I have 2. If I have 2 bucks, I put one buck in the doe pen with his group of does and the remaining does in the buck pen with their "man".

The buck(s) is/are in the barn when I milk, even during rut. I have never had bucky tasting milk because of it.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

With mine, the "common" fenceline is sheep wire lined with wooden pallets. That arrangement does not leave enough room to do any between the fence breeding.


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## prairie nights (Jan 16, 2009)

I get the impression that goats could easily breed through a fence . 

Bucks will go to some extreme measures to get to does in heat - I believe most ooops breedings are from buck getting into the doe pen, not necessarily breeding through the fence.


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## Faithful Crown Nubians (Dec 5, 2007)

I have 2 bucks currently...a 2yr old, and a 4mos old. They are in separate pens. The buck pens are penned across from the does with a 6ish foot "isle" between the two pens. They bucks can see, hear, talk to the does but they don't share a fence row....had a doe get bred through the fence before.

Oh and the bucks are penned closer to the house then the does, just the way it happened to be...but I don't mind the smell. Im use to it so it doesn't phase me.


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## Hollybrook (Jul 17, 2009)

Sometimes together sometimes in seperate padock never affects the milk though


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## sherrie (Jul 22, 2008)

My friend Donna keeps her buck at my house - 40 miles away. :rofl


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## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

Mature bucks live together, young bucks live together. Young bucks move to the mature buck pen, when they are large enough to fend for themselves. Both buck pens share a fenceline with the does. Their pens are contructed of 4 X 4 hole panels that are 5 feet tall. In all my years of goatkeeping - we've never had an accidental breeding and no buck break outs.


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## Feral Nature (Oct 26, 2007)

Same here...adult bucks with adult bucks and young bucks with young bucks. The main buck barn is faraway from the house and the does. MiniMancha bucks live with standard sized bucks, no problems. Actually, the MM bully the standard-sized LaManchas.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

I have had several different set-ups. One buck had big horns and he lived by himself, next to, but not touching does on one side and bucks on the other. One buck lived with a bassett hound for a few months. Right now my bucks are all young and all live together in a pen separated from the does but close to the house. When they get older they will have their own pen farther away from the house where there is more browse. the only problem I ever had with a buck was a young guy who kept jumping the fence into the neighbors and into the doe pen and into the backyard, etc...Poor guy ended up at the butcher's because I couldn't keep him in.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

How big are your buck pens? Your younger buck pens?


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

My buck pen is only 55'x32' but they get to go out for walks every day


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

if you don't want accidents you keep them in separate pens and not on fence line with does.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I wish Tim had photos of his...from his stalls inside a large hay storage barn, to individual pens with individual waterers, to runs out of welded pipe. Course like all our photos, our stuff is OLD! But I would love his buck barn setup. And while I covet his barn I would take some of the bucks to  Vicki


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## MiaBella Farm (Jul 22, 2008)

My bucks live in heaven! They have their own barn, access to our pond plus an automatic water system on a couple of acres of browse and do not share a fence line with the does.


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## NPgoats (Mar 18, 2010)

I like Tim's bucks too!


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