# Housing Bucks Together



## Nupine (Nov 2, 2007)

I'm not sure if any other newbies feel this way, but I am so FED UP with confusion regarding goats. I'm told one thing by a breeder I trust, I read something else, then I see another breeder who does somehting completely different, and it works for them. This happens all the time to me. It's happening right now. We just picked up a new Alpine yearling buck. He is currently in a stall in the horse barn, but is pretty unhappy. We have a 75 ft by 125 ft buck pen on the other side of the barn. It currently houses our 2 yr old buck, and a 2 yr old wether. The breeder where we got our new buck from housed him in a large pasture with a 3 yr old HUGE buck. So, we thought that in a few days, we would put our yearling buck in with our 2 yr old buck. Both are hornless, but have some scurs, and are almost the same size. But, we talked to a local friend of our, with Alpines, who told us they may fight to the death, but there will definely be blood flying, and we may get hurt if we try to break them apart. I know of other people who house bucks together, and they don't seem to have a problem. We eventually hope to sell out older buck, but may get new bucks in the future. Whats your advice on this?


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

This would actually be a good time of year to introduce them when no one is in rut. I always house my bucks together for lack of pen space here. I've never had them kill each other. They sometimes have bloody heads if one has a small scur, but no real damage. The only time I've heard of bucks killing each other was when they are housed in adjacent pens and fight through the fence. One buck broke his neck in the panel at a friend's farm. This wouldn't have happened if they were in the same pen.


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 15, 2008)

I am a very lucky situation as this year I decided to purchase 2 new bucks ( as bucklings) I wanted to replace my sire and decided to feed 2 bucks that I can use rather then just one buck and a wether, they have been together since a young age they are not 3 months and 2 1/2 months but Hoping they continue to get along but right now if I remove one of then from the pen and it is not within vision of the other the one in the pen cries til he buddy returns.

They are even begining to have buck tendenbcies and will mount each other I worried as they say this is to show dominence byut they take turns being dominiant.

Kasi Sample


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## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

Well, they all might be right, but you won't know until you try it. Every animal, like every person, has a different personality. I was once told that if I put a 3 month old doeling in with two 6 month old twin does, that they'd beat the snot out of her, not let her in the barn, and leave her for dead. If they were meaner does, maybe, but they weren't. There were no problems at all. The little one readily recognized that she was smaller and lower on the totem pole and lowered her head when approaching the other does, and the other does readily accepted her deference and loved her. Just depends on the goat! I would introduce through a fence first, maybe even for a few days (after the quarantine period, of course). You can also make sure the pen has some obstacles (electrical spools, large rocks, etc.) so one can get out of the way if need be. You might try taking the wether out and putting him with your girls (since he's harmless) and after the other buck is lonely a bit, put in the new buck and he may be happy to have company. Your pen is also a good size, so they don't have to be on top of one another, which can cause more aggression. Also, it's not rutt season, so this timing is as good as it gets. Even if they were the same age, they'd fight. Mine do. Not in rutt, I can say, "Boys!" and they stop and look at me and will come to me if I call them, settling down for cheek rubs. In rutt, that may be a different story! So, I think a lot depends on your bucks' personalities. Think of things you can do to minimize tension, how to break them apart if it's problematic (introducing them with both on a lead and strong hands holding each lead) and try is all you can do.

I think you're going to find that there are a lot of ways to skin a cat so to speak. Various breeders are going to have various takes on things, and we just need to filter through them, knowing that every animal doesn't read the books, and the breadth of experience we can glean may or may not fit our current situation at the moment, but later it could change, so it's good to have as much information as possible in our brain files. It is frustrating when you're new, but as you grow in confidence with your goats, you will not be so frustrated with the differing advise you receive. And like human babies, they can overcome a lot of our inadequacies and God is gracious to them and to us.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

We housed our 1 yr olds in a pen right beside the older boys. We made sure there were no holes big enough for their heads to fit through. When we put the youngers in with the elders there was a little head knocking but not alot of violence. Maybe ten minutes. Tam


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Both sides of the story are correct. Until they are used to each other, it is quite likely the new buck will be picked on mercilessly, not necessarily because he is a buck, but because he is new. Many bucks can live happily together, even during rut, but not always. It will depend on the animals and they are all very different. If this buck just came to your herd, then you should still be quarantining him away from your other animals until you are sure he cannot communicate anything to them. After that, set him up a temporary pen next to your buck pen where they can all smell each other and see each other, but not have head to head contact. Once you see them lying in close proximity, eating close to each other, etc. you can try putting them all together. 

Now, when August or September rolls around, you'll have to watch them closer, and especially watch that wether as he may get bred repeatedly and treated very badly by both bucks.


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## BrokenHalterFarm (Feb 16, 2010)

This is something im well versed in! I don't have much space to house everyone completely seperate (I can now split bucks and does)

My personal take on it is that the more socialized the buck the better they are to have around!
Ex. I rescue and recently (January) took in a pygmy buck that was to be shot because no one could stand him. He was in miserable shape when he got here and needed round the clock care for a few days. Fast forward to about two weeks ago. He was contentedly living in the backyard with some weaned babies , his health still isnt 100% (mostly needs more weight gain) well he decided using the dog door was a great idea... So he had to get put into the herd sooner then I wanted because taking the dog door out isnt an option (6 dogs)
The first thing he did was find the boss and started a fight that he wouldnt let go of.
I let them both get good and tired before breaking it up and rigged a pen for him to be in until they sorted themselves.
The next day he went right back in and they fought again , but this time they sparred vs. wanting to wreck the other.
Sometimes it takes time for any new animal to mesh well into a new group.
Dynamics in herds are always changing to.

If it were me I would house them together but I would definetly introduce them in the biggest space I possibly could. Im also not against using food to distract them while they meet (throw pellets/grain on the ground to encourage them to forage vs. fight)


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## Faithful Crown Nubians (Dec 5, 2007)

My 2 yr old and 1 yr old are housed together. They get along. They play fight and then settle down to sleep. They eat together to. Now in rut, the bucks get separated since 1.) they do fight more 2.) certain does being bred to certain bucks. and 3) too much hassle to separate the bucks every time a doe comes in heat.


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## catdance62 (Mar 2, 2009)

We've always housed our boys (bucks and wethers) together. They fight sometimes, but eventually a pecking order is established and they settle down. Right now our wether is living by himself because we have 2 replacement bucks out of this new batch of kids that will be his new pen mates when they get weaned.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

A couple of days isn't long enough in quaranteen anyway. You want long enough to fecal, worm and then worm again, get your CAE negative test back etc. Of all classes of goats having bucks means blood, you don't want a CAE positive goat bashing heads, and they will, with a negative one, it's about the only blood to blood contact in your barns other than dog attacks etc, that we can't control.

They will fight, but I have only seen one buck actually harmed in a buck fight. They will quickly find out who is dominant...the poor wether  Vicki


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I put my leased buck with my 3 yr old buck. They buddied up pretty quickly - I think that they were lonely. I keep them far from the does so that they do not have anyone to compete over.


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## billinohio (Jun 24, 2009)

I keep my bucks together......at the moment I have a couple yearling bucks with 3 and 4 year old bucks. They all get along.
I DO NOT have my bucks in a pen adjacent to any does.
From my experience bucks that are kept together, are happier, calmer, and easier to handle.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

We have our bucks pretty close to our does. Actully right next to them. For the most part they are gentlemen but they are still boys . I get them out to hand breed. I do not pen breed anymore. So yeah I have to deal with the tussling at the fence line but then they are clipped to the fence  until put on the lead. Some wise people on this forum suggested training your young bucks to do this so that when you need to do something in the pen or with them you are able to without getting mashed. Its helped out our buck management tremendously. Tam


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## DostThouHaveMilk (Oct 25, 2007)

You've seen my set up in person. So you know bucks of all ages can live in baic peace with one another. A lot of that is having a good dominant buck. I sold William last year and can only hope Rudy can step up to the plat and take over. So far, he has done okay. I brought home two coming 2 year old bucks that were leased out this winter (to herds that had only CAE Prevention raised does and their offspring that I had sold). Those two fought like crazy and also with the other coming 2 year old. But only for a cuople of days. We ended up with one bloody head on a buck who had been dehorned as an older kid and has a stump that snapped off. Other than that, everything was fine.
Mine are housed right next to the does. The only time this becomes an issue is during Rut. At that point, there have been bucks that had to be separated out. William had to go into the Penalty Box to keep him in. He would have anotehr animal, usually John Henry, the wether, as a companion. As long as he could blubber at the does on the fenceline in peace, John Henry was left pretty much alone.
I do pen younger bucks separate during rut as well. Yearlings and older stay in the main buck pen. This years bucklings and younger new bucks get the secondary pen.
I do hand breeding for the most part. There are two gates we have to go through to get to where the does are. This way, if some big buck manages to push past me, they still can't get with the does.
One year, when I still had William (1/2 Boer, 1/2 Saanen) and Boomer (high % Boer) and Rudy (Polled Nubian) in one pen, all three tried to push past. All three were big boys. I grabbed William and Boomer by any body part possible and held on for dear life. Rudy was the buck I was after so he bred the doe. I managed to wrestle them both back in. I learned from that. Two gates....an air lock between the boys and the girls. Also, for the rest of that season, I clipped the boys to the fence and went in and retrieved the one I wanted.

You won't know until you put them together. I've never had any buck killed by another. Boomer was a jerk. He fought so much he threw my William through a Plywood wall! Had he survived the season I was going to ship him that Spring simply due to his temperament. I kept a son and he shows some signs of his daddy's temperatment, but he isn't as bad. Boomer overate grain that day though. William stopped eating before it could kill him. 

Since your bucks are out of sight from the does, I don't think you'll have much trouble if you put them together after the quaranteen time is over. They are going to fight to establish order. As long as they don't corner another one and continually beat on it, they will figure it out.

Having said all of that. My friend had to sell one of her Nigie bucks because her two bucks just would not stop beating on each other. It was constant.

So a lot depends on personality.


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## BrokenHalterFarm (Feb 16, 2010)

Something else that's good to know is WHEN is it sparring and when is the fight getting ugly..

Sparring you'll see pauses and in general it's not intense nor does it make you stop and go "uh oh"

Fighting that needs broken up is intense. When my rescue buck and head Whether got into and neither would give , it got ugly.

Whips are you're friend when critters get stupid. I never advocate beating them , usually hitting the ground gives you a chance to break anything up.


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## Sunny Daze (Jan 14, 2008)

I have never had a problem housing bucks together but I have never had many aggressive bucks either. I did have one with scurs and one of mine is polled so the polled buck would sometimes have a little blood on his head when they were sparring. I always watch them for a while first though to make sure things do not get out of hand.


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