# Bucks and Breeding



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

How many does can a mature buck successfully breed in one day? How about a yearling?


----------



## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

I dont know :lol but I have watched them for years running with my does and the buck usually picks one doe out and breeds her for the day BUT if there was 2 more does in heat ,he would try breeding them also but if they dont get bred the first time around then they will be back in heat about ever 20-22 days till they are bred. I had my doe bred once by another buck and he bred her 2 times with a short rest in between he then bred my other doe right after the first doe and both had twins  I think it depends on the buck  Them bucks go nuts around does in heat !


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I will let a buck breed 4 does in one 12 hour day, he is only allowed to jump her once for one ejaculation. So say he breed doe 1, then about 3 or 4 hours later doe 2 etc.....the next day I would let him breed doe 4 first and then doe 3 etc. This would be an adult buck. My yearling buck is only breeding 1 doe a day. If you have a question on the potency of a bucks sperm, put on a glove and quickly swipe the semen from the does vulva, put it under the microscope...a buck who has been used to much will show no semen or all broken semen for about 24 hours. They make sperm constantly, and using my bucks so much for outside breeding the size of the testicles really does mean you have a buck who can service more does.

You don't want to pull CIDR's on your herd and put them in with a buck all on the same day, the more mature does will demand all of the bucks attention, giving you younger does who don't get bred, or who finally get bred really late in heat when he has used up all his semen on the older does. I have a doe who is notorious for this, when she is in heat, she will fight off all does, so she is not a good pen bred candidate. Vicki

This is a popular question this year, it's the 3rd time in a few days I have been asked this 

It's why when a forum member and friend came to breed her doe when I couldn't get home in time, my husband said "It all went well, he got her 4 times"...sounds good, until the rest of the story is I had 2 does coming the next morning  I would have only let him jump her once  He's getting old


----------



## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

LOL -- I asked Vicki the same thing a couple days ago  I've never tried to breed my entire milking herd to one buck before. Luckily for him, he's had a few days off since the initial flood....hopefully he gets a few more here pretty soon.


----------



## JamieH (Nov 29, 2010)

I never even thought of this. haha


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Wow Tracy, so who's the lucky stud muffin?! :crazy LOL.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Never mind, I just looked at your schedule!


----------



## wheytogosaanens (Oct 26, 2007)

Not sure what the "answer" is - so many variables. Health, time of year, etc.

However, a 2-4 year old buck should be able to breed more does successfully than a yearling. For one thing, they tend to be a bit smarter than the yearlings, who waste a lot of energy breeding the wrong end etc. 

We had a 2 year old Boer that pen bred a group of 17 does - all were bred in the first 3 days, except 5 does who were bred over the next week or so, based on kidding dates (and the harness crayon marks on their backs corroborated this).

I think as long as the health is good, the feed is good, then a buck can cover a LOT of does, providing that you don't expect him to cover them all in one or two days.


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Yes, the yearlings definitely do not breed as efficiently as the older bucks. Most of the older bucks just take care of business, while my yearling buck hoots, hollers and chases, which definitely intimidates the does. When I CIDR-ed, I did 4 does at a time: 2 Saanen and 2 LaMancha, and then 4 days until I CIDR-ed the next 4 does. That way the bucks had enough rest in between.


----------



## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep, Nancy -- the new boy -- Redwood Hills Revolution Speed  Very very pleased to have him in the herd. Sebastienne was one of the few does I have ever seen that matched Maxime in size - and she might have been a bit taller!
Such a shame that she died so young, I really thought she would have been national champion that year.

He is ready and waiting for the next girl in line!


----------



## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Well, now this has got me thinking.

I have two bucklings. I plan to use the older one (who will be 8 months old at breeding time) on 3 does (all 2 year olds) and one (who will be 7 months old) on 2 does born this year. 

I was going to stick them in a stall together when I know a doe is in heat and watch. Or I can put them in a small fenced pen.

Is this doable?


----------



## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

When collecting bucks for AI, usually after 3-4 times, they start throwing blanks. Bucks who haven't been used in several months might throw a lot of dead sperm on the first jump.


----------



## sherridi (Jul 11, 2011)

I'm sorry - what does CIDR stand for?


----------



## Tracy in Idaho (Oct 26, 2007)

Controlled internal drug release


----------



## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Tim Pruitt said:


> When collecting bucks for AI, usually after 3-4 times, they start throwing blanks. Bucks who haven't been used in several months might throw a lot of dead sperm on the first jump.


 I hit the modify button instead of the quote button. Teach me to put on my reading glasses. I was going to say...
Or first time bucks too.... I put Claire in with Sammy this morning and just left them together for a couple of hours. He jumped her several times.


----------



## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

My big LM doe's like lil blue eyed stinky boy,even if he is small , as he was able to geter done !


----------



## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

In July my 2nd generation M-Alpine, Winchester, bred 4 doe's in one day and none of them repeated. Keep in mind this was also in the middle of our 105 degree days. Years ago I was told a Boer buck could breed 200 head as an adult without needing another male to help. I have no idea if this is true. I did start in goats with Alpine doe's and used a Boer buck though. Had Chewy with 75 head and never needed another buck. He was 2 at that time. I'm sure with that many doe's there were many that cycled in the same day. Also the repeated cycles were very seldom. Bucks are very prolific animals.


----------



## Dav (Apr 26, 2011)

The kids are now seven months old, 60/70 lbs, lookin good, have had no problems, except.
The buck got in with the doe twice for an hour or so in the last two months, don't think she was in heat.

Speaking of heat, want to breed her in December, will she be in heat then??? I would hate to miss it.
Dav

PS I think they are eating a bale of hay a month each, dose that sound about right?
Just ordered 20 bales, will go ten months?


----------



## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Dav: It will depend upon how big your bales are.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

The buck got in with the doe twice for an hour or so in the last two months, don't think she was in heat.

***************************************************************

I would wait 30 days from the last time he got in with her and then send in a blood sample to Biotracking to make sure.
If she's still open then just put him in the pen with her in December and you don't have to worry about missing her heat....he won't.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yeah you have to control the buck...obviously once she hits weight then it's no biggy, but on poor quality grain and grass hay, and being pregnant, and you want her to milk, it's simply not enough nutrition.

Although they are going through that much hay right now, they both will gain at least 10 pounds a month and will eat a lot more hay as big yearlings, than they do as young growing kids. Make sure that grass hay is horse quality...and you have to get calcium into her, if they won't eat the alfalfa pellets you have, than go to another feed store, 17% protein are the best quality, they should not be crumbly, just keep a pile in the corner of their feeder, put their loose mineral in the other. Is alfalfa hay out of the question? Vicki


----------



## Dav (Apr 26, 2011)

Is alfalfa hay out of the question? Vicki
Yes, timothy seems to be the most popular.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It's just going to be very hard to get her thorugh this kidding. You have the shear size of kids Alpines have, and the shear number of kids Nubians have. You add that she is going to be bred young, add that a hybrid kid here who was born in March is over 100 pounds, and add that she is still growing herself...you just can't do it without better quality hay or grain or both. The diet is fine if you want to put the buck in with her this spring to live until he breeds her....but this december, I think you are setting yourself up for hypocalcemia in this doe. You don't have to even grain goats, good hay is fine, until you leap feet first out of the box and breed young, or rebreed 8 weeks after they kid, or go for top 10 milk amounts, or breed really old does, than your nutrition has to be top notch. You simply have to find alfafla pellets she will eat, or buy her alfalfa hay.

Go to goatkeeping 101 and read the Sue Reith articles on hypocalcemia. Vicki


----------

