When do billy goats smell

Most goat breeds are seasonal breeders. The shorter days in late summer and early fall trigger estrus to begin in the doe. Breeding season can last from late July to December, with seasonal breeds. The females will become more anxious and unsettled. They may not eat as much and may become difficult to handle. Female reproductive tracts will release eggs every three weeks on average but often the cycle is shorter.

On our farm, we have only three does. Even with such a small number, during breeding season, there is much drama, goat calling, crying and bleating. Our only remaining buck on the other side of the double fence line, will call back, rub on the fence, pace and generally drive himself crazy trying to get to the ladies.

We use a double wooden fence with livestock panels attached to the fence on both sides. The fence is over four feet tall. For some goat breeds the fence may need to be higher. Bucks in rut can be very persistent. Continue to bring them together for the length of the heat until the doe rejects the buck.

Bucks left with the does will mate them at the time of ovulation, resulting in very high odds of pregnancy. Another point to remember when housing goats is that they remain fertile up until death. So there is not a time where you can retire a doe and a buck together in the same pen without potential breeding and pregnancy.

Pregnancies in older does can be problematic. The reverse is also true. Bucklings should be separated from mom and sisters by 12 weeks of age. We did leave our buck in with his dam and siblings too long and the result was a mini population explosion.

I thought four months was about the right time to separate him from the rest of the family. I was wrong! Average sexual maturity is reached between four and five months of age, but the kids can be fertile at earlier ages. The whole purpose of keeping a buck is to impregnate the does.

If a milking doe does not regularly get pregnant and give birth she will not continue to produce a large quantity of milk. Some of the best goats for milk are repeatedly bred every year, when in good health, to keep the milk production going.

Breeding and gestation lead to lactation and the cycle repeats. Rut usually occurs in late summer through fall, and it is the time when the buck is most smelly. While you may not find the odor pleasing, does find it irresistible.

Bucks smell pretty much all the time, but the rut causes them to smell worse. They will urinate on themselves then more than any other time of the year. Bucklings, or young male goats, usually start smelling like bucks when they become sexually mature. Since bucklings can become sexually mature as young as 2 months, you may have a stinky youngster at that age.

Most goat owners separate their bucks from other herd members to avoid tainting the milk with the smell and to avoid unplanned breedings. This provides the additional benefit of keeping the buck smell away from all the other animals.

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