Australian Miniature Goat, Buck

Getting a Buck

Bucks are totally different than does and are really not a good thing to get for someone first starting out. If you definitely want to breed, you might initially want to consider getting a pregnant doe/ or using a buck service for your doe/s. Be sure to use a good buck, with good genetics that will improve your herd.

Always bear in mind that the buck is probably the most important aspect of your breeding herd, and should be looked upon as half your herd (even if you have say one buck and 10 does), his genetics will have a significant influence on your breeding outcomes and therefore the future of your herd. A bad buck can ruin your herd just as fast as a good buck can improve it. Just because a buck is a buck does not mean he is suitable for breeding, and any buck kid that is not of breeding quality should be wethered. When you are ready to get a buck, you must be fully prepared to spend $$ to get a good buck. Look for a quality buck from a reputable breeder. Good quality registered Australian Miniature bucks can be hard to come by, you will need to be prepared to pay for this investment in the future of your herd.

Don't assume however that just because someone is asking high $$ for a buck/buckling that he is of good quality. Be sure to verify its lineage carefully to understand what it's potential may be, or if mature also check its progeny - just because an animal reflects a trait does not mean that it carries the genes to replicate them e.g. a small mature buck/doe may in fact throw kids that are consistently larger than itself.

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Will a buck make a good pet?

Buck’s are not recommended as pets because of their ‘buck’ characteristics. Wethers, desexed males, make excellent pets, bucks do not. This is because wethers never develop ‘buck’ characteristics and they tend to retain their kid-like qualities. Bucks are totally different animals than wethers and does. Whilst your cute, loving little buck kid is very young you may find it hard to believe that he will grow into something different, but he will. He will develop more and more 'buck' behaviours as he matures so if you do not need a breeding buck, wether him at the right time so you avoid any issues later on.

ponder goat

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What are Buck characteristics?

Smell: As bucks mature they develop a distinctive odour. The odour may not be so strong in its first year/rut, but it will probably get stronger the following year/s. Some breeders don't find the smell too bad, just strong. Some bucks may have a stronger smell than others. We have found that with the miniature bucks we have bred so far, that whilst the smell is distinctive when in rut, it is not overpowering. As our miniature bucks tend to be naturally affectionate, they gets lots of petting and affection when they are young, and they continue to expect this as they mature. Some people avoid petting their mature bucks when they are in rut as they do not like to get the buck smell on their hands or clothing as it can be persistent. Just imagine if you got lots of love and attention and then all of a sudden you were spurned whenever you went near. We continue to give our bucks attention, even when they are in rut, we suggest that if you don't like the smell, then keep an old coat and gloves to wear when you are handling your buck and continue to give him the affection that he has grown to expect! He will be a much more emotionally balanced buck in the long run!!
When the buck is not in rut, we have found that our bucks do not tend to smell, although you may find a buck has some aroma throughout the year.

Urinating: A adolescent or mature buck that goes into rut (heat), will start urinating onto their front legs as well as their face, beard and even into their mouth. There is a section on the end of their penis that they can really use to spray, sometime you may find when you are showing him that much wanted affection, that you can get in the firing line - so look out! Your buck will happily spray urine into his mouth, he will then put his head high in the air and curl his top lip back (flehmen) to get a good whiff. He may also do this with doe, sniffing their urine to determine if they are in season. With all this urination, you will find that your bucks front legs, beard and sometimes his stomach and face become well coated in sticky, smelly urine - of course this only makes him irresistable to the does! Some bucks only do this when they are in rut, some may continue to do this at others times although generally to a lesser degree. We find that our miniature bucks do this very little when they are not in rut.

Aggression: As bucks mature, they tend to naturally showing more aggression. Even your hand raised little sweetheart that you have had since the day he was born, may try to challenge you, as well as his herdmates at times, most commonly during the breeding season/rut. The larger bucks tend to be more aggressive, and their larger size makes this potentially more dangerous. We make a point of hand raising all of our bucks, and spending lots of time with them throughout their lives, ensuring they know who is boss. If they show any pushiness or aggression they are quickly put back in their place so that they know we are the herd leader and they should not even attempt to dominate us. Most of the time, it takes very little to put them back in their place and they look like naughty little boys that have been caught with their 'hand in the cookie jar'. In general, we have found our mature bucks to be strong willed, and assertive within their herd, but generally well behaved with us and other people that interactive with them. Whilst a mature miniature buck should always be treated with respect, a well raised miniature buck should not pose a serious threat to you - although you should treat any new buck with caution until you are completely confident of his behaviour particularly in the breeding season. Typically wethers do not develop this aggression.

Testing his equipment: Bucklings very early on start to test their 'equipment'. A buckling as young as 3-4 weeks may start showing buck behaviours, mounting their playments, sticking their tongue out, making buck calls etc. The young buckling needs to practice so that he can get to the point of fully extending his penis in time, which he cannot do in his young days.

A mature buck will regularly check and clean his 'equipment', particularly leading up to and during the breeding season. He will produce an erection at will, and will mouth the end of his penis checking everything is as it should be. If he is housed with other bucks or wethers, he may regularly practice mounting them - all in the interests of being able to serve a doe at the instant he is needed! At rutting time there is plenty of testosterone raging around all the bucks & bucklings, even if they are not with does, so ensure you treat them with respect and caution when you are with them at this time.

Other habits - When your buck meets a doe: The blubbering noise, tongue flapping and leg wavng behaviour are some of the buck's more amusing (although I am sure he and the doe do not consider it amusing) displays to the uninitiated. To a buck, breeding is very serious business, it is what he was made for. A buck may paw the ground, wee on his chest and forelegs and exhibit mounting and thrusting behavior. He may nudge the doe and lick her genitalia and smell her urine. This precedes another action called flehmen in which the buck raises his head and curls his upper lip in odour detection mode. He will flap his tongue and make load blubbering noises probably whilst pawing at the side of the doe with one of his straightened front legs. All of this may occur very quickly with an experienced buck and a cooperative doe, a successful breeding occurs when the buck mounts and ejaculates. Ejaculation is best confirmed by the buck's head jerking back immediately before he dismounts. The doe may react by moving her hindquarters forward, and a drippy discharge can usually be seen coming from her vulva. We have one young buckling in his first season who throws himself back so forcefully that he falls over backwards and then just lies there looking very pleased with himself!

Whilst bucks do have a lot of idiosyncracies, they are great characters. A well raised, and well behaved buck is a great asset. Our bucks and bucklings all seem to have fantastic personalities (which is not just a lucky occurance, this is one of our many selection criteria in our breeding program), they love attention and affection and are really just little softies most of the time,

The odour detection mode of a buck - flehmen! This is most commonly done by bucks, but does & wethers will occassionally do this as well, although generally not with the same enthusiasm.

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At what age can / should I breed my buck?

A membrane called the frenulum adheres the penis to the inside of the sheath, preventing a very young buck from extending his penis. Along with the increasing influence of testosterone, practice mounts help weaken and break the attachment of the frenulum, sometimes as early as six weeks old. When he can fully extend his penis, he is physiologically capable of fertilization. Whether he can physically get the job done is another matter entirely.

A young buck who is too small or short can't reach the doe to inseminate her. After more than a few attempts he may become frustrated and walk away. Psychological counseling is not necessary, waiting another month or two for him to grow a little is. Care should be taken when using a young buck with older more experienced does who may become aggressive with an inexperienced buck (equally an older doe may take the nurturing Mrs Robinson type approach!).

There is no scientific proof that using a buck at too young an age is harmful. Physically, a young buck cannot be harmed by being used before he reaches his first birthday but bear in mind that his sperm production may not yet be up to speed, and the time it takes for him to begin producing mature new sperm after he is depleted may be longer than an adult's.

The young buck can be beset by many different types of stress. When he senses a doe coming into heat, through sight, sound and odour, he will be full of raging hormones. Stress and nutritional deficits may combine with a burgeoning internal parasite population to stunt his growth, at least temporarily. Most bucks have oral contact with the doe's rear end as part of courtship behaviour. This may be an additional route for them to pick up a larger load of worm and coccidia eggs. Deworming and treating for coccidia before and during breeding season may be a good idea in order to limit the number of internal parasites that can quickly drag down a buck of any age, but especially the young buck. Do your own or have your veterinarian do a faecal egg count to see what he has and how many, and follow his/her suggestions for treatment.

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Can my buck be overworked?

It is possible to overwork a buck, especially when he is undernourished. Special attention should be given to the breeding buck's nutrition. Many bucks ignore food during breeding season while increasing physical activity and the attentive owner should vary the diet to tempt him to eat. A frequently used buck will also be less fertile per doe than a buck who has rest periods between services.

Genetics, nutrition, sanitation and other good management practices play important roles in the buck's life. From birth a buck's body prepares itself for its main function - breeding. It's up to you to make sure that the things you can control, like proper nutrition and a healthy environment, are in his favour. After all, he is the single most important ingredient in your breeding program.

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Urinary Calculi - What is it and how to avoid it?

Urinary Calculi (UC) is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when undissolved minerals, such as calcium, form stones or crystals that can block the urinary tract of the male goat. We get many calls, mainly from pet owners, who have a wether showing signs of urinary calculi. Whilst it may be possible to treat your buck or wether for this, it is much better to avoid it in the first place so we have added this section to help owners understand what to do to try and prevent their animal developing this problem in the first place.

Urinary Calculi is the result of metabolic dysfunction, a diet that does not have the correct calcium phosphorous ratio (2:1). Urinary calculi are small bladder stones which vary in size and shape and often have sharp edges which can damage the urethra as they pass through. Male bucks and wethers have a long, convoluted relatively narrow urethra (the tube from the bladder to the penis), so the stones can easily damage and/or block the tube.

The ureters and urethra of the male system are not fully developed at birth. They are extremely narrow and do not reach their mature diameter until about week 5-6. It is thought that a wether who has been castrated too early may have a shorter life expectancy because the urogenital tract does not continue to mature after castration and they often develop urinary issues because it does not take much to block the immature tubes.

Symptoms of urinary calculi might include:

Urinary Calculi is usually caused by incorrect management practices of the owner/breeder such as an imbalanced high phosphorous diet, no or incorrect mineral supplementation and not providing fresh clean water to ensure a good daily intake which results in the animals not drinking enough to flush out the solids normally present in urine. You should always ensure your goats have clean fresh drinking water and in cold weather, you may want to offer warm water to encourage them to drink more. It is also thought that rainwater is better for them so, if you can, collect rainwater for your animals.

Bucks and wethers should not be fed feeds such as brassicas (cauliflower/broccoli etc) and root crops of the beet family, as particularly not too much grain. The most common cause of UC in pet wethers we see if from loving owners 'treating' their pet with too much grain - which is like candy to most goats - inadvertently risking 'killing them with kindness'. Another typical cause is the wether getting into the chook house/yard and eating the grain mix intend for the chickens. Wethers really do not need grain in their diet, and bucks only when they are working (in rut). You are much better treating them with things such as carrots, pumpkin and the like.

It is much easier to avoid your goat getting UC than to treat it. If your goat does develop UC you will most likely need to seek urgent veterinary attention. Sometimes a mild case may be treated with something like Ammonium Chloride which some people also use to supplement the diet of their bucks/wethers. We have never had a case of UC so have no personal experience with the use of this however.

Most cases of UC will require urgent vet treatment which will likely be expensive and not necessarily successful, many animals with UC do not recover. If your animal can be saved, the outcome may be less than 100%, the last pet wether we heard of that did recover after surgery for UC had to urinate through a hole in his stomach which replace his penis (the end had to be removed), resulting in him urinating down his leg meaning he needs a lifetime of constant attention and cleaning.

Note: It is possible for a doe to get UC however given the different size and shape of their urethra the stones usually pass without concern. Obviously a balanced diet is still essential for overall good health however.

Just Kiddin
Mini Goats

Getting a miniature buck

Getting a Buck

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Will a buck make a good pet?

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What are Buck characteristics?

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At what age can / should I breed my buck?

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Can my buck be overworked?

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Urinary Calculi - What is it and how to avoid it?

Just Kiddin Mini Goats

Getting a miniature buck

Getting a Buck

Back to Index

Will a buck make a good pet?

Back to Index

What are Buck characteristics?

Back to Index

At what age can / should I breed my buck?

Back to Index

Can my buck be overworked?

Back to Index

Urinary Calculi - What is it and how to avoid it?

Just Kiddin
Mini Goats