# Can Bucks be kept together?



## Concrete Cowboy

We are tired of driving to get our goats bred and would like to keep 2 bucks. Can they live together or should they be separated and live with a wether instead?


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## trnubian

It really depends on the bucks. If they are about the same size they should be fine together. Sometimes certain bucks are really mean and won't allow others to live with them. However in my experience they can co-exist quite peacefully.


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## Idahoe

During rut they will fight with each other. The rest of the time, though, it depends on the personality of the goat. I've visited farms where the bucks coexisted just fine together, but they were not in season, and maybe that's why.

When I picked up my current herdsire, he was barely healed from a battle with his next door neighbor Apollo -- they were fighting and head butting through a fence. It's best they don't see each other, either, when in rut.


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## ChickenMom

Ours fight, they are sweet, well behaved, non aggressive bucks, until you put them together. They absolutely hate each other. We did have 2 that stayed together fine but they grew up together, the ones we have now were grown when they met.


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## motdaugrnds

I have a 6 yr old buck, a 3 yr old buck and a 6 month old buck who live together. They are sweet to each other even though the oldest is dominant when a dam is around in heat. Other than the dominance issue, there have been no problems at all with them. I let them roam all over the property together.


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## Oldntimes

I have three Buck living together. Sometimes they mount or head buck each other for rank, But no problems here. We are limited on pens so everyone must get along to stay on our farm :baby04:


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## dbarjacres

Our boys must live together too. If we have one that's too aggressive, I'll take him to the sale barn or sell to someone that can pen seperately.


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## GoldenWood Farm

All my dairy bucks (only bucks I have) are fine and dandy even when in rut...heck I have my nigerian dwarf in with my standard bucks and they are fine (but they also have plenty of room to get away and they are NOT near any girls or insight of any girls).

My guys are all mild mannered easy going fellows so I have never worried about them fighting even during rut.

Justine


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## Jillis

I keep 2 Alpine bucks and 1 Nigerian buck together. I got them when one Alpine was four months old, the other was two months old, and the ND was 6 months old. 

They get along okay, even when the does on the other side of their fence or in heat. They do head butt and etc. but they have their dominance set up. The ND and younger Alpine are very sweet. The older Alpine is a good boy, but more aggressive and much bigger. I am probably selling him soon. But just because I got his bloodlines in his babies, and I don't want to keep feeding him. I should probably keep him instead of the other one, because this guy's dam milked 20 lbs a day at peak in her first freshening. But I really like the other one more, and after reading what some experienced folks here said about a longer milking life and better udders with average milkers, I am no longer looking for super-milker genetics in my herd. 

NTW, they do rape each other quite a bit. If I have one guy out of the barn breeding a girl, I have to wait until a lot later to breed another boy to a different girl, because apparently they discharge it while I am breeding one of them.


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## ozark_jewels

I keep my bucks together. I have one main pen they stay in during breeding season, about 6 dairy bucks together and they do fine as long as you give them room enough to eat. My Boer buck stays with the dairy bucks, except when he is running with my Boer herd.
During the summer, I split them up into two larger pens that won't hold them when they are in rutt.


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## dosthouhavemilk

My bucks need to be able to live together. Thus far, it hadn't been an issue. We didn't start running more than one buck until 2003 when we bought two half brothers at a month old. They were reared together and bonded. Sold the ornery one. After that we've run anywhere from 5 to 7 bucks at a time. The Senior buck, William, is a gentleman. He puts the youngsters in their place and then leaves them alone. The youngsters then hash it out amongst themselves with him stepping in when he feels the need to get them to stop. I've even put a 5 months old buck kid with them. It was William's son and he was ornery as all get out chasing the mature bucks and blubbering. He was more an issue than them...lol
Not until this winter have I had any problem running bucks of various ages together. Boomer did not live well with William. He would not leave him be and William just isn't interested in constant strife. So Boomer went back with Bo who likes strife...lol
They will live together as a group this summer and hopefully Boomer will bond with them.
I prefer to introduce bonded buck pairs. Our Nubian buck born last July and our January Boer buck will be run as a pair this summer for bonding purposes before introduced back into the buck herd this Fall.
During rut, our boys are split up into two pens. One dominant and one not. The non dominant one will back off if the dominant doesn't want them along the doe pen where the doe in heat is. If two dominants are together we end up with constant fighting. So far, it has worked out.
We'll see with Boomer. His time is limited if he doesn't straighten up.

So, yes you can run bucks together. Better if they are raised together, or at least given a summer to bond before going into rut. It also depends on the bucks.


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## ozark_jewels

Ah yes, though my bucks live together, all different ages and sizes, I *NEVER* introduce a new buck during rutt. :nono:


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## Debra T.

we have 2 new baby bucks (2-3 wks old) still with mama. We also have their papa buck, when and how should I join them into one of our pastures? (note: our back now hangs out with our mini horse)
We have the girls in another pasture but need to leave one pasture empty in between so we're don't gave any accidents haha
thanks for any help


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## MosaicsMLS

Debra T. said:


> we have 2 new baby bucks (2-3 wks old) still with mama. We also have their papa buck, when and how should I join them into one of our pastures? (note: our back now hangs out with our mini horse)
> We have the girls in another pasture but need to leave one pasture empty in between so we're don't gave any accidents haha
> thanks for any help


I had that situation last year where I wanted to keep one of my bucklings, but had to move him away from the girls before he got too randy. I weaned him at about 3 months and put him directly in the pasture with his sire, two large wethers, and my guard donkeys. Everyone accepted him as part of the herd immediately. I stayed to watch him for about half an hour just to make sure and was happy to see him integrated so easily. I kind of thought the donkeys might chase him, because they have done that to other new goats before, but they didn’t even act like they noticed him.


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## popscott

multiple bucks..... oh the poor females....


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