[Bumblebear]

We've just bought a gg nanny and a bg nanny both with kids (all male but hey ho, I wanted some wethers anyway lol).  The smallholders were selling their two billies too (one bg and one gg) which we have taken because a. We had a spare shed/paddock and b. We thought we could put them back to the respective nannies in the autumn for kids next year.  This will be our first foray into kidding!

Now more importantly, I'm forward thinking to the billies.  They are a yearish old and at the moment, having been bottle reared, are very friendly and not stinky.  I am aware the stinkiness will change in the autumn and that there will probably be a behaviour.  So for those of you that keep billies, what can you tell me about keeping them during rut and have you ever successfully kept your retired billies as pets or is that totally untenable.  We will probably sell a few kids (parents are registered) and eat the wethers we can't sell.  Specific questions are:

1. How far away from milking does do billies need to be to stop the stink affecting milk?
2. Has anyone kept their retired billy as a pet? (Prob a stupid question)
3. If you've eaten him after he's serviced the girls, when would you send him away by to not get any taint?

Thanks     



Cheers

[Melmarsh]

Hi ! Admirable of you to wait to keep more than one billy  I have kept two at a time but had a yard full of females. I kept them as far away as possible from the girls during non breading season but if I wanted early kiddings would put them opposite the girls in stables, within whiff distance !!  It is more important that you handle the boys in protective clothing as gloves when they get whiffy so that you don't transfer the smell !!! Likewise once marked if the females are still milking just keep your hands off their backs until the smell subsides.
I kept a lovely male after I retired my females, he was laid back and easy to handle, I had him as a kid and bring him up proper !!!
I brushed him, talked to him, took him with me to check my sheep and generally made as much fuss of him as I did my females. He stayed with me until I had to have him put down on the premisises. Only you can decide how you feel about keeping something, mine did me good service over a 12yr period and I loved the fella

[Bumblebear]

Is lovely to hear that its possible and I hope that we can develop that relationship with the boys too.  We had 'pig trousers' so I guess we'll just have to have 'billy trousers' too 

We decided to take the two as they had been brought up together and as we had BG nanny and GG nanny, at least it would keep those breeds as pure as possible.  Ah well, we will see.

[shygirl]

we keep 2 billies. they live together 6mths of the year, and share a stable with their respective nannies for the other 6 mths. ours aren't aggressive at all so not treated differently to any of our other goats.
the smell - its bad/potent for 6 weeks in the autumn - when it even ventures into our house - but you forget about it for the rest of the year.

[Bumblebear]

we keep 2 billies. they live together 6mths of the year, and share a stable with their respective nannies for the other 6 mths. ours aren't aggressive at all so not treated differently to any of our other goats.
the smell - its bad/potent for 6 weeks in the autumn - when it even ventures into our house - but you forget about it for the rest of the year.

Do you have milkers?  Do you keep them away from your milkers?  We had planned to do the same, and put the wethers with the milker.

[sokel]

We have 2 billies ,William a boer and Jasper a GG. They started off living in pens in a separate stable from the girls and during the day the 2 would go out  together into the paddock . In no time at all they where best friends and now we don't even shut them in, they are always found in the same pen together and even rest their heads on each other when they go to sleep.
We had no problems with them during the breeding season either, we just penned one up while the other one covered his prospective girl. Once the girls where back out they where let back together with no problems

[shygirl]

we only milk occasionally. never had billy taint though.

[Roxy]

I have got used to the smell - although in the breeding season it does get a bit much sometimes.  My Anglo Nubian male I would happily keep forever - he is no trouble whatsoever.  Although as to petting him, I tend not to!!  Smell gets on your hands and its awful, even his feeding tub .....The young Pygmy is also nice to have around, but sadly his father is a grumpy old so and so, and I am at the moment faced with the problem of what to do with him - may be having him disposed of.  Doubt he would make a pet with his temperament, but that could be due to a previous owner and how she treated him.

[fiestyredhead331]

am I the only person who doesn't mind the smell of the billies during the season 
we have 1 main billy and 2 billy kids of a year old but they are going for slaughter soon, the 3 of them live quiet happily together, was a bit of headbutting until they worked out who was boss but thats all.
They are kept in a seperate field from the girls and we bring each girl into the boys field when she is in season, but thats the only physical contact they have.

[sokel]

am I the only person who doesn't mind the smell of the billies during the season

No your not, I think it has a sweet and it does not bother me at all although I am aware of it more as everyone else keeps saying they stink so now if I smell it I think ohh gawk they will be moaning again   

[shygirl]

the smell is so potent to me, makes me feel sick. but only during the autumn. otherwise its no bother.