The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: clydesdaleclopper on May 19, 2015, 10:55:37 am
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I'm just pondering what to do with the wee boy that we had. I had wondered about the possibility of keeping him entire and using him on my other girl at the end of the year with a view to then selling him on the next year. My questions are - at what age can they reproduce so when would I need to take him off mum. Also as he was born last week is he likely to be able to cover my other girl in November / December time or would he be too little?
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When we bought an uncastrated billy kid (boer) he couldnt manage our girls - mainly toggenburgs and saanens but managed fine in his second season. By getting him young he now fits into our set up.
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My GG billy was perfectly able (and very keen) to mate my GG's and a BTXGG girl at 5 months old. If you can make sure that he maybe has the advantage of a wee step it will be easier. But definitely a supervised mating.
You would need to take him off mum (and pen separately from any female) at the latest by three months. Has he got a male/castrated companion?
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I still have one of last year's wethers to keep him company
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One of last years Anglo Nubian kids left a couple of females in kid before he left us for his new home at 5 months - thankfully he was not quite tall enough to cover his mother. He was very big for his age, and obviously mature enough.
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Both William and Jasper where only 5-6 months when they covered girls for the first time. We just made sure they either had a step or that the girls stood down hill from them to give the boys that extra bit of height
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I've used 6 month old males a few times now and sent them for meat in about February when smell has worn off. Meat was very good.
If boy doesn't seem tall enough I stand female on slope facing down hill, male usually manages at that.
Young males don't seem to smell that bad, esp when allowed to run out, ie field shelter and open access.
Once borrowed a Billy, before I set off I commented he didn't seem to smell too bad, I was told I should get out more ::) , on the way home, in a van, I was nearly sick with the smell, open sheds are the way to go!