Author Topic: keeping a billy. (Read 3799 times)

princesspiggy · « **on:** May 08, 2011, 11:06:10 am »

wev only had nannies in the past, and we're hoping to get our first billy this year.
question - is it possible to keep a castrated billy with an entire billy during the non-breeding season with out serious fighting? or does he really need to be kept on his own?
thanx

wytsend · « **Reply #1 on:** May 08, 2011, 11:24:36 am »

Give me a ring on 01647 231456 (evening) and I will give you all the info needed.
Roxy will tell you that I only give good advice !!!!!

Yes you cvan keep a male with a castrated boy all year round. Actually most of my males (entire) live in their pown small herd all year round and don't fight.

Ideally you need to team up a male kid with a castrate before he becomes sexually mature.... this way the castrate is always his best friend.

I think the best advice i can give anybody.... is never keep an entire on his own. This can lead to frustrated behaviour which in turn becomes dangerous if not nipped in the bud.

look forward to hearing from you.

princesspiggy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 08, 2011, 01:05:39 pm »

thats good, it means we can keep the new goat kid as a companion. just need a billy now....i presume you could keep the billy and wether with the nannies for a good 3 months while its mating season.
do goat keepers aim for april births like sheep or earlier?
thanx

wytsend · « **Reply #3 on:** May 08, 2011, 03:09:09 pm »

All my girls are mated individually.... no males are left in with them. This way I know exactly when they were covered and when due.
Occasionally the 'due' date can be vitally important.

wytsend · « **Reply #4 on:** May 08, 2011, 03:10:18 pm »

What type of male are you looking for ?

princesspiggy · « **Reply #5 on:** May 08, 2011, 04:25:19 pm »

registered bagot. there are 2 in south england, but will cost a fortune to pick up with fuel prices the way they are. wer in aberdeenshire.

cuckoo · « **Reply #6 on:** May 08, 2011, 10:11:42 pm »

Hi,

We keep a Billy with a wether with no problems - also out Billy ran with the girls from mating until a month just before kidding with no problems. Our Billy is horned so we made sure his companian was too

princesspiggy · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2011, 10:37:56 pm »

thats good then cos thats what i was hoping to do. thanx
just curious..is it ever possible to keep 2 entires together during non-breeding season?

Roxy · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2011, 11:01:57 pm »

Wytsend Darren has his own living quarters, next door to the three large castrated BT boys (who came from a petting farm and are big soft lads) but he goes out to graze with them. They are about double him in size - think they were bottle fed as kids, and grews to Shetland pony size. Their last owner was told they were pygmy goats .......er ......not quite, as she found out!!

Anyway, Darren is happy enough with the boys, although he does find them a bit boisterous at times when they run round, but he has started joining in the fun now!! He has also met Barnie the castrated pygmy who is the same age as him, and again, they got on fine.

I have a pygmy intact billy, but because he and Darren have not been together since kids, I certainly would not let them run together.

My pygmy male runs with his females,and has a female with him at all times, up to kidding, then swap for another. Darren will be mated with the larger females individually.

wytsend · « **Reply #9 on:** May 09, 2011, 05:58:56 am »

Glad Darren is finding his feet amongst your boys.... always takes a little time.

Yes your can run entires together but it does require a little tact at the outset.

The best way is in pairs or fours. Mine have their permanent companion and when I want to put a bunch together.... they are always turned out to start with in a 'neutral' field.... this way none of the pairs has any 'rights' over that field. This is VERY important as goats do have territoial rights over areas.

Hopewell · « **Reply #10 on:** May 09, 2011, 08:27:38 pm »

We have two entire boys together without too much bother, both in the breeding season and out of it. Actually feral/wild goats live in bachelor groups away from the girls outside of the breeding season, so to have a group together during this time is far more natural that having one boy on his own.