If you own a male goat then you should be aware of the “rut.” Knowing what rutting is, is crucial for taking care of your goat.
Rutting is when male goats display the behaviors associated with the urge to breed. This occurs during the rut, which is an annual season for goats and other mammals.
However, you shouldn’t just know what rutting is. You should know how to take care of your buck during this time.
When Is Rut Season
Every breed of buck has its rut season in a different part of the year, though usually, it happens in the autumn.
Signs To Look For
- Intense smell
Bucks normally smell all year long, however during the rut, you’ll notice that the smell has intensified. The smell comes from his urine and the scent glands that are behind his horns. The does are attracted to this scent and the smellier the buck is the more likely he is to breed. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for bucks to pee on themselves to make the smell even more intense.
Chances are he will be stinky, slimy and sticky, so you may want to avoid touching him.
- Flehmen
This is a specific face that a buck will make during rutting. When the buck makes this face they are simply using their lips to help them smell. Usually it is a smell that is very interesting and exciting to them, for example a does urine.
You’ll notice them with their head tilted towards the sky, mouth open and and their upper lip up. This is flehmen.
- Drinking Urine
During rutting, your buck will become very interested in the urine of your does. You may notice him sniffing it as a does releases it and he may even drink it. Though this seems gross to us, know that it is completely normal for your buck. Though it may seems random, it could have to do with the fact that a does urine will contain hormones that signal when she is in ovulation. So ultimately, the buck is just trying to gage how ready she is for breeding.
- Stomping
Your buck may seem like he is acting a little crazy! You may notice him stomping, spitting, stretching, and making a lot of weird noises. In a sense, he’s just putting on a performance for the does. It is similar to how bugs and birds do dances to attract mates.
- Masturbating
You may notice your buck rubbing himself in a variety of different ways. Just know that this is completely normal and you should not worry about him.
- Possible aggressiveness
There’s a good chance that during rutting, his personality will change, and may become aggressive. This isn’t a guarantee and if your buck is usually gentle then he may not become aggressive at all. No matter what, you should always be careful around a buck in rut.
Taking Care Of Your Buck During Rutting
Separating The Buck
To keep control over breeding, you should separate your buck from your does. Bucks should be in a different pen from the does and shouldn’t even share a wall. Yes, a buck will try to breed through a fence. Your fences should also be incredibly sturdy and some goat owners even recommend have an electrical fence, to stop bucks from escaping.
However, you shouldn’t forget that goats are very social. Keeping your buck isolated could drive him insane. It would be worth it to have some castrated males that can keep the buck company while he is separated from the herd. Castrated males called wethers are usually cheaper in price than other goats.
Nutrition
Rutting can be exhausting for your buck. It is important that he is getting the nutrients and calorie intake that he needs. It may require that his feeding is increased during this time.
Aggression
Most bucks become somewhat aggressive during rutting and can be very dangerous. Due to this reason avoid them as much as possible and if you do have to come into contact with them bring something to protect yourself with. Don’t ever turn your back on them if you can avoid it and always be aware of where they are.
While it’s important that they have wethers with them for socializing, know that they will try to fight the other males they are with. This is because goats live in a hierarchy and males will fight to be leader over the heard. Don’t worry too much about it since rarely do these fights lead to serious injury.
A good tip to know is that if you grab a bucks beard it will give you control over them. Usually doing this will put the buck into a trance-like state and they can’t hurt you.
Breeding Your Buck
How Old He Should Be
Bucks can become fertile very early in their lives. Usually around three months. This why bucks should not be kept with their mothers for longer than 3 months. Though it is not common it has happened that a buck has bred his mother at seven weeks old.
At five months bucks are fully mature and can start breeding.
How To Breed
You do not need to wait until rutting to breed your buck. He can breed at any time of the year. It’s just that during rutting he is more determined to get it done.
Breeding goats can take some scheduling. Though goats can accidentally get pregnant, being aware of your does menstrual calendars can make success easier. Does come into heat every 21 days for two to three days. It is recommended that you put the buck in with your does for two of her cycles, or about 42 days. After the two cycles remove the buck.
Making a spreadsheet before any breeding can be extremely helpful. Use this spreadsheet to record your does cycles, any breeding and who was involved and other aspects of the pregnancy’s and birth. This ultimately will help you create a family tree for your herd and will you make breeding choices in the future.