It’s supposed to be fifty fifty, the ratio of boys to girls. My Nubian does didn’t get the memo and gave me a Nubian buck bonanza this year.
When High Reaches Pamela had twin bucks, that was all right. Then High Reaches Valerie delivered two buck and a doe. Finally High Reaches Lydia and High Reaches Rose added a buck each. That made six bucks and a doe.
Six Bucks!
In the livestock world, girls rule. Hens lay eggs, not roosters. Cows have calves and a herd only needs one bull. Likewise for goats.
Extra stallions can be gelded and make good saddle mounts. Extra bull calves get fixed and become steers that end up as hamburger and steak. What about extra buck goats?
Looking Back
When I started raising goats, there was no market for extra buck goats. Many goat owners destroyed their extra buck kids.
This seemed strange to me as the U.S. imported goat meat for Jewish and Muslim communities. Gradually domestic goat raisers invaded this market. The big barrier was the type of goat.
In the U.S. then most people raised dairy goats. Like with dairy cattle, these are not as good as meat animals. Once meat goats became popular, goat meat had a market.
What About My Nubian Buck Bonanza?
I have a small herd. My goats never go to shows. They don’t have any famous pedigrees. Although I have kept a wether (a fixed buck) and raised him for meat in the past, I no longer do.
Most of my extra bucks will be sold in the meat market. That makes me a bit sad, but I have few other choices.
Other Choices
High Reaches Rose’s buck is polled, born without horns. This makes him special. Perhaps someone wants a lovely polled American Nubian polled buck.
High Reaches Lydia’s buck is now disbudded so his horns shouldn’t grow. He is black with lots of spots. Perhaps someone wants a showy spotted American Nuban buck.
And I was asked about a wether as a companion for a buck. My bottle baby buck will do nicely, although I am normally hesitant about being in the pet market as so many people know nothing about goats. Goats are not like dogs.
Perhaps some members of my Nubian buck bonanza will live long lives. I hope so.
