Improving a goat herd Archives

It’s been years since I last went buck shopping. My last outside buck was Goat town USA Gaius over fifteen years ago.

In the years since things have changed. Then I was still involved with other goat owners. Now I’m one of the only ones with Nubian dairy goats in my area. Nigerian Dwarfs and meat goats are popular here.

Getting Started

Looking at my herd seems a strange place to start buck shopping. However, a buck affects the whole herd. A good buck for your herd carries traits that improve weak points in it.

Some of my udders aren’t as high and round as they could be. Legs on my does tend to be too straight. Milk production is always a consideration.

Color is important to many people. I do like nice colors on my goats, but that doesn’t matter as much as those other points. I also like polled bucks.

With Nubians there are two body types. One is a streamlined, more Swiss breed shape. The other is the old double triangle shape. (Look down from the top and the sides flare out like a triangle. Look from the side and the triangle runs from the brisket back.) These Nubians are bigger, heavier, more the dual purpose breed it began as. I prefer this one.

Meet two of my High Reaches Nubian does (This picture is several years old.). The black spotted one is Agate. Her back feet turn out a bit. Her pasterns are too straight. She had a dip behind her shoulders. The brown doe behind Agate is Daisy. Notice her udder is set in, not flush with her back legs. It is also a bit long. Yes, I’m being picky. But these are things to look for when considering a new buck. The buck will hopefully have a stronger background in these areas. This will result in better kids. One other thing I look for is having more of the old Nubian shape like I saw with the Copper Hill herd years ago.

Where to Look

My herd is a registered American Nubian herd. My new buck needs to be registered. Sale barn bucks don’t come with papers, pedigrees, chances to see related goats and can bring diseases with them.

The first stop is the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) membership book. There are around 200 goat owners listed for Missouri. Winnowing the list down to Nubian owners fairly close to home drops this down to about five.

Next comes an internet check as many goat owners have websites or Facebook pages with pictures of their goats. Some owners also sell their goats online.

Last Considerations

A registered buck is not cheap. As I’m no longer building my herd, the kids must be saleable.

So, why bother with a registered buck? Because I’ve spent fifty years creating a herd of registered Nubians. I don’t want to throw that time away now. That leaves me buck shopping for that special, registered Nubian buck.