They Need to be separated and I am not ready!
Somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks old, you can expect a buckling to physically mature to the extent that they could impregnate a doe. I was hoping for closer to 12 weeks, but of course my bucklings extended at just barely 8 weeks old.
They need to be kept separate from the does now. We don’t want them to impregnate their sisters or mothers. However, it is a bit early to totally wean them from their mothers. And… I haven’t finished building the buck house, or the fencing for them.
Temporary solution
My temporary solution is to divide the doe house and the small temporary paddock in half. This way the boys are separate, but can still see their moms. I let them out to graze together a couple of times per day – with supervision. That way they can still nurse a bit, and get the pasture grasses.
I have used the farmers favourite tools – baling twine and zip ties – to secure a panel down the middle of the doe house. This way everyone can still be securely locked up at night.
The outside paddock
With the division in the paddock, their space is getting smaller. I am offsetting this with supervised grazing time in the pasture. But as soon as anyone starts getting frisky I call them and shake a food dish. They all run into the enclosure for treats and get locked up again.
Leo (the brown one) is getting really good at going into the boys section on his own. He is a very smart little buckling.
Loki, on the other hand, stops at the first food dish and chows down. It is easy for me to them grab him and move him into the boys section.
You may recall that we had a similar division of the paddock when the goats first arrived with the additional hitchhiker goats.
Pasture grazing
I was a bit nervous at first to let them out into the pasture without fencing. But they are really good at staying together, and close by. The slightest hint of a threat, or a treat on offering, and everyone heads back to the paddock.
Working on improvements
Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can get the boys into their own house and give everyone more access to the pasture.
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