Post by DostThouHaveMilk on Dec 30, 2008 12:36:12 GMT -5
William is my big boy. He's a 5 1/2 year old Boer/Saanen buck. We purchase William and his half brother (same Boer sire) , Charlie, at a month old. They were raised with Crucible, a heifer, from a month old to almost seven months old. There were no heifers her age so they kept her company.
I think it has warped him though. No, I know it has warped him.
Here's my big boy two years ago;
He was just headed into rut. He is incredibly easy to handle. A pinky pulling on his collar will stop him...Now he won't stay still to long but he does stop when told and will not try and drag you.
Here is his problem;
He does not distinguish between caprine and bovine.....
He never has really.
About three or four years ago, he had bred all of his does already and he was out running on he 80 acres. The heifer/dry cow herd was up near the goat compound. He went over and sniffed Juliana. Now, she was a very large three year old open Jersey heifer. He had to reach his nose up to smell and even then he just barely reached. She tolerated his antics for a bit and then decided she had had enough. She kicked him with her hind leg and moved away. You would think that would deter him, but no, he followed and started sniffing her again. She did a quick double kick this time and moved away a bit faster this time....he followed! The third time she did a very fast triple kick and he finally got the message. So he wandered over to see if Cadence (Jersey heifer) needed his assistance (she was bred at the time).
Since he is out loose so rarely and never during breeding season anymore (he kinda falls over fences into the doe pens at this stage with his sheer size), we haven't had an issue with him and the heifers.
Until I sent him to Sandy's for breeding season. What's the first thing he does upon being put into the pasture with the goats and the cows?
Well, obviously he checks out the does..lol. When they gave him the cold should he headed over to the cow herd. Now, the yearling Jersey/Norwegian Red bull she has, well, he is an inquisitive lad and he stretched to smell William and William took that as a come on and started snorting and stomping up the side of the bull's face. The bull was dumb struck but his cows, on the other hand and especially his surrogate dam, saw it as an aggressive action and chased him off. The next day they had him down and were trying to kill him. Luckily he rolled under the barbed wire fence enough that when Sandy heard the cows screaming she was able to get him out without getting hurt. She had never heard the cows scream like that before. He was limping for weeks but not much the worse for the wear. He was kept out of the cow pasture for weeks and she tried him again one afternoon..and what's the first thing he does? Goes after the beef heifers. The sad thing? He lived with that same herd for two months last summer with no issues...but it wasn't breeding season! Bucks are just crazy when their hormones are rushing full force during rut.
Anyways, he is home now and I put him back in the buck pen...which is holding of one the sucking heifers until I can order more weaning rings as she lost hers. So that is why the above picture. He has quit harassing her thankfully.
I think it has warped him though. No, I know it has warped him.
Here's my big boy two years ago;
He was just headed into rut. He is incredibly easy to handle. A pinky pulling on his collar will stop him...Now he won't stay still to long but he does stop when told and will not try and drag you.
Here is his problem;
He does not distinguish between caprine and bovine.....
He never has really.
About three or four years ago, he had bred all of his does already and he was out running on he 80 acres. The heifer/dry cow herd was up near the goat compound. He went over and sniffed Juliana. Now, she was a very large three year old open Jersey heifer. He had to reach his nose up to smell and even then he just barely reached. She tolerated his antics for a bit and then decided she had had enough. She kicked him with her hind leg and moved away. You would think that would deter him, but no, he followed and started sniffing her again. She did a quick double kick this time and moved away a bit faster this time....he followed! The third time she did a very fast triple kick and he finally got the message. So he wandered over to see if Cadence (Jersey heifer) needed his assistance (she was bred at the time).
Since he is out loose so rarely and never during breeding season anymore (he kinda falls over fences into the doe pens at this stage with his sheer size), we haven't had an issue with him and the heifers.
Until I sent him to Sandy's for breeding season. What's the first thing he does upon being put into the pasture with the goats and the cows?
Well, obviously he checks out the does..lol. When they gave him the cold should he headed over to the cow herd. Now, the yearling Jersey/Norwegian Red bull she has, well, he is an inquisitive lad and he stretched to smell William and William took that as a come on and started snorting and stomping up the side of the bull's face. The bull was dumb struck but his cows, on the other hand and especially his surrogate dam, saw it as an aggressive action and chased him off. The next day they had him down and were trying to kill him. Luckily he rolled under the barbed wire fence enough that when Sandy heard the cows screaming she was able to get him out without getting hurt. She had never heard the cows scream like that before. He was limping for weeks but not much the worse for the wear. He was kept out of the cow pasture for weeks and she tried him again one afternoon..and what's the first thing he does? Goes after the beef heifers. The sad thing? He lived with that same herd for two months last summer with no issues...but it wasn't breeding season! Bucks are just crazy when their hormones are rushing full force during rut.
Anyways, he is home now and I put him back in the buck pen...which is holding of one the sucking heifers until I can order more weaning rings as she lost hers. So that is why the above picture. He has quit harassing her thankfully.