Funky Bucks
Bucks can be really adorable, but also really REALLY disgusting.
My buck Valentine is only about 9 months old, so he is just starting to discover his buckiness. At first his smell didn't bother me at all- it was just a faint musky smell, almost like a ferret has. Since he's been peeing in the same places in his pen, the smell has gotten much more offensive. And after just a week, I'm afraid it isn't anywhere near as bad as it will be.
The worst part is that his smell- and his desire to spread it everywhere- means he can't be with does who are in milk. (His smell will get in the milk and ruin the flavor.) So instead of making and maintaining 1 shelter, fenced in pen, etc. I will have to have 2 of everything- one for bucks and one for does. (Wethers can go in either pen.) The smell also means that I will never be able to have the goat pen closer to the house than it already is, because I like having friends. And I want those friends to come visit me.
Val's also started acting ridiculous: Yesterday I went out with hay and dropped it on the ground. Before I could pick it up, he was rolling around in it like it was catnip (file that under adorable). He is butting heads with the wether (can be cute, especially since Val is half the size of Checkers, who is 3 years old and full grown.) And anytime Checkers messes with or shows too much interest in Winnie, Val is right there chasing him away, with the hair on his back sticking straight up to make himself look more menacing.
On the flip side (get ready for the disgusting part), Val has started getting WAY interested in Winnie. In particular, he finds great delight in her pee. He sticks his nose right up to it, sometimes sticking it into the stream. Gross, right? Well it gets worse.
He's as flexible as a performer in Cirque de Soleil, and can reach down there any time he wants. Yesterday my amusement quickly turned to horror when he arched his back, his "lipstick" came out, and he peed on his chin. Then he curled his top lip up- I call it the Shananay lip (think Jamie Fox in drag on In Living Color in the early 90's)- and snorted. I've read all about this bucky behavior in my dozen or so books on keeping goats, but I have to say that the mental image I created while reading doesn't even compare to seeing it in person. Nor did I think about what I'd do when that same pee-chinned buck came over to me immediately afterward, looking for affection.
When he isn't obsessed with pee, he is quite charming. He likes scratches on his head, between his horns and just in front of his ears. He also likes being petted on his chest and front legs, and will start blinking really slowly and eventually fall asleep. My beagle Scooter does the same thing, and it melts my heart every time.
Valentine is my favorite so far, but he is definitely the most challenging too. If you are just starting out and not sure if you want to devote a crazy amount of time, resources, and money to raising a goat herd for profit, then do yourself a favor: Start with does and wethers and skip the bucks until you are really sure you need one.
