From This Side of the Ring: Choosing a Buck Goat
See good results in the ring tomorrow with purposeful breeding today!
Reading Time: 4 minutes
What’s a good buck goat? One that has data behind him from ADGA performance programs or productive daughters.
With the dog days of summer behind us, we’re all looking ahead to the upcoming breeding season, and some have already started. One question I always get from newer breeders is, “How do I move forward in placements in the show ring?”
It’s a good question with a multifaceted answer. Assuming feed and husbandry are up to par, focus on what buck will be used for breeding. Good husbandry and feed only go so far. What’s the saying? “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” In this case, you can make your goats look their best, but if they’re consistently in the bottom third of the class, then it’s time to look at your herd sires.
Really look at your buck goat and pick him apart. How is he on his feet and legs? Is he dairy enough? How’s that topline look? Is the rump wide enough? List what you like and don’t like about your buck. Then look at his dam and his sire’s dam (if you have access to pictures of them) and scrutinize them, too. If you’re at the bottom of the class at shows, especially with your junior does, it’s time to get yourself a new herd sire.
Where to Find a Buck Goat?
It’s quite late in the year to look for a new buck, but you can find them if you look. Sometimes, breeders will hold onto a junior buck to use on some of their goats and then sell him, not because he isn’t good quality but because they don’t want to feed him through winter, or he’s too closely related to the rest of the herd. Some breeders will have bucks they didn’t list earlier in the season. Sometimes, a buck is used and needs to move on afterward because he’s worked himself out of a job.
The best way I’ve found bucks in the past is by talking to breeders I admire with the genetics I want in my herd. Other times, I follow their farm page on social media — especially Facebook — and find a buck that way. If you’re going into fall and can’t find a good quality buck to buy, don’t settle just to get them bred! Take the time and find something of value that can add to your herd.
What is a Good Buck?
So, what’s a good buck? A good buck either has data behind him from the ADGA performance programs or daughters that have freshened and are productive in the milk pail or the show ring. A good buck can be a young buck with a good general appearance, a dam with a great udder and consistency behind her, and a sire with good udders and consistency behind him. A good buck will cost more than an average or below-average buck. He should be an investment since he’s quite literally half your herd.
the ’22 National Show, but he was purchased when she was a first freshener. I chose him
because of his dam’s wonderful general appearance and well-attached udder. His daughters
have excelled in our herd, one of which was our first home-bred finished champion. Photo credit: Jon Kain
Lastly, I like my bucks to look good. I don’t want a buck that needs to be posed just so because otherwise, he looks hideous. I have a hard enough time finding my good side when taking pictures, let alone my buck’s. He needs to be powerful and stand on good feet and legs. He must have a strong back and correct frontend assembly (shoulders, elbow, legs) set correctly under his withers. I want him to be wide throughout and have good body depth when mature. He doesn’t need to be a showstopper, but he should check a majority of those boxes. With that said, his ancestors, especially those closely related to him, need to have great udders and general appearance and production of milk behind them as well.
Once you get a buck or two like that and breed them to everything and then breed their daughters to good bucks, you’ll find yourself moving forward in the show ring. So, breed with a purpose. Don’t breed a goat to just any buck and expect success because that won’t happen consistently, if at all.
Jon Kain lives and breathes goats, literally. He can be found with his family raising a small herd of Oberhasli goats while chasing his 3-year-old daughter or talking about goats on his podcast, Ringside: An American Dairy Goat Podcast.
Originally published in the 2024 Fall issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
