What to Look for in a Breeding Buck
A breeding buck is the fastest way to improve — or ruin — a herd of goats. Buck selection for breeding isn’t a decision to be made simply by cost or convenience but by careful consideration of breeding soundness. While a doe contributes 50% of her genetics to her offspring, a buck contributes 50% of his genetics to all of the offspring of the does he’s bred to. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, the natural service breeding ratio for a healthy buck is one buck to 50 does. While more bucks may be desired in a program to maintain genetic diversity, compared to does, very few bucks are needed.
In general, buck kids are produced in equal proportion to doe kids. While the numbers may tip in favor of one or the other some years, they tend to balance out over time. For breeding purposes, that equates to an enormous surplus of bucks. In the wild, natural selection eliminates poor genetics from a gene pool, which isn’t the case in domestic animals. It’s our responsibility as breeders to make these selections. Failing to do so results in herds that are more prone to illness and injury — which harms goats and is heartbreaking to those who raise them. Read any forum, and you’ll find a myriad of problems that could’ve been prevented by better breeding selection.
How do we select the best bucks for breeding? Whether breeding goats to show, for meat, or just freshening a doe for milk, choosing bucks and does with good conformation is a must. Not only is conformation attractive in form, but it’s essential in function. It allows a goat to live its best life.
What We Can See
We must consider all of the visible heritable traits.
TESTICLES
Of course, with bucks, testicles are a key part of conformation. Two testicles of equal size should be descended into the scrotum. The larger the circumference of the scrotum, the more desirable a buck is for breeding. Bucks with small scrotums and testicles shouldn’t be used for breeding. Split scrotums are a subject of debate, and many breed associations have specific guidance on what’s acceptable. Most don’t allow a split over one inch. Any malformation of the testicles is a cull trait.
UDDER
Yes, even on a buck, udder traits should be considered, as these genetics are passed to his offspring. Breed standards allow for only two correct teats; the Boer breed is the only exception. No standards allow for fish or cluster teats. Teat defects can make it difficult to milk a doe or for her to raise kids successfully.
BITE
Check the buck’s mouth. The teeth should meet the dental pad. If the teeth are forward (parrot mouth) or behind (monkey mouth), the defect will impact the goat’s ability to eat and a kid’s ability to nurse. If a goat has early tooth loss or wear (broken mouth), a better candidate should be considered.
LEG ANGULATION
Proper angulation of a goat’s leg allows them to move freely and efficiently. Improper structure can be painful and limiting. Look at the buck from front, side, and back. A goat should stand square with its legs under them. They should be straight when looking from the front or back and well-spaced. From the side, the angle of the rear leg and pastern should be correct.
HOOVES
Good hoof genetics reduce a producer’s workload and contribute significantly to a goat’s quality of life. Hoof abnormalities, deformities, and unusually fast-growing hooves are undesirable.
MUSCLING, BONE DENSITY, AND SPRING OF RIB
A thin, narrow goat isn’t a sound goat. Goats should be well muscled, with good capacity for their rumen, and developing kids in the case of a doe. While dairy bucks have a lighter appearance and are finer boned than meat goats, bucks that look fragile shouldn’t be used for breeding. Using bucks without good spring of rib and broad structure can result in future kidding complications for any doelings he produces.
What We Can’t See
Heritable traits that we can’t see are just as important.
HEALTH AND PARASITE RESISTANCE
Health and parasite resistance are heritable traits. Future management can be simplified by choosing a buck with these traits. Bucks prone to illness or needing frequent deworming shouldn’t be used in breeding programs.
TEMPERAMENT
Temperament is a highly heritable trait. Never breed a mean buck.
INBREEDING
While it’s important to consider the genetic traits a buck will pass to his kids when choosing to breed, it’s also important to consider the genetics of the doe he’s paired with. If the two are closely related, unseen negative genetic traits and poorly performing goats can result. This isn’t always the case, but occurs when both parents carry a recessive gene, and the offspring inherit one from each.
AGE AND NUTRITION
There’s a higher instance of sperm deformity in very young bucks just beginning to produce, and also in very old bucks. A buck lacking in proper nutrition is also at risk for sperm deformity. A buck used for breeding should be in prime condition.
DISEASE STATUS
While it’s good practice to choose a buck that’s clear of the commonly tested goat diseases such as CAE, CL, Johnes, and Q Fever, goats can also carry sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, which can result in abortion. If sharing bucks, it’s very important to protect your herd from disease transmission.
PEDIGREE
Pedigree indicates relatedness, not performance. A breeding buck shouldn’t be selected based on the ancestors in his pedigree. He should be evaluated based on the specific traits he inherited and is demonstrating. Two goats from the same breeding can be very different genetically.
PROVEN PERFORMANCE
This is where it gets tricky. Beyond conformation, which is fairly clear, do you know enough about goats, genetics, and history of line performance to evaluate a breeding buck’s potential? It takes time and experience for a breeder to get to this point in a breeding program. Rebekah Clarke-Rupchis has created a diagram illustrating performance considerations to determine if a buckling is a candidate for breeding or should be wethered. Her chart is for dairy breeds with milking data and show results, but can just as easily be used for meat breeds by substituting desirable program outcomes. A breeder offering breeding stock should retain and prove their breeding stock within their own herd before offering it to other breeders.
BOTTLE FED/DAM RAISED
In our breeding program, a bottle baby is automatically disqualified as a breeding buck prospect due to the possibility of imprinting. In many dairy programs, bottle feeding is the norm and isn’t excluded. It’s important to know how to properly train them if bottle-feeding is herd protocol.
COLOR
Unfortunately, this is often first, and I have intentionally placed it last. Color shouldn’t be considered unless all other criteria have been met. While producing preferred patterns and flashy goats is tempting, pretty is as pretty does. A beautiful goat with poor genetics will suffer and contribute to the breed’s decline if used in a breeding program.
While no animal is perfect, a buck retained for breeding should be as near perfect as possible to limit faults carried to the next generation. Bucklings that don’t meet breeding buck selection standards should be castrated or culled for meat. If you’re breeding goats, it’s your responsibility to make informed decisions to limit the number of breeding animals available to those that can, at best, carry genetics to improve the breed and, at the very least, do no harm
KAREN KOPF and her husband Dale own Kopf Canyon Ranch in Troy, Idaho. They enjoy “goating” together and helping others goat. You can learn more about them at Kopf Canyon Ranch on Facebook or KikoGoats.org.
Originally published in the 2024 Fall issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
