Some of our staff call him “Smooth” and some call him “Criminal,” but if our does could speak they would most likely just call him “Stud”!
And that is exactly what he is - the Stepladder Stud and father to the majority of the 2021 kids born on the ranch!
While we have a plethora of female goats on the farm (64 milking does this year), the male goats (bucks) are more of a rare commodity; we generally only keep 2 on “staff” to do all the hard work of creating the future generations of darling kids!
(Some of the Stepladder kids from the Stepladder Stud's lineage)
Smooth Criminal is one of those two hard-working bachelors.
He is a dashing buck with glorious brown locks who weighs in at about 185 pounds. Luckily for his human handlers and the does at Stepladder, he happens to be a very mild-mannered and agreeable buck.
While some bucks may get rambunctious or even aggressive towards their human handlers, Smooth Criminal is always quite relaxed and easy-going around both his human and goat counterparts.
This makes him very easy for us to work with when it comes time to give him his healthcare or set him up on a date with one of our does!
(Smooth Criminal in the pasture with his compatriot buck)
For most of the year, Smooth Criminal lives in a pasture with the other buck and they pal around together exploring the property.
However, his real work starts in the fall, when the doe’s hormones kick in at the start of breeding season.
(Smooth Criminal on a “date” with Isabella)
This season runs for about two months out of the year - from September to November - and is full of daily “goat dates” held between Smooth Criminal and one of our does.
After November, Smooth Criminal goes back into his 10 month long partial “retirement”, where he gets to hang in the sunshine and bulk up for the next year’s breeding season!
Make sure to keep your eyes out for him and his offspring on our Facebook and Instagram posts!
(Smooth Criminal’s one-day old son and daughter taking a much needed nap)