HnkyDnkyZZFarm
Chirping
I have three nubian dwarf/nigerian crosses, my girls are shaped and colored like boers, my boy is a chunky wooly monkey built like a two foot tall tank.
During the day, I move them to a different pen than their enclosure is in because the boy is an escape artist, but likes the daytime pen and will stay there till I put him away at night. The boy was introduced in November and likely bred the girls about the first week of December. Nobodys come back into heat. They mingle like a herd of does. Every now and again they wrassle but it's good hearted sprint around the pen and jump over your buddy play. Aside from a little food crankiness early on that was solved by putting out two portions at separate spots, they've never had any real who's in charge issues.
A few days ago I put up a goaty playscape, a platform and a couple ramps. Goaty joyfulness ensued. They're climbing and jumping fools. One of my girls seems to have her horns in a twist though, since she was feeling pretty top goaty and got a demotion from the other two goats, who are more agile as climbers and have kind of formed their own little mountain goat wannabe club. Now she's the "I don't like the swings" kid at recess.
She wont allow herself to be herded from the night time pen/ goat shed into the daytime enclosure. She wants to run off across the field, go anywhere but where the other two are going. Rather than chase(the other two would follow me, leaving me chasing THREE goats when they get it in their heads that it's a game) her I've been leaving her in the pen she seems to prefer, both pens have amazing graze (spring hay grass, grape leaves, overhanging trees) and mineral/water access. I don't think this is helping the group dynamic though.
My little playground monkeys are snuggled up together chewing cud and little miss unfriendly is in the other pen is just grazing around like they don't even exist. Kind of makes me already feel like her offspring might not be the ones that become permanent herd members and I feel bad for being annoyed at her, but I'm not going to chase her and she's not as responsive to treats as usual. She's never been SUPER friendly, but I've always been able to get her to come and stick with the group when we move them. Now, she seems to have decided she'd rather be the boss of an empty room than the goat that gets pushed off the platform first.
Any suggestions to get her to reintegrate into the bunch? Is it a hopeless cause till she kids, and is she going to get more difficult to catch as she gets more hormonal? I have no worries handling the other female and being able to do whatever I need for her when she kids, but it may complicate things if the unfriendly (less friendly) one decides she isn't receptive to interventions if need be.
During the day, I move them to a different pen than their enclosure is in because the boy is an escape artist, but likes the daytime pen and will stay there till I put him away at night. The boy was introduced in November and likely bred the girls about the first week of December. Nobodys come back into heat. They mingle like a herd of does. Every now and again they wrassle but it's good hearted sprint around the pen and jump over your buddy play. Aside from a little food crankiness early on that was solved by putting out two portions at separate spots, they've never had any real who's in charge issues.
A few days ago I put up a goaty playscape, a platform and a couple ramps. Goaty joyfulness ensued. They're climbing and jumping fools. One of my girls seems to have her horns in a twist though, since she was feeling pretty top goaty and got a demotion from the other two goats, who are more agile as climbers and have kind of formed their own little mountain goat wannabe club. Now she's the "I don't like the swings" kid at recess.
She wont allow herself to be herded from the night time pen/ goat shed into the daytime enclosure. She wants to run off across the field, go anywhere but where the other two are going. Rather than chase(the other two would follow me, leaving me chasing THREE goats when they get it in their heads that it's a game) her I've been leaving her in the pen she seems to prefer, both pens have amazing graze (spring hay grass, grape leaves, overhanging trees) and mineral/water access. I don't think this is helping the group dynamic though.
My little playground monkeys are snuggled up together chewing cud and little miss unfriendly is in the other pen is just grazing around like they don't even exist. Kind of makes me already feel like her offspring might not be the ones that become permanent herd members and I feel bad for being annoyed at her, but I'm not going to chase her and she's not as responsive to treats as usual. She's never been SUPER friendly, but I've always been able to get her to come and stick with the group when we move them. Now, she seems to have decided she'd rather be the boss of an empty room than the goat that gets pushed off the platform first.
Any suggestions to get her to reintegrate into the bunch? Is it a hopeless cause till she kids, and is she going to get more difficult to catch as she gets more hormonal? I have no worries handling the other female and being able to do whatever I need for her when she kids, but it may complicate things if the unfriendly (less friendly) one decides she isn't receptive to interventions if need be.
