Handsome looking boy. Hope you have a buddy for him too. I agree with all those saying he probably won't take a bottle at this point. I don't think it is necessary for forming bonds.
I'll add my experience. I've got 4 Nigerian Dwarf bucks. My boys are stinky little dudes, but I do adore my boys. Three were damn raised and one was a bottle baby. I got the bottle boy when he was a bit younger so I bottle feed him for about 3 weeks. All my boys are respectful of my space and have never been aggressive, though the bottle boy can be a bit more in my pocket. I do believe it's all in how I have interacted with them.
The first two bucklings I brought home were not regularly handled (great breeder but she had too many in her herd to give individual attention to all kids) so they were pretty scared of me. I started by catching them and forcing them to sit in my lap for a few minutes for a couple times a day. After a couple weeks they were fine around me. After that it switched to scratches and no more holding. Third buck was friendly enough so just needed a bit of time to trust. Forth was the bottle boy.
As they matured, I did not allow them to "play" with me (i.e. headbutting or jumping on me). If they did something I didn't like, I would place my palm on their shoulder and push them. Not hard, just enough to move them away and put them a little off balance. During their first ruts they sometimes would try to "flirt" with me. I do not allow that, ever. As they are bigger at that point, I use the bottom of my foot on their shoulders and push them away. Sometimes you have to use a bit more force as they are much bigger at that point, but I've never had to push enough to knock anyone over. They usually get the hint after a few times.
Don't get me wrong. They are very sweet with me and they get scratches and treats. I think the big problem with many goats, mostly bottle babies but also damn raised, is that people allow them to do things to them because the people think it's cute. Things like headbutting, nibbling fingers, bucklings blubbering. Letting a goat be rude and pushy with you makes the goats think they are dominate over you. If you let them get away with it as kids, they will only get worse as they grow.
I'll add my experience. I've got 4 Nigerian Dwarf bucks. My boys are stinky little dudes, but I do adore my boys. Three were damn raised and one was a bottle baby. I got the bottle boy when he was a bit younger so I bottle feed him for about 3 weeks. All my boys are respectful of my space and have never been aggressive, though the bottle boy can be a bit more in my pocket. I do believe it's all in how I have interacted with them.
The first two bucklings I brought home were not regularly handled (great breeder but she had too many in her herd to give individual attention to all kids) so they were pretty scared of me. I started by catching them and forcing them to sit in my lap for a few minutes for a couple times a day. After a couple weeks they were fine around me. After that it switched to scratches and no more holding. Third buck was friendly enough so just needed a bit of time to trust. Forth was the bottle boy.
As they matured, I did not allow them to "play" with me (i.e. headbutting or jumping on me). If they did something I didn't like, I would place my palm on their shoulder and push them. Not hard, just enough to move them away and put them a little off balance. During their first ruts they sometimes would try to "flirt" with me. I do not allow that, ever. As they are bigger at that point, I use the bottom of my foot on their shoulders and push them away. Sometimes you have to use a bit more force as they are much bigger at that point, but I've never had to push enough to knock anyone over. They usually get the hint after a few times.
Don't get me wrong. They are very sweet with me and they get scratches and treats. I think the big problem with many goats, mostly bottle babies but also damn raised, is that people allow them to do things to them because the people think it's cute. Things like headbutting, nibbling fingers, bucklings blubbering. Letting a goat be rude and pushy with you makes the goats think they are dominate over you. If you let them get away with it as kids, they will only get worse as they grow.
