?? About goats--I am so confused!

[redhen]

i'm pretty new to goats but i'll tell you what i have experienced so far...i purchased a 2 week old pygmy doe..didnt de-horn her when she was that young..(mistake)..anyways..she has never been agressive at all to anyone...when she is out of her pen in the yard with us...she just follows us around(we spent alot of time with her)...she is VERY friendly and knows her name..they say they are equal to or more intelligent than a dog......than it was time to put her outside in her barn(she was inside,it was to cold for a baby to be outside alone, in january, in new england.) and she cried and cried..she hated being alone...so i recently purchased a male(soon to be fixed), alpine..and he was a week old...and the vet i got him from had already did his de-horning, so when i put the two together..it was a diaster...Cricket(female)..kept ramming him...being very rough..trying to establish her position with him...so...unfortunalty..i just ,2 days ago..had to bring Cricket in to be de-horned and it is a horriable thing to do at her age...very painful(i've been sick to my stomach over it)..but they did put her under anestiea...i should have gotten her de-horned as a baby....that is my big lesson...if you have more than 2 goats...they both have to be de-horned...or both have to have thier horns intact..or there can be serious injurys....but i love my goats..will always have one now...my male baby is just as affectionate as my female..i just love them!..good luck with them!..Wendy

 

[helmstead]

I just have to come in to disagree about dehorning being necessary. We have a mixed herd when it comes to horns, most are horned, some are polled and one is disbudded. They all get along fine.

Horned goats are NOT dangerous. It is STRICTLY a personal preference.

Anyway, good luck in your hunt.

 

[redhen]

they can be dangerous to other goats...well..mine was anyways....definalty...she kept ramming him aganist the wall in the ribs..his head..almost got his eye...it was to the point that i had to seperate them in the barn till i could get her de-horned...even in the yard(outside of thier pen)..she would go after him..but,she never..ever..came at US with her horns,ONLY the new goat..but that was only MY experience....others may have differant experiences..but i have heard the same from other owners..so...i guess it just depends..thanks..Wendy

 

[Haviris]

I have a mixed herd of large and small, horned and non horned and my goats get along relatively well. When I ad a new goat there is a bit of head butting until who the leader is is clear, if I buy a pg doe I don't put her with the herd until after she kids. Breeding a doe or having kids does not cause any more bickering. Goats are not generally aggressive to people, but there is the occational buck that needs to be put in his place. I would probably compare goat aggression to horse aggression, they have to work out pecking order, and you will occationally have a brat in the herd that is just mean, or maybe has a particular herd member they have a problem with.

And yes bucks are stinky! If you only plan on a few it probably wouldn't even be worth it to have a buck if you can find someone near by with a buck you can use.

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:
I didn't mean that horned goats were dangerous (to people, each other, or otherwise) I meant that horned goats were a danger to themselves. If not provided with the proper fencing, for instance, their horns can very well get them into trouble.

 

[redhen]

i agree....and what i was trying to explain was..that in "my" situation...i learned that..my little goat was getting hurt by the one with the horns...but...if they both had horns, it would have been no problem...but..as others have posted here..it seems that you can keep the two..(horned and de-horned) together safely...but unfortunately, in my situation, i couldnt....thanks, Wendy

 

[sweetshoplady]

I'm new to goats. Only had mine for a couple of months. I bought mine from people who lived 3 hours away. Very nice people, helpful and only a phone call away when I had tons of questions.

As for the pecking order, you can ask about the personality of each goat that you are considering. I did this with getting a second horse as well. I knew that my Simon, TB, is dominant and made sure to get a horse as a friend for him who didn't care what number he was. They still bicker. Simon is very jealous and always wants to be the center of attention. If I want to ride Jake, I have to catch Simon or he will run Jake off.

When I brought my first 3 home, 1 adult and 2 kids, not hers, they just got along. The only time Cleo would butt to push them out of the way was if it was something that she really wanted. When I brought these 2 new ladies in, who Cleo knew from her original home. First thing they did was butt heads (which the lady told me to expect). When I go out to give treats, Cleo is so busy trying to push the other 2 adults away that she almost doesn't get any treats because the kids eat them. The one kid, Pam, has a bossy personality like her mama and butts heads with Maria. But, they butt heads to play too. So its not always an aggressive thing. Very often play imitates aggression, but if you're used to horses, you'll easily be able to tell the difference.

I have all females and enjoy them very much. They get along very well with my horses and its a very cute sight to see them all eating hay at the little tikes playset turned hay feeder.

 

[penelope77]

i just added two goats and they knocked each other around a bit but nothing major. if you think your confused now go ask three people what they are feeding their goats. i about ripped my hair out trying to figure out what to feed.

 

[sweetshoplady]

So true!

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
As gross as it may seem and as stinky as it is - that is Love Potion #9 to female goats.