Hi guys. Just found this thread. We've had Nigerians for about a year now. We currently have 5. We have one stinky buck and one 4 month old buck. I don't think I can handle the stink of two so we're going to have to decide which one is going to be whethered. And the young one does some serious screaming. But it's just for attention. He does it when he's separated from the other goats and we're not with him. This should stop as he gets older but right now it's just a matter that he has been separated from his mom and finds himself alone every once in a while.
I work too much to be very involved in their feeding so the wife handles all that. I wish I had more time to spend with them. I do enjoy them and watching their antics.
What I find odd is how tiny two of our females are. They are a year old and just ever so slightly larger than the 4 month old buck. They probably weigh between 15 and 20 pounds. They have both been in heat a few times but we're afraid to let the adult buck breed with them. We're concerned they won't be able to handle a pregnancy if the kids are too big. It's a pain keeping them apart but we want the girls to get a little older and hopefully go through a growth spurt or something before we let them breed.
The other thing I find interesting is the comments about training and positive reinforcement vs negative and the comparison between goats and dogs when it comes to intelligence and learning. First, I am absolutely not arguing the point. I don't have enough experience with them to debate the issue. But my observations so far have been that they just don't care about discipline one way or the other. They don't have the desire to please that a dog has. While they have the "good spots" when I'm scratching them, they just take it or leave it when it comes to petting. And I have been trying to work on their rudeness when it comes to food. When they jump up on us for food, I can push the girls down but the grown buck is more persistent. I have pushed him down and he comes right back up. I have even used the same method as I use for dogs and knee him in the chest. That gets his attention but it triggers his competition instinct. He wants to put his head down and challenge me. He isn't really aggressive, he just wants to spar with me as if I have challenged him by kneeing him. He's really a very sweet boy, he just has bad habits. (he was already grown when we got him) And I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wish there was some way of stopping a goat from peeing all over himself...lol.
I built a three level playground for them. The first level is low enough the can jump up onto it but I also put steps up to it. The second level is at such a height they can't jump up onto it but they regularly jump off. This level also has a ramp and a slide. Then the upper level, accessible only by jumping up from the middle level, has safety rails around it so they can enjoy the height but not be tempted to jump off or accidentally fall off if they get to pushing each other around. It's a work in progress and there will be other levels added. I'll post pictures someday when it's done.
I work too much to be very involved in their feeding so the wife handles all that. I wish I had more time to spend with them. I do enjoy them and watching their antics.
What I find odd is how tiny two of our females are. They are a year old and just ever so slightly larger than the 4 month old buck. They probably weigh between 15 and 20 pounds. They have both been in heat a few times but we're afraid to let the adult buck breed with them. We're concerned they won't be able to handle a pregnancy if the kids are too big. It's a pain keeping them apart but we want the girls to get a little older and hopefully go through a growth spurt or something before we let them breed.
The other thing I find interesting is the comments about training and positive reinforcement vs negative and the comparison between goats and dogs when it comes to intelligence and learning. First, I am absolutely not arguing the point. I don't have enough experience with them to debate the issue. But my observations so far have been that they just don't care about discipline one way or the other. They don't have the desire to please that a dog has. While they have the "good spots" when I'm scratching them, they just take it or leave it when it comes to petting. And I have been trying to work on their rudeness when it comes to food. When they jump up on us for food, I can push the girls down but the grown buck is more persistent. I have pushed him down and he comes right back up. I have even used the same method as I use for dogs and knee him in the chest. That gets his attention but it triggers his competition instinct. He wants to put his head down and challenge me. He isn't really aggressive, he just wants to spar with me as if I have challenged him by kneeing him. He's really a very sweet boy, he just has bad habits. (he was already grown when we got him) And I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wish there was some way of stopping a goat from peeing all over himself...lol.
I built a three level playground for them. The first level is low enough the can jump up onto it but I also put steps up to it. The second level is at such a height they can't jump up onto it but they regularly jump off. This level also has a ramp and a slide. Then the upper level, accessible only by jumping up from the middle level, has safety rails around it so they can enjoy the height but not be tempted to jump off or accidentally fall off if they get to pushing each other around. It's a work in progress and there will be other levels added. I'll post pictures someday when it's done.
