Female goats and issues!

[ericagoewey]

First of all, I'd get rid of the horns. The goat doesn't need them and they can be dangerous both to caretakers and other goats. Secondly, if you want to stop this behavior, invest in a shock collar. Set the goat up and when she charges zap her. If she does this with your friend she will no doubt do so with someone else sooner or later. It would also help if your friend would stop acting like a ninny. With that idiotic fleeing behavior she makes herself a perfect target. One the goat thinks is a lot of fun to go after. The goat is right. It's not nearly as much fun to charge someone who stands their ground.

I had goats for over 40 years. At one time or another I had pet goats, a hobby herd, a show herd, and a commercial dairy. I never, except for one noteable exception, had any of my goats ever attempt to charge me or threaten me in any way, and that included breeding bucks in full rut, The exception was a young not-too-bright buckling with an oversized ego and an undersized brain. He butted me. Once. I was so mad I grabbed two handfuls of hair and hide, picked him up bodily and dumped him on his side in a mud puddle. It's amazing what you can do with a little adrenolin. He never attmpted to do anything like that again. Not ever. I never abused my animals, but I made it very clear from day 1 that I was the alpha goat.

Do NOT remove the horns. That’s incredibly cruel. Like declawing cats. Don’t alter animals’ natural bodies for your convenience. I don’t know how anyone with an ounce of compassion towards any living thing suggest removing a goat’s horns

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Do NOT remove the horns. That’s incredibly cruel. Like declawing cats. Don’t alter animals’ natural bodies for your convenience. I don’t know how anyone with an ounce of compassion towards any living thing suggest removing a goat’s horns

Welcome to BYC. This is an older post. The OP hasn't been on in years.

As far as the horn removal sometimes it's best for the safety of all involved. They can be quite cruel to each other. I had one get a broken jaw from another one hitting it in the face with it's horns. We had to put him down unfortunatly. In general goats, and their human keepers are safer when the goats are dehorned.

 

[cassie]

Do NOT remove the horns. That’s incredibly cruel. Like declawing cats. Don’t alter animals’ natural bodies for your convenience. I don’t know how anyone with an ounce of compassion towards any living thing suggest removing a goat’s horns

I can. People who know anything about dairy goats. Horns on goats are removed for safety reasons. It is for the safety of themselves, their herdmates, and the safety of their caretakers. Horned heads can and do get caught in fences. If not found in time the trapped animal can expire from being pummeled by the other goats or from heat exhaustion if it is in the sun. If a heavily pregnant goat is hit in the side, she can lose her kids. I have narrowly missed serious injury when a horned goat suddenly threw her head back and barely missed my eye with the sharp point of her horn. That particular goat did not keep her horns very long after that incident. It may interest you to know that in this country horned dairy goats cannot be shown.