little billy goat problems. Anyone have any insight?...

[fastrnrik]

So, I will start by saying that I don't know a whole lot about goats, so I'm hoping someone has some info that may help me. Ok.... our goat adventure started because we were wanting a pet goat around the yard , and just to play with. We found a little white pygmy billy goat on craigslist. He was a yard pet and was just what we were looking for so we brought him home. They did not know how old he was, but judging by his looks, he was mature (read-well endowed LOL) . He fit in instantly and was a sweet guy. He played with my 7 yr old son and our dogs, he rides in the rhino and golf cart, loves to be petted, etc, etc. Just a great little pet, and funny as heck to boot. He honestly thinks he's a dog. But then all of a sudden, he started acting like a nasty male- spraying on his legs & face - he does this ALL the time, so much that his face, front legs & belly are stained, spraying on whoever is standing there, constantly rubbing & marking you with his musky love scent, humping our poor basset hound, and so on & so on. His attitude has changed as well. He is still friendly, but now he will get much more aggressive and ornery as well as short tempered, to the point he is actually trying to hurt you. At first I thought it was just a rut thing and would come and go, but it has been an ongoing & worsening problem for well over a month, or maybe two, and I really don't know what to do. My obvious thought was to castrate him, but I read somewhere that once goats are mature, that cutting them doesn't help? Anyone have any input on that? My next thought was to get him a girlfriend to romance or maybe a younger billy to spar with, but I honestly just have no idea. I know if something don't change he will be visiting my smoker, which I hate to do. He'd probably give me heartburn as payback LOL. If anyone has any insight or opinions I would appreciate it.

 

[Stacykins]

So, I will start by saying that I don't know a whole lot about goats, so I'm hoping someone has some info that may help me. Ok.... our goat adventure started because we were wanting a pet goat around the yard , and just to play with. We found a little white pygmy billy goat on craigslist. He was a yard pet and was just what we were looking for so we brought him home. They did not know how old he was, but judging by his looks, he was mature (read-well endowed LOL) . He fit in instantly and was a sweet guy. He played with my 7 yr old son and our dogs, he rides in the rhino and golf cart, loves to be petted, etc, etc. Just a great little pet, and funny as heck to boot. He honestly thinks he's a dog. But then all of a sudden, he started acting like a nasty male- spraying on his legs & face - he does this ALL the time, so much that his face, front legs & belly are stained, spraying on whoever is standing there, constantly rubbing & marking you with his musky love scent, humping our poor basset hound, and so on & so on. His attitude has changed as well. He is still friendly, but now he will get much more aggressive and ornery as well as short tempered, to the point he is actually trying to hurt you. At first I thought it was just a rut thing and would come and go, but it has been an ongoing & worsening problem for well over a month, or maybe two, and I really don't know what to do. My obvious thought was to castrate him, but I read somewhere that once goats are mature, that cutting them doesn't help? Anyone have any input on that? My next thought was to get him a girlfriend to romance or maybe a younger billy to spar with, but I honestly just have no idea. I know if something don't change he will be visiting my smoker, which I hate to do. He'd probably give me heartburn as payback LOL. If anyone has any insight or opinions I would appreciate it.

What changed is the seasons. He is in rut, he is ready to breed and making himself sexy and attractive for the ladies. It is hormone driven, so there is no stopping it. And yes, often a mature buck, even if castrated, will continue the same behavior even without the massive load of hormones driving him.

Is he all alone, no other goat companion? Even if he thinks he is a dog, he really needs another goat companion. Goats are herd animals, and should not be kept alone. A wether, a castrated male, would be perfect. Do not get him a doe companion, because unless he is castrated, he will continually try and breed her. Does can be impregnated immediately after kidding, and a tenacious, lusty buck can hurt a doe with constant lovemaking. And castrating your buck might also help curb some of the full blown buck behavior during rut.

 

[fastrnrik]

Thank you for the excellent info.You confirmed a lot of what I kind of thought and filled in lots of blanks. I thought it was a rut thing and he is wanting some sexy time lol, but I guess I kind of assumed he would come out of it after a little bit, especially since there are no females here to woo. To answer your question, no there are no other goats here. That's why I was thinking of getting him a companion. Im glad you suggested a wether. I don't want a bunch of baby goats. I hear the mommas often throw twins and triplets even. Eeeek, I have no time to be raising baby goats lol. Thank you again. Now the search for a friendly little wether begins!

 

[vlmiller]

Even if he is mature it is possible to castrate them when they are older. It MAY help with some of the "bucky" issues, especially the spraying. That said, it is possible he will still act like a buck even after being fixed. I have friends band mature bucks with no issue, but it is something you might want to ask a farm vet about. Anesthesia isn't a great option, but there are ways to castrate livestock without it. Banding and using an emascualtor are a couple of those options.

Veronica