New Goat Owner Needs Help!!!

[Iowa Roo Mom]

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Just grab the thing and check- Sure it'll be unhappy for a minute, but it's better than taking the "wait and see" approach. Castration is best done ASAP.

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If the goat is not socialized, what makes you think that it's going to let you get close enough to grab it's horns as opposed to any other part of it?

 

[cmjust0]

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You corner it and snag a horn as it tries to blow past you. Been there, done that a thousand times. I've got two that you literally can't touch with a 10' pole on open ground, but if you corner them and watch where their head is going, you can usually snag a horn on the third or eighteenth pass.

Not saying it's fun, and I'm not saying I enjoy having goats like that, but if these two were disbudded...forget it. I'd have to use a dart gun or a lasso or something. I'm dead serious.

The two I'm talking about, btw, are gonna sprout wheels pretty soon. I just gotta get around to doing it.

 

[Love my Critters!]

Ha...Ha... thats funny. I had one I had to actually lasso everytime we had to do anything to her (trim hooves, vaccinate, etc.) because she had been disbudded. That made me laugh out loud because of the memories.

People going down the road would pull over to watch the free rodeo!

 

[taraann81]

Isn't this goat a pygmy? I don't think pygmies are usually disbudded. Aren't they one of the few breeds that can be shown with horns?

To the OP. Just grab it, and check, or watch it. If the pee comes out the back end and the goat sorta squats(think girl dog) its probably a girl. If the pee seems to come out closer to the middle of the belly and the goat leans forward a bit its probably a buckling.

Also don't be afraid to grab it, I am sure that you want it to be friendly anyway so, the more handling you do the better.

 

[cmjust0]

See?!? Horns aren't ALL bad -- especially if your goats are wild as March hares!

Horns also make a good immobilizer system when you've gotta straddle one and grab it by the chin to drench or bolus or hold for someone else to give a shot, etc.. Pull the V of the horn back over your upper leg with your thumb across the inside of their lower jaw and bam...they're DONE. Get one snagged like that and you could paint its toenails with your free hand if you wanted.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

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Sooooo, did they say they gave you a buck or a doe?

 

[KinderKorner]

Horns are NOT good in any circumstance. It might be 'easier' to grab. But it would be even easier to tame it enough to let you pet it. That is what it's going to be anyway right... A pet.

I have a goat who didn't not get dehorned well enough and has grown back about 3" horns. Even with those little ones. When you pet her and she throws her head up or moves around you I have been hit several times. She wasn't trying to. She was just being friendly, and accidently knocked into me with her head.

Also trimming hooves. I have someone hold my goats while I cut, which are very very tame. But even then they wiggle a bit, and my friend got hit in the face several times, and was all bruised.

Another friend was petting their goat, and it just heard something and turned it's head quickly and ripped her leg open 5".

Two of my friends had their goats horns get stuck in the fence overnight. And die in the cold.

Get it dehorned. It's better for everyone. Really it is.

Don't feed corn. If it's a boy it will cause urinary problems. So will sweet feed.

Goodluck with your goat. They make wonderful pets.

Kelsee, at Kinder Korner Goat Ranch

 

[tagra123]

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Cracked corn has a Ca ratio of about 1:4. If you're mixing cracked corn with pelleted feed, you're throwing the entire Ca ratio off on your feed. If you're feeding ANY cracked corn to bucks or wethers, you're pretty much begging for a case of urinary calculi.

There was a lot of post after the above, but I'm just gonna stop there and say to the OP....get a vet lined up. It's never a bad idea to have a vet handy, even if it's just to call and ask a question.

Yes, they cost money.. My personal view is that if you can't afford the occasional vet bill, you can't afford the animal. It's like buying a car without thinking about the cost of maintenance......I mean, if you can't afford to replace a $1000+ set of 33x12.50 buckshot mudders every 30K miles, maybe you don't need a monster truck.

Just sayin'.

I must be so stupid. Do you feel better now?

Do some of you realize that the words are typed by people and not the screen. If someone asks for advice then give them advice, not a lecture, and not a scolding.

Gee - What did folks do before there were vets? Could it be our grandparents did the vets job themselves? I have nothing against the vet and use them for my pets but not the farm animals.

If you are not comfortable doing shots and worming and the myriad of other tasks on the farm then hire a vet. I choose to do it myself.

A goat, just like a deer will find corn if they were rummaging through the field. People are WAY TOO concerned about the perfect diet -- just look at the list of everything that is poison on the poison chick list. Get real! Our goats have to try everything that they see when we go for walks.

We fix the boys (wethers) and leave the horns on. Our goats are very healthy, but there are people that are hypochondriacs and I suppose they need constant reassurance for their animals too. I know people love their animals, we love ours, but they are just animals.


I'll agree for most people it is good to have a vet in an emergency, but most things you can do yourself. If it came to the point that I couldn't help the animal, I'd more than likely cull it. I raise my goats for milk and meat, so maybe that makes a difference -- the males aren't going to make it past a year old anyway. My goats are very healthy and taste great. Our goats are cross bred for farm use, not show and it really does make a strong healthy animal.

I know people that feed them nothing but hay and the animals manage to get by -- not ideal.

The corn bothers wethers more than those producing hormones as usual but the corn makes the meat taste good. Ours are not pets and we don't jam pack them full of meds or put them in jeopardy with their diet. The amount of corn I give them isn't going to bother them -- just a little for a treat.


Our experience has proven that corn is like candy to a goat and it doesn't really hurt them given in small amounts.

 

[tagra123]

2. Goat Pellets - make for decent feed - we feed about 1/2 big coffee can of pellets per goat per day. We mix a little little cracked corn for taste with the pellets in the morning for a treat.

Remember, she has a pygmy. 1/2 of a big coffe can of grain per day is WAY too much for a pygmy. wink Just wanted to mention that in case nobody else caught it.
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I missed the pygmy part when I first read the post. Nice looking goat though.​

 

[that_crazy_lady]

ahh fiascofarms, that site is worth $$$$$ to me, she has so much info on there.

the longer you have goats the more things you ask. so I'd look for a good goat forum like goattalk.com or something like that. they are worth it too



I don't think bucks stink, even in rut. but it's not right to keep them as pets, same as any other livestaock. and if you goat has horns you pay attention. I've had with and with out, just gota see to it they don't get stuck

get it a budy and keep learning

thats all I'm going to say on this one