Taming A Goat Kid

[brandywine]

I agree. CAE notwithstanding, it's much healthier for the kid to be raised by her dam, and provides better mental and emotional development as well.

My girls were wild as deer the day they got here, and now they're pocket goats. Took a week.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Sorry for the delay in response.

She is MUCH better now than she was when she got here. A different goat altogether. The first day she was wild, would not come near us, we had to literally chase her down to get a lead on her collar to get her to her pen.
I started working with her the next morning, taking her out of the pen, alone and getting her up on the stand and hand feeding her the portion of grain she was to get. Treats didn't work with her, she wanted nothing to do with anything I offered.
Now I get her up on the stand and I can handle her all over, pick up her feet, rub her tummy, she'll even suck on my fingers.
She will not initiate attention or affection but once you have her she is fine with it and likes a good scratch. She has started to learn that seeing me coming means time for a walk and some nice grazing. She doesn't run from me at all anymore. She is also very quiet now and hardly says a peep. The Nigi is very loud and mouthy, and attention demanding

The Nigi is very in-your-face and she was dam raised as well so I don't agree with the bottle feeding statement I don't think.

What should I be doing with Bella (the Saanen) to get her used to handling for future showing? She may go to the county fair this summer and I have no clue what I should be doing with her to get ready for that.

 

[brandywine]

I wonder if mine are coming to me more because of the dogs?

I'm using the dogs to teach them to walk on the lead. Started with my nine-year-old matriarch, who put just a teeny bit of pressure on them from behind while I'd lead them. Then enlisted her five-year-old son, who is just as affable with stock, but bigger and more blustery. Now I'm employing the snotty little two-year-old grump, who nibbles their hocks very lightly and really keeps 'em moving.

They aren't really afraid of the dogs, but are respectful, especially of Rosie, and will come to my heels if a dog is paying attention to them.

This is great, as they can be used to start stockdogs if they become "knee-knocker goats."

But I wonder if the great friendliness towards me is a ploy to get me to "protect" them from the dogs?

Not that I'm suggesting that you menace her with a dog to get her to run to you.

But is there a way to get her to see you as a source of safety?

 

[ChickenSal]

I'm curious about the "Goat Tractor"? Is it similar to the Chicken tractor? Do you have a picture?

 

[brandywine]

Easier than a chicken tractor, but only used during the day. Just four cattle panels clipped together into a square. I'm moving every 2-3 days because our browse is heavy.

They have a stall in the barn for night.

Photo here

I hook a water bucket to one of the panels, make sure they have shade, and it's all good.

It would work even better with one goat and one sheep.

 

[ChickenSal]

The Goat tractor seems like a good idea for me. What do you do in the winter?

 

[brandywine]

By winter I'll have my primary perimeter fencing in, so the tractor won't be needed, unless I use it to get them to clear brush in other areas.

I guess one way to handle it, if you were going to continue to use the tractor through winter, would be just to make it bigger and/or move even more frequently so the goats could exploit the winter browse.

In our climate they'd need at least a windbreak, probably a small shelter, out there.

You can make hoop shelters out of cattle panels and tarps, too

 

[griffin45]

I guess you know you got the biggest goat you could possibly get! We are just beginning to work with Ober/Saanens and our new doe is big. The Saanen buck we saw at the breeders was quite another story though... He was bigger than our jack Mini-Donkey! Handle her... repeat that over and over! We got Faith milking in two days and she was never milked. She came out of a 110 acre goat encloser that held 140 goats. She was never exactly exposed to people. After a week she leads well with a collar and is well behaved on the milk stand! Her teats could be a little bigger, but 60 to 80 ounces a day is nothing complain about. I am thinking that you should get a sheep halter and try that on her and also try the Apple and Oat treats for horses. Our goats seem to like them, but these new girls love them!

Chris

 

[realmofthewoodsranch]

I got a skittish doe from a friend and she swore that the goat would never come when called in for milking, that she had to go out and catch her... Well, there's been a mighty change of personality. You should definetly take it slow with her, you need her to trust that you're not going to kill her. But in the same breath, she needs to know that you're boss and you're going to get your way.
Mine is doing much better in the shyness department. Can't approach her without dairy ration or treats, but she comes a runnin' when she hears me shake the cup of dairy ration for the nightly walk to the barn from the pen. I mean really all out running, too. She loves her dairy ration!

Good luck, and much goat fun to you!

 

[Laci7210]

Hi, I have a similar problem. I got 2 does a month ago that were born last fall or early spring. They are possibly bred, and I want to tame them before they kid if they do. They will come to the grain when I feed them, but they are still very skiddish and run out into their pen when I move closer. They weren't handled before I got them. How should I tame them? Thanks for any help and sorry for using your thread! I just thought it would be easier than starting a new one...