This goat's a pain in the expletive. I need advice please.

[cutiepieacres]

are you sure shes overweight and doesn't just have a belly? If she truly is a pure pygmy they have big pot bellies. If she isnt nursing kids I would just have her on a mix of alfalfa and grass hay anyway, no need for any grain, though it may be helpful to hand feed her a handful once or twice a day to start taming her down. Keep working with her, you would be surprised how fast a goat will tame. I dont know that I would be trying to wrangle her down and clip hooves right off the bat(if shes not in dire need, you could tell from the top if they were) as that could be traumatic but getting her to come up and eat a hand full of grain or get her on a leash and just pet her assuring her you wont hurt her and then letting her go once she calms. Instead of dumping her I would think about getting a buddy, even a tame baby like your looking for. That will help to calm her as well as give you a baby to play with and she may eventually come out of her shell especially if she has a buddy that likes people to show her the way. But time and patience are key your not going to get anywhere overnight.

 

[Soccer Mom]

Quote:
This is excellent advice. Pygmys are actually a meat breed and have very large bodies on tiny legs. They are not a miniature goat, but a true dwarf. I'm going to guess from your description that she is probably a pygmy. Most Nigis are dehorned at birth. Pygmys are not and are one of the few breeds of goat shown with natural horns.

Yes, I would keep her on a mix of alfalfa and grass hay. Save grain for small amounts for treats when you handle her. A milking/grooming stand is a life saver with goats. You can fasten her to it and give her a bit of grain to make the experience more enjoyable. When you start her out on the stand, don't try to trim her right away. She needs to know that she will be fine up on the stand. Start out stroking her back and then down the legs. Some goats are ticklish. Let her learn to relax a bit.

If her feet haven't been trimmed in a long time, don't try to fix it all at once. Take small amounts at a time.

Having a goat buddy will make her feel much more adjusted. Getting a shy adult isn't easy, but when she learns to relax and trust, your effort will be worth it.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Just a quick FYI goats will go wild pretty quickly so she may have just not been handled enough. Like a horse you will have to gain her trust. Don't push her, let her come to you and go from there. It can be frustrating, I have done it. It took me 2 months to get my first girl tame enough to let me do anything remotely interactive with her. Now....she's more like a lapdog. It just takes time and patience. It's now the other goats I have trouble with trimming and handling. They aren't too bad and nothing like she was initially, but I have WAY more trouble out of them than her. Just give it time....for her sake. She needs to be healthy.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Well that would relieve the frustrations of the OP, but it's not going to secure the health of the goat, which seems to be the real issue here. It wouldn't be responsible to simply pass the goat along without a health check just because the animal is difficult unless the new owner demonstrates ability and willingness to handle the goat for its own good, imo.

The milk stand is a good idea because it somewhat restricts the movement of the goat. I once saw a particularly difficult goat that had to be hogtied whenever it was time to trim its hooves. Some other creative restraint methods may work, such as a frame similar to a milk stand with posts close enough to actually strap the goat's legs to so that you can free one at a time may be optimal. I would include some sort of treat for the goat whenever she enters the frame so it isn't an all negative experience for her.

I would think her weight would improve on a healthy diet and with plenty of room to play and things to climb on. Large climbing rocks or similarly rough surfaces will also help her naturally keep her hooves worn down. Also, proper minerals may help with the weight. Could it be waterweight from incorrect or insufficient minerals?

What kind of environment was she housed in before that allowed her to become overweight?

I have personally found playing music...some sort of classical or instrumental...to be beneficial in getting a goat broke to a stanchion or stand. I used to have one that would only stand quiet and let her milk down for the "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" soundtrack! And those words kind of summed up the three adult goats I had here at the time too...good, bad and ugly! The billy actually wasn't ugly, but his smell sure was!

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Had you ever seen a horn removed, or even knocked off...and how much blood is spilled in the process...you probably wouldn't find your own suggestion to be quote so lulz.

Note that the horn above is merely damaged, but still intact...now imagine if it were GONE.

Think before you post something like this.. People are stupid. Not saying the OP is stupid, but if you dealt much in goats you'd realize...people are really, really stupid and do really stupid things when it comes to goats, and a lot of it is based on bad advice from people who A) don't know a thing about a goat and B) think, for whatever reason, that goats are invincible and impervious to pain.

Just sayin'.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

As far as I know, goats don't tend to like having their udders messed with. If she's isn't in milk, and you can get a good look at them, don't press the issue. I remember someone telling me that when they're uncomfortable and want to be milked, they start accepting you touching them pretty quick.

I have a 2 year old (almost 3 year old) Pygmy doe, she's an absolute PAIN to do anything with her feet. I can touch her all over pretty much, but she'll butt you if you touch her udder, and mess with her, and I've even almost got her leash trained! She won't let you do much with her feet though, so I stick her on a chain on the wall and have someone also hold her head while I trim her hooves. It takes ages to do, when we first did it it took almost 2 hours to get them done and I could never get them really nice looking. I've been tying for a couple tirmmings, and now I use a pair of aviation snips instead of hoof trimmers and we're down to 30 minutes flat. She still kicks out, and tries to charge off, but she's only 60lbs lol.

I also have a 1 year old Pygmy doe who is quite skittish, but stands like a pro for having her feet trimmed.

Cut grain, and put her on just hay. Maybe get her a buddy, a younger goat to play with. I can tell you that she'll burn those calories pretty quickly, my two were racing around in their goat shed today head butting, and flying off the walls having a blast.

 

[PeepsInc]

I'm far from a goat expert. My friend does a great job with them tho. He would want me to warn you.(even tho a pigmy) When you make a goat into a pet, you will have a pushy,headbutting bully eventually. That can cause extreme damage to a person. They must be treated as live stock & not get highly acquainted with people. His buck could easily kill some one if he just felt the need to be petted. If they need to be milked they will wait in line to let you do it, just to be relieved. Be careful with any hoofed/horned critter.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

I'm not sure I agree with that Peepsinc, at all. I think like with any animal good training is required. If you let your goat head butt, and you think its cute, soon enough that "cute" behaviour will turn into bad behaviour and you'll get hurt.

Jus' Sayin'

 

[enola]

Tying legs to posts is just asking for a broken leg. . . . . .

 

[Jody]

Well, I'd like to say I'd never have a goats horns removed, other than disbudding at birth. Today she sat still and allowed me to brush her. She's not a bad goat, nor untame, just difficult when it comes to feet and udder. I just want to make sure she's healthy. She's not milking, and as far as I know, has not been milked since Nov 2009 when the previous owner got her. Before that, I have no idea.

She does walk on a leash. I let her free range for a while and she stayed on the property. She's not aggressive, more like playful, but still, those horns can do some harm even from a playful goat. My wife did get butted in the butt today with those horns as the goat butted her in the butt and my wife said the goat didn't do it hard, that it was like she was playing with her. When I scratch her head, she moves her head up and down, much like a cat does, but again, those horns are there.. I was thinking perhaps I can make some sort of rubber covers for them, but doubt this is practical since the horns serve a bodily function which could be impeded by doing so, so perhaps just some sort of rubber tips will suffice.

Today she sat still and allowed me to brush her and she seemed to like this and it was nice to be able to groom her, cause she needed it.

I appreciate everyone's tips and advice. She does just need to gain trust of me, so will try again soon, in the meantime, I found plans for a milking stand that I will build.

Today I picked up this baby Nigerian Dwarf buckling. He's only 8 days old. I should be getting another one within the next week or two, however, may opt for a doe instead.

Here's a photo of my Pygmy.

She really is a nice goat, but I am always cautious and wary of her horns.