My goats are drivung me CRAZY
 

I have two brush goats, a male( year) and a female (4 years).

For some reason, the last several months, they stand at the fence whenever my hubby & I go in the yard/to the car, etc., and just bah/neigh loudly and repeatedly.
It's like they're starving or something, which they are definitely not.

They have a 2 acre field, with green stuff up to their stomachs & over their heads.
They have water.
They get pelleted feed 2-3 times a week.
They have a salt block.

They didn't USED to do this....and it's so annoying, I'm thinking of getting rid of them.
Oh, if we go over there & pay attention to them, or give them a treat, they'll stop.
But just momentarily.

Any ideas?

are you spending time with them besides at feeding? They may be lacking human companionship..

No, I don't spend time with them., not more...not less.
Never did, they're there for weed eating purposes, not pets

I feed them, give them water, clean the shed.
That's why i got the 2 of them, so's they could keep each other company.
Cows don't come looking for company.....
We had this overgrown field we want to eventually make a pasture out of, and some people said goats would be good to clear the field.
Riiiight.
They ate the tree leaves they could reach, and ignore they overgrown weeds & grass.

hmm. I don't mean to sound harsh but it sounds to me like you need to do a bit of research on your animals. Never a good idea to buy into something before you know a bit about it.

That said My advice is for you to give/sell the goats to a home that will make sure they are cared for properly. Or take the time and responsibility to do so yourself.

You have found a wonderful place to find information,
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Brush control. That's the reason I got goats. We were so overgrown that you couldn't see the barn and coop from the house. Well, they are it down, after ex DH cut if all down with a bush ax, piled it up and burned it. He said they liked brush just fine, once it was barbequed. :bash: I have discovered one thing about goats... They never do what you want them to do. My daughter says the difference between a goat and a cow is a cow knows it is stupid and has no problem with it. But goats are stupid, but think they are smart and that's where the problems begin. Good thing for my bad goats that I feel in love with them. Good luck with yours.

"That said My advice is for you to give/sell the goats to a home that will make sure they are cared for properly. Or take the time and responsibility to do so yourself."
I'm sorry, but I take issue with this statement.
How am I not "caring for them properly"?????
By not treating them like lap dogs?

They are feed good goat food, get water, have a nice new shed.....
They get hay in winter, and straw in the house when it's cold.

So, how am I "mistreating" them?? :shrug:

Its obvious that you have very limited knowledge about goats (or any other farm animals for that matter), and from your previous post it seems you don't really have any interest in learning.

I'm not saying your not caring for the animals, I'm saying there are probally other things you should be doing that you may not be aware of, thus why they are crying. Its not simply a matter of feed, water,clean with any animal.

OK Pcdreams...I really don't want to, and will not argue the point with you.

I have chickens....(I've had horses until 1990)....and currently have 4 dogs & 2 cats.

I don't think the farmer who raises chickens, or pigs or cows for production cares one diddly whether he's giving them "enough attention/huggie time".
He only cares that they're healthy, and do the job they're supposed to.
(making milk, eggs,or putting on weight for the slaughterhouse)

These goats are NOT pets...they are service animals.(like dairy cows or steers)
I never intended for them to be pets.

Now, my dogs?
My cats?
Those are my sweeties.

I'm sorry, i intended to get ideas on what is wrong, not "you need to hug them more".

THAT'S why I came here.

Sorry I wasted your time :grit:

what I THOUGHT I was trying to convey was perhaps they needed nails cut, or something of that nature.

two goats will not be able to clear a whole pasture like that. with so much to choose from they will only eat what they like. You can probably find a large herd somewhere which you could pay to keep over here, or if the owners is looking for a temporary place for his herd he could even pay you to house them.
goats also need baking soda, regular hoof trimmings, wormings, and shots.
just trying to help!!
~Dona

Baking soda???

What for?

I didn't think I needed to mention hoof trimmings.
That's like shoing a horse, something that if you have a horse, you *need* to do.
I knew about that.

Baking soda...goats get gassy basically. Mineral blocks are a good idea too.

Ruth

Unlike the above goats are more people animals. Even with my large herd they still love a pat or two.

To me it seems they are fed up with being left alone. Now if you got some goats that where wilder than heck and you NEVER touched them. You wouldn't have this problem. But like many people comment goats are like dogs. Lol they LOVE attention and will beg for it.

And smilinpossum you would be very suprised at how many people DON'T know that they have to trim hooves or what not. Or even worm and stuff. So we try to make sure they are doing that and know that it does need to be done.

If I was you if you don't want them baaing at you just ignore them and never give them treats or anything. You are teaching them that if they baaa they get treats and get pet. If you really only want them for brush just ignore them and only handle them when need be.

Hope I didn't offend anyone here :cowboy: .

MotherClucker

You joking, we always say that the problem with goats is that they are too smart and so when you want them to do something just say no. To each is own, ares really are smart though, very sweet animals.

You might have a point, mineALWAYS tell me whrn they are having hoof problems, they do not cry though because they know that if they walk funny or don't get up I will know what is wronge and take care of them.

They were wilder goats...the guy had a heck of a time catching them.

Anyway, I guess what I'm asking is this:

They won't eat the stuff that's in the field, they only want tree leaves or such.
They'll stand at the fence and LOUDLY complain.

Even 30 minutes after we feed them goat feed, they complain. :viking:

Meanwhile, they're standing belly deep, and some over their heads in green growing stuff WHICH...if we pull it and hand it to them, most times they'll eat it.
But graze on thier own???
Nah. Not in the last few months.
Their teeth are fine, they have no trouble eating carrots or apples.

I didn't buy these guys as pets, i bought (last year in May) them to help keep down the brush.
WHICH they did....until this past July or thereabouts.
Then they turned into continuoos whiners.

smilinpossum - even though my approach is so very different than yours, I must agree that you are NOT abusing them by not giving them attention.
It sounds as if all their basic needs are met.
Although from what you said, I think it may be possible that you have trained them to act this way. They scream, you walk over to pet them, they stop. Do they start yelling again before you even stop giving attention?
I agree that you need to get LOTS more goats to get that brush cleaned out, and that it would be better to find someone who would agree to put their goats on your place - then the care for them can be THEIR responsibility.

My goats are pets. All 30 of them. LOL. My children can tell who is crying just by hearing the voice - they know all 30 different voices - how's that for amazing? We also have 2 cats that are pets and 6 chickens that are not pets. :)

Rachel

Hi Smilinpossum

You should have gotten a brush mower! Lower maintenace and you can put it in the shed when you don't need it. It is also alot less picky about what it will "eat". Only noisy while in use.

My goats want attention, too. In your case, since giving them a pat seems to work and doesn't make them louder, I would just do it - and consider it part of "maintenance" like checking the oil.

Goats can't seem to help it - when they were bred into domestication they seemed to acquire a yen for human contact. You don't want them for pets ... but it is still something they crave. They just aren't brush mowers anymore!

I can tell which goat is which as well, it is very easy after you REALLY get to know them aka spending hours at a time with them. Gotta love the goats. :p

Sorry, I wpuld just like to point out that goats prefer trees and bushs to grass anyday, they also seem to enjoy weeds but not grass.

Don't feed them pelleted feed. Make them eat the stuff. They will eat it. Mine eat grass it just isn't natural for them so they have to learn. Also boers are the best grass eaters. But with my goats when they have nice fresh grass up and coming in their pen I cut back on their hay a lot so they have to eat the grass and they do just fine. (except with my milkers they still get alfalfa and grain).

But just let them eat the grass as their food.

MotherClucker

"Don't feed them pelleted feed. Make them eat the stuff. They will eat it. But just let them eat the grass as their food."
"Sorry, I would just like to point out that goats prefer trees and bushs to grass anyday, they also seem to enjoy weeds but not grass."So, MotherClicker...how long do I listen to their pitiful bahing before they'll figure out no goodies & eat the stuff?

BTW...the green stuff that's belly deep and some over their heads ARE weeds...not grass. Must just be weeds they don't care for...but hell......
You think they'd eat *that* rather then stand there & starve themselves. :grump:

I am not sure Smilinpossum. They will complain for a while but they will start to eat it (from what you said I thought it was grass they where eating..my bad).

I am not sure how long it will take though..sorry...

MotherClucker

I love loving my goats! They are so affectionate. It is better than hugging some humans because unlike some people they nuzzle and lean in and love to be touched.
Even our chickens are pets. Sure I got them for the eggs, and the goats for the milk. But I have enjoyed them so much that when I was raising the chickens I even forgot we were going to get eggs from them some day! We line our lawn chairs up in front of the coop and stare at them! I remember the day I was looking at them with my dh and I said, "Oh yeah! We're going to get eggs from them too!"
We pet the chickens, pick them up and cuddle them...give them treats...
We did butcher most of the excess roosters, we only want one very calm guy who is big and beautiful and so far not very aggressive. My tiny 9 yo dd can catch him and pick him up without too much struggle.
smilinpossum, maybe you would enjoy making them into pets? You say your cats and dogs are your sweeties---goats are real sweeties too! A lot of farmers I know (and this is farm country so I know a lot of farmers) still care about their individual animals. Even those destined to be butchered seem to come in for a lot of care and attention...the milking heifers, the horses, and on and on---all animals benefit from an affectionate relationship with their owner...you never know---you might like it too! Giving animals affectionate attention is positive experience for us people too!
If I keep waxing rhapsodic here I may end up hugging the trees...better quit while I can!
Blessings, Jillis

We have three goats that are very vocal as well. They are all dam raised and were very standoffish when we got them back in April. Now they are somewhat tamed and cry real tears when they have not had their "quality time". Sometimes they just want us to go down and talk to them. Annabelle has reverted back to standoffish but still wants us to come down and hang out. Mine also like to browse in the trees instead of eating what is on the ground but we also spoil them by giving them sweet feed, goat feed and alfalfa pellets along with hay. I got them for milking after they get older so the weed control is not important.

Sherry in Ga

Yep, sure is true, our mutt goats will barly touch the grass but the Boers just sit there munching away. Gotta love 'em.

Hey Jillis, just wanted to say that you are absoulutly right. We have a doe that if you do not give her attention when she sees you, she will walk up to you, tilt her head, and look you in the eye as if to say "well hurry up would you". I love her SO MUCH! She just sits there and lets you hug her around her neck, and my 10 year old brother and my 2 year lod sister actually ride her, she is a VERY large Boer doe. Well just wanted to share my Queenies personality with ya, Bye.

We have a little Boer doeling, Gabby, tha she will keep baaing unless you talk to her or hug her. It is really funny because it is knida like this, "BAAA" "Hello how are you doing today Little Miss Gabby" "BAAA" "You can be quiet now." "BAAAAAAAA" " You are beginning to annoy me." "BAAAAAA" "Well Bye." "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB AAAAABAAAAAAA". I love my goaties.

My new Nubian has actually yelled herself into laryngitis! :-) Jillis!

It sounds as though the goats have definately been trained to be noisy. Its the same in training any animal on earth. Don't reward the behaviour that you don't like!! If the goats are supposed to be browsers, why feed them pellets?...especially if they have been fed after baaing! Electric fences in small chunks of pasture and several hogs would be a better pasture restorer anyways in my opinion.

smilinpossum --- it's true - goats always do the opposite of what you want them to do! And it's so very discouraging not to be able to figure out what it is they want - especially when they're noisy about it. I literally have to shove mine out of the barn in the morning to go out and graze and then have to beg them to come in the barn at nite. And my Boers do not like grass even a little bit but my Saanan loves it. They all would prefer to stand in the barn all day and munch hay. And they have access to about 15 acres of everything they could possibly want - trees, weeds, grass - everything! I'm sorry to say this - but in my observations, the most content goats I have seen are the ones who have everything you give yours but without the fussing. In otherwards, shelter, feed and water. They seem to rely on each other more than their human caretakers. I even wonder about giving them grain sometimes - the goats I have observed that are out browsing without grain are plenty fat and healthy, and don't act crazy like mine do at feeding time. What if you were to stake them out in their pasture during the day for a couple of weeks - maybe it would get them in the habit of grazing out there and not hang around at the fence. I do not favor tying goats out but, again, I have seen much success with folks who do that. I often wonder why my 1000# horses can be so gentle with me when my 125# goats can be so difficult!

I know there are people here who feel about their goat the way i feel about my dogs, and that's cool.
That just isn't me.
I don't WANT to "love on" these guys.
If you don't understand that, or it offends you, too bad.
OTOH, I don't get people who dump dogs off on the side of the road.
But.....I digress..

At this point, goat curry is sounding pretty good...
Even if we could afford a mower or bush-hog, it would never fit in there.For several logistic reasons.

If they wouldn't be so LOUD and CONTINUOUS, I wouldn't care, but my hub & I can't even sit out in the yard any more, for all their racket, and we've taken to sneaking out the back door to feed the chickens, so the goats don't see us & come running up to the fence & start hollering.

It really sounds like they're just being .... goats.

If you want to re-train them you'll have to listen to them yell till they figure out it won't work anymore. They actually are trainable in a strange sort of way. You can also start spraying them with a hose or squirt gun when they yell - goats hate to get wet.

If the time comes, any recipe that works well for lamb will also work with goat. ;)

Get two or three more goats.Problem solved.

.
Hi smilinpossum:

It won't make any difference what kind of goats you have or how many you have ( even if you have 50 goats ) if you feed them free choice hay and lots of feed, and treats in the pasture they will NOT eat the weeds or brush that you want them to eat.

My brush goats eat brush and are plenty fat enough and in good health.

I bought my goats to grass, brush, weeds, and leaves off of trees, and to kill small trees, and they do a good job.

I did not by these goats to waste money on buying costly feed and hay, and pellet feeds.

It sound like your goat have got you trained just fine.
When they holler you come running and reward their hollering by feeding them the treats that they like.

When the goats get hungry they will eat more leaves and then the brush and even the grass if they are hungry.

The only time my goats get feed is just before dark and then they only get what would fit in the palm of your hand and not piled up high.

When they see me feed time they come running because they know that it is time for a treat and NOT a banquette dinner fit for a king ! ! !

I have had many herds of brush goats and they all acted the same, and did the job I bought them for work, not me working all the time just to make them happy.

You only feed a goat when they have nothing else to eat. Keep and eye on them and if they start loosing weight then feed them a little until they have the weight that you want.

Let the buffet be the pasture of weed, brush, and grass which is cheep ! ! !

No my goats are NOT pets.
But I do take care of my goats, and their needs ! ! !

bumpus
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Just forget the goats and go buy half a dozen sheep.

I agree about the sheep comment. QUieter, more independant. I'd suggest Barbados. They're wild as hell (at least any of the ones I"ve come in contact with) and are excellent with brush. I dont' think mine EVER make a peep.

Hey now,goats are way better then sheep.Just chain them to a tree
for a few hours(with water of corse). Then they dont have
"choise feed" but the food you put in front of them.

I'm not done reading, so I dont know if anyones mentioned this yet ....but what you really need are sheep. Sheep eat grass more (like cows) and goats eat...well....brush. Anything you DONT THINK could be eaten...they'll eat it. Lost 5 rose bushes that way. I have five dairy goats (not that many) and they pretty much are akay to themselves, but they are still sweet and like to be petted. Lots of goats are raised with more interaction than cows, which is why I think (my personaly opinion) why they act more like dogs than livestock. Growing up my sister and I had a Nubian (not all that there up there anyway.....by the way ....do you know what breed your two are???) wether. He was a NUT!!! We used to carry him everywhere. He rode fourwheelers with us. When left alone he'd climb into the porch swing and rock. What other animal can open their own gate and walk out??? But......(as that is neither here nor there) I think your purpose might be better acheived with sheep. (GOOD LUCK....and you thought your GOATS were fast movers!!!) grin.

Ok, this is just speculation, but I think there are three possible things that could be going on with these goats, assuming it's food related and not a health issue:

1) They know you will feed them pellets sometimes, they just don't know when exactly since you feed them 2-3 times per week. Perhaps you've even been "reminded" to feed them by their baaing and that just reinforced their noisiness. (it really sounds like this one combined with #2 to me)

2) The weeds grew up too much and became unpalatable. If you keep it mowed to encourage soft green growth, that will solve that. But that would defeat your purpose of having goats, wouldn't it? If you had some grass eaters in there with the goats, that might be mutually beneficial to each kind of animal.

3) The ate everything they'll ever want to eat. Are the weeds that are left a nice variety, or is it mostly all one thing? What is it? I know a lady that's been raising goats for years. She has a pasture full of some kind of weed; I think she called it horse mint. None of the goats will touch it. Mine won't eat Red Buckeye, but that's a good thing since it's poisonous.