My goat is trying to kill me

cmharris6002 · #1 05/09/06, 06:13 AM

I just brought home a three year old Pygmy buck/billy. He was the sweetest thing when I met him at his former home, but now I can't get near him without horns flying

Do you think he'll get better once he's used to it here. He wasn't handled much before...

BrahmaMama · #2 05/09/06, 06:31 AM

From what I understand, some goats don't handle change very well. Emily SCREAMED for three days before she settled in here. Whereas Nigel settled right in.

How long have you had him there for?

cmharris6002 · #3 05/09/06, 07:44 AM

We brought him home Sat.

He is really aggressive! We have a hard time just giving him food and water.

moosemaniac · #4 05/09/06, 08:00 AM

I think about all you can do is, at a safe distance, stay as nearby as you can as often as you can. He'll eventually get used to you, I hope.

(Peppermint horse treats are a good bribe too)

Ruth

Loda Farm · #5 05/09/06, 08:43 AM

We bought a 9 month old Fainter buck that was like that. We eventually had to have him dehorned. It did improve his attitude a bit. Two days after having it done, he charged the fence and hit it trying to get me.....Needless to say, he hurt BAD after that one. He has not head butted us since then. He will rear up like is is going to, but when he does that, I step up to him like a challenge, and he backs down immediately. 5 months later, he is finally starting to become more friendly. He has learned he likes his cheeks scratched.

Typically, I don't like smelly like a Billy, but to get him nice, I pet and scratch him a lot. Phew... lol

Laura

cmharris6002 · #6 05/09/06, 08:45 AM

How did you dehorn him?

chamoisee · #7 05/09/06, 09:20 AM

Frankly, I think you should put him down. There are too many wonderful and gentle goats in the world to waste time, money, and love on a mean one. I've had a lot of wild, freaked out goats in my time, and 99% of them are not aggressive due to not being handled...

Wendy · #8 05/09/06, 09:25 AM

I have to agree with possibly putting him down. That is a trait you do not want to pass on to any future kids. They do pass on temperament. I do not have time or patience to put up with a mean goat & they will go to slaughter in the blink of an eye if they cause me problems. I have 2 big nubian boys that are sweeties. No problems with them even during rut. You have to have a buck you can handle. You will need to trim hooves, worm, & things like that. You can't do it if he is that aggressive. Oh, get one without horns next time. Makes a HUGE difference in attitude & you don't need to worry about possibly getting hooked by a horn.

Goat Freak · #9 05/09/06, 09:27 AM

Well if he was already being friendly when you meet him, I think that once he settles down, he should go back to normal. You don't want to let him treat you like that though, spray water bottles work great, get him right in the face everytime he trys to hit you. Good Luck. Bye.

PLPP · #10 05/09/06, 09:32 AM

Try diluting vinager and put it in a squirt bottle. When he goes for you squirt him. Aim for the mouth, watch for the yes, this usually works well.

cmharris6002 · #11 05/09/06, 09:43 AM

It is VERY hard to find a pygmy that has been disbudded. Horns are considered, by most breeders, to be part of the package.

I will try the squirt gun idea. He has figured out that I am afraid of him so I might need to reestablish some sort of dominance.

I have been spending time around him and I can hold his feed bucket while he eats if I stand where he can't hit me.

The worst part is that he looks so sweet and innocent. He has a charming expression that you just want to reach out and…WHAM!

Loda Farm · #12 05/09/06, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmharris6002

How did you dehorn him?

Vet did it...$25.00 and 20 minutes. It is pretty greusome to see, but it made him an easier goat to deal with

Laura

GoatsRus · #13 05/09/06, 10:46 AM

An intact Billy will try to dominate you if you let him. Once he knows you're afraid of him, he'll keep after you until you show him who's boss. My husband had to "wrestle" our boer billy down to the ground a few times to keep him in check. However, that was when he was 100 lbs lighter. After that, we bought a cattle prod. Used it on him twice. That's all that was needed. Now if he sees the prod, he will complain, but he will walk away - don't even need to touch him with it. We only bring it out during breeding season so that we can check on all the girls. When he's in his own yard with the wether, he doesn't act up. It's an effective little tool.

witchysharon · #14 05/09/06, 11:41 AM

If he was friendly at the prior farm, it is most likely he is upset with being trasferred to a new and frightening environment. Goats hate change. I had 3 does that took almost a year before they calmed down enough for me to pet them. They are worse than lap dogs now and you couldn't find friendlier or more affectionate goats.

Give him time, use the spray water bottle trick (usually works very well), try to be quiet and calm around him when feeding, give him treats etc. resort to the cattle prod idea if his attitude doesn't change after he has had ample time to adjust to new surroundings.

If you aren't going to use him for breeding, get him castrated.

cmharris6002 · #15 05/09/06, 11:57 AM

I plan to use him to breed my does.

I think you're right Sharon, the poor little guy is just having trouble adjusting.

He is within sight of the other goats but the other buck I bought wont be weaned until the end of the month. I tried to put a couple of young wethers in with them but that turned out badly for them. even though the buck couldn't get at them they were so freaked out they beat thier heads against the fence until they were bleeding

I have hope for him yet.

Freeholder · #16 05/10/06, 01:36 AM

I have two bucks, a two-year-old Kinder, and an eleven month old Oberhasli, and even though I bottle-raised both, and both are disbudded, they will once in a while challenge me (bucks just have to do that sometimes). What I do is grab two legs on the same side, dump the buck on his back, and sit on him until he quits fighting and just lays there submissively. It may be a month or so before I have to do it again. Don't know if I'll still be able to dump the Ober buck when he's full grown, as he's going to be big for an Ober -- if I can't, he'll probably get sold. They are both sweethearts -- most of the time -- but bucks will be bucks. You shouldn't ever turn your back on a buck if you are in the same pen with him.

Kathleen

chamoisee · #17 05/10/06, 06:49 AM

What was the setting at his former home? Was he with another buck (who was possibly more dominant and kept him in line)? Did you actually handle him there, or he poked his head over the fence and was eager to get a handful of grain?

I may sound inflexible here, but however he was at the former place, if he continues to be nasty at your place, he is a danger to you, and you would be better off buying a baby buck and disbudding him. He would/should be old enough to breed your does by late fall. Have you contacted the former owners, maybe they would consider a trade or tips on his background, why he's acting this way?

I have a buck that's quite a bit bigger than me, he probably weighs 200+ lbs, and is gentle and trustworthy around my small children. Life is too short to be afraid of your own pet....

cmharris6002 · #18 05/10/06, 08:33 AM

He was the only buck. There was one doe and she had a doe kid and a little weather with her. He was kept separate but with in sight of the other goats in the chicken coop. We have a similar situation for him here, but he has his own run not a the chicken coop.

When we met him we just walked right up to him and checked him over and asked some questions, like does he lead well. She said, well… hehe…not really. So we put a new collar and lead on him then walked him to the Suburban, lifted him up and put him in, no problem. Looking back I think he was in shock that people would just walk right up and do that to him. I did notice that the former owner seemed surprised, but I had a smug little feeling that it was because we knew what we were doing.

I am getting a baby buck too; he will be in an adjoining run.

I think he was a bit better yesterday, not as brutal. I could get within reach of him and there were times he just continued to browse and didn’t charge. At any rate my vet said he would dehorn him for $10. I wish I didn’t have to do that but he will be breeding disbudded females and I don’t want them injured.

Doeseatoats · #19 05/10/06, 09:12 AM

A breeder friend of my received a full sized Alpine buck that was getting domanent at the prior owners home.

He used a mild bleach water and aimed for the eyes and nose. The buck no longer bothers him and even will come up to the fence to be petted.

I do think the vinager water sounds better. But again, it is a control thing. Good luck. L

Goat Freak · #20 05/10/06, 09:37 AM

I don't use the squirt bottle, I've just heard LOTS of people suggest it. But what I do to let them know that I am boss, is that whenever they try to fight me I kind of run at them and stop real quick, and if they hit me I hit them right in the head and shove them away from me. Good Luck with him. Bye.