Food aggressive help

mamato3 · #1 04/13/11, 05:48 PM

So my 1 doe Oreo that was going to be my main project doe was planing on keep all her daughters out of her as she is a pretty black and white blue eyed Nigerian/ pygmy. has showed me a side of her that i don't like.
I noticed a month ago when i was feeding them i was standing by the feeder when she butted me. I was thinking it was a case of opps your not a goat. But as of today she went after my 2 yr old.
I let my DD go into the pen with some old bread to feed them. After she feed them she sit down and started to play in the dirt oreo came over and started smelling her. Dolly does this all the time so i was not worried. then before i could do anything she lowered her head and butted her i ran over there and smacked her bottom and got my dd out of the pen. I guess she though DD was hording some food but i dont think this is good behavior as the goats live in our backyard. Can i break her of this or should i get rid of her? She has horns i could not afford a hornless goat. Plan was to de bud all does born here i plan on keeping and selling all the horned does someday.
When i got her she was wild but has tamed down well my 2 yr old grabs her collar and drags her around the pen. Shes 1 yr old and possibility due in July as she looks puffy in the back.

KrisW · #2 04/13/11, 06:44 PM

One word ... Sell

Kris

pookshollow · #3 04/13/11, 07:28 PM

I agree. Unless you are prepared to keep your child out of the pen, the goat needs to go. Especially since she has horns! Someone in her past has taught her to headbutt - probably thought it was really cute when she was little.

mamato3 · #4 04/13/11, 08:28 PM

Ok this makes me so sad i wounder if i can find someone to trade her for a different Nigerian dwarf doe. Finding a blue eyed doe for under $100 is hard as it is by the way she is the one in my avatar.
I was starting to think maybe this was a goat behavior that all goats do. Mom had always told me goats are bad about butting your around. I told her only males do but now i guess im wrong. I was hoping i can teach her butting is a bad thing but then again she could never be trusted around kids i guess. And she was turning into a great doe to so friendly and nice. Maybe i could contact the owner and see if she would trade me for a different doe.

YuccaFlatsRanch · #5 04/13/11, 09:01 PM

My California Red Ram used to try to sneak up and butt. I cured it with having a can full of water each time I went in his pen. If he came at me he got a snootfull of water. Took about 3 cans to break him. Today, he is just a nice as can be.

PrettyPaisley · #6 04/13/11, 10:32 PM

I would definitely do something considering your daughter. I wouldn't risk it.

southerngurl · #7 04/13/11, 10:35 PM

Band the horns, that will help change her mind about butting anything. But don't let your daughter be in the pen unless she is right beside you. Get a good crop or switch and whack her if she STARTS to try anything. When the horns fall off she won't be as dangerous and you might reevaluate. But you need to transfer the respect she has for you onto your daughter. She can't be in there by herself.

natty threads · #8 04/14/11, 03:08 AM

Can't leave a two-year-old alone with livestock anyway.

julieq · #9 04/14/11, 09:26 AM

That's why we don't allow any horned goats here. Especially with our grandson visiting occasionally. If they develop scurs we have our vet take them off under general anesthesia. We've never had a standard or ND size goat that butted us on purpose though. We wouldn't put up with that type of personality.

mamato3 · #10 04/14/11, 09:39 AM

She was not alone i was in the pen just not right beside her ive been trying to clean up the pen. And the goats have always loved our company when where in there. Usually they follow me around driving me crazy as there always under foot lol. Some of what it could be is Oreo is coming up in the leader level. Dolly is boss but ive put Dolly in my kidding pen area as she is should go some day soon i think. Oreo is the next in command i think as long as there is a dominant doe over her she respects us better. But know Ive seen her personality and i don't like it. I will try to keep her tell she kids and see if i can change her personality if not guess she will be going.

natty threads · #11 04/14/11, 12:55 PM

I just don't think it's fair to get mad at the goat.
Smack her, sure, but you said the two-year-old drags her around too.

They need to learn what is and isn't okay,
and animals generally treat small children differently than they do larger children differently than they do adults.

Sell her if you need to,
but I'd give her a chance.

I am glad your daughter wasn't alone with her.

We got our good milk doe for quite a good price because she seemed threatening.

I guess she is, if you aren't paying attention.
If you are, you'll see she wants to play and won't do anything rough.

This little goat may have just been inviting your daughter to play.
She needs to learn your daughter isn't to play with that way.