Not liking the way this is heading...

BoerMomma · #1 01/05/13, 09:14 AM

Popcorn, my 130lb boer wether, seems to think he can walk all over me all of a sudden. It's been going on about a week now where as soon as I walk into his pen he's jumping on me, he's made me drop their food a number of times now and also their water bucket, he's kicked me in the face while jumping up because he's just as tall as I am when he's on his hind legs, and this morning he reared up and head butted me for the first time. I've had enough of it. Nobody has ever played with him to make him like this, I have made sure of that, and I'll be ----ed if I'M going to put up with this nonsense! I'm not the biggest of people and he's not the smallest of goats! He's only 8 months so he has quite a bit of growing to do also. This boy is destined to go to the auction if I cannot stop him from doing this.

I've tried smacking him on the bridge of his nose and he just keeps doing it, the only thing this accomplishes is him doing it squinting in fear that I'm going to whack him. I'm worried that he's going to end up hurting me, his headbutt today hurt and he half as*ed it, can only imagine a full blown one. And he has horns.

farmmom · #2 01/05/13, 09:16 AM

Start with a squirt bottle. Many goats can't stand being sprayed. I actually used my dog's electric collar on a buck that kept ramming my oldest DS. It worked wonders!

Minelson · #3 01/05/13, 09:17 AM

Have you tried a squirt bottle?

"SPIKE" · #4 01/05/13, 09:28 AM

The squirt bottle should help keep him away from you.
If you can flip him and sit on him, he will get the message to not play rough with him. Even some small women on here have talked about flipping their goats. reach under and grab his legs on the other side from you, pull on the legs while using your upper body to bush on his body. If/when he goes down, sit on him until he stops fighting. They often get embarrased and learn the lesson.
I had to flip my nubian buck a few times before he got the message. I still use the squirt bottle to keep him away sometimes when I do not want to get stinky, but he no longer gets agressive! LOL

SPIKE

harvestmoonfarm · #5 01/05/13, 09:49 AM

Check out the thread on "Aggression;" someone there has a wonderful way of dealing with mean goats (it involves throwing them to the ground).

Frosted Mini's · #6 01/05/13, 03:35 PM

I would try keeping a collar on him, or if you are worried about him strangling, keep it near his pen, and when you go in, use the collar and clip him to the fence. I think he is after attention-positive, negative, doesn't matter to him, and when he learns not to seek it in this way, and that he only gets attention when you are ready to give it, he will hopefully get better. Only acknowledge good behavior, like standing there, and not bad like the things he has been doing.

BoerMomma · #7 01/05/13, 04:26 PM

Thank you guys! I will try the squirt bottle, and he does have a collar on...I've grabbed it mid jump and pulled him back down. When I did that this morning though he got mad and that's when he rammed me, he did it again tonight....I will try the squirt bottle though

Ruby · #8 01/05/13, 06:02 PM

I won't go in the pen with Ricky with DH. He has it in for me. DH can intimidate him, I can't. The first time he tried to hurt me he rammed me from behind and almost knocked me down and scraped me with his horn. I can use a pvc pipe on him to make him back up but then he tries to circle around. DH can raise the pipe and talk loud to him and he will go away. I may try the squirt bottle.

Pony · #9 01/05/13, 07:04 PM

We had a problem with Beaux Ty when he was in rut a couple years back. Nick used a chunk of conduit to jab him in the side (hitting him on his nose didn't even faze him). Also, I imagine a hot stick can do wonders.

It may be time to decide if you're willing to tolerate a wether doing that stuff. He's only 8 months old... Were you planning to use him for cart or pack work? Is he a pet? If his function is to keep a buck company during kidding season, you may want to replace him with a smaller breed of goat. We use a little Nigerian we got from Nat Wagle. Small enough to keep in line, and has an attitude that keeps him happy to run with the big guys.

Best of luck to you.

GoatJunkie · #10 01/05/13, 08:38 PM

I've rolled goats before, but I didn't sit on them. They were young bottle fed babies that had weaned, and were feeling too big for their britches. It works. I never rolled any goat more than twice. One of my goats now is from that herd, and I remember rolling her. She must remember it too, because she does not challenge me.

The Aggression thread has great ideas. My favorite was to with hold all food and make the goat eat only from your hands. At the first sign of aggression, walk away. I suggest staying away for 20 minutes or so (it's what I used to do with Rottweilers).

Also from the Aggression thread, you may fare better if you enter the pen empty handed, only to tie him up. Then proceed with your chores.

Best of luck to you!

GoldenWood Farm · #11 01/05/13, 08:46 PM

I have rolled a couple of my boys, their britches got a bit too big so I took them down a few notches. I didn't sit on them but I did make them stay down until they stopped fighting me. If they came back for some more I gave them the exact same treatment. It took usually at the most 2-3 times before they got the idea.

I know your boy is a pet so I know you want to work with him. I would just work on putting him in his place, if you are afraid of him hurting you when your back is turned for now just tie him up when you go into the pen. My boys have never head butted me and if they ever did they would be in for a world of hurt.

I just thought of something else as well. Can you take him out and work with him on lead? Buy a halter and actually start working on leading him and give him a job to do? It might help get his focus elsewhere as well as make him useful.

Justine

Cygnet · #12 01/05/13, 09:33 PM

When he jumps up, you can also grab his feet and squeeze hard and dig your nails in. It's uncomfortable and it gets the point across very quickly that jumping on people isn't fun. Do it calmly and quietly. Jumping isn't usually aggression, but the goat needs to learn better manners.

A head butt or any sort of aggressive move using horns or biting gets a swift reaction from me. I'm pretty quick to flip and sit on a goat if a smack to the nose doesn't work. (I reach over the back of the goat, under the belly, and flip the goat like you would a calf.)

Do stay calm and pick a soft spot for flipping the goat (a pile of leftover hay chaff works great.) You don't want to knock them down on hard ground as they can be injured.

Ruby · #13 01/05/13, 09:41 PM

Mine is much to large for me to flip, DH has done it before, I think that's why Ricky respects him. but my DH is 6' and weighs 250 lbs. I'm 5'4 and have arthritis.

Cyngbaeld · #14 01/05/13, 09:47 PM

Last one tried that on with me took a .22 between the eyes. It is not only annoying, a large goat, with or without horns, can butt a person to death. Don't take chances.

BoerMomma · #15 01/05/13, 10:40 PM

Thank you guys for everything! I'm willing to try whatever, the two wethers is all I have anymore after having to move and rehome everybody.

I know when I made this thread I was opening it to everybodys opinions but I'm sorry, I'm not putting a .22 between the eyes on this one. I don't think he is meaning to be aggressive.

I'm new to goats, and I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the behavior but he is a bottle baby and it just seems in his eyes ALL attention MUST be on him! I have another little pygmy wether who was dam raised and is friendly but not overly friendly.

I guess I will give him a chance atleast, and if I can't handle him, then I'll either find someone who can, or I'll send him off.

MeanestMommy · #16 01/06/13, 06:29 AM

It sounds to me like he is being a rowdy teenager and testing you to see what he can get away with. Try grabbing and firmly twisting his ear when he starts getting rough - biting ears is something goats will do to discipline each other or establish the pecking order.

A wether I had a few years ago started rearing up and butting me HARD every time I entered the pen - he easily outweighed me and could have really hurt me if he caught me off guard. He didn't like being squirted with water, but he was persistent and spraying him didn't stop the behavior. I read about ear pinching in one of my goat books (I think it was Storey's Guide, but I can't recall for sure), and it worked. I have since adopted it as my typical correction for bad behavior and I find it very effective.

Minelson · #17 01/06/13, 06:45 AM

Since it just started out of the blue it sounds like he just discovered his power or something. I think you can train him to stop...just be careful! I like Goldenwoods idea of teaching him to lead. He needs to learn that you are the boss.

Minelson · #18 01/06/13, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeanestMommy

It sounds to me like he is being a rowdy teenager and testing you to see what he can get away with. Try grabbing and firmly twisting his ear when he starts getting rough - biting ears is something goats will do to discipline each other or establish the pecking order.

A wether I had a few years ago started rearing up and butting me HARD every time I entered the pen - he easily outweighed me and could have really hurt me if he caught me off guard. He didn't like being squirted with water, but he was persistent and spraying him didn't stop the behavior. I read about ear pinching in one of my goat books (I think it was Storey's Guide, but I can't recall for sure), and it worked. I have since adopted it as my typical correction for bad behavior and I find it very effective.

I thought wow...what a great tip! Then I remembered that Pony (who I am trying to train) doesn't have enough ears...lamancha!

Dusky Beauty · #19 01/06/13, 12:54 PM

Capron on the hoof imo

noeskimo · #20 01/06/13, 01:17 PM

I'm 60, bad knees, slightly overweight, and out of shape. When my to-be cart-wether, Alpine/Lamancha butted me,8months, 85 lbs, I knew that if I didn't throw him then, he'd go to auction.So I jumped him, grabbed underneath, low on his legs, and threw him. I then sat on him (the easy part) When he gave up, I struggled to my feet and went inside and changed my pants. He's been good ever since.