What to do with a doe that won't allow handling

hobbit · #1 12/01/14, 08:03 PM

Hi all. So this some one of our pair of does died suddenly. Not wanting to have our surviving doe suffer from loneliness in addition to losing her sister, I immediately picked up another doe to keep her company. Unfortunately,in the hurry to find a companion, the doe we got is completely unfriendly. Not at all aggressive, just super timid. It took me months to get her to allow me to touch her while she eats, and she won't come near me any other time. Now after a recent trip to the vet she wont come near me at all.Our other doe is lap dog friendly.
How am I supposed to deal with such a doe? I can't imagine how I'm going to stay on top of trimming her feet, let alone help her kid and milk her!
I need your help wise people. We are just a small homestead, and I can't afford to keep an animal I can't milk, but I can't really afford to keep buying new goats. How do I win her over?

mrstillery09 · #2 12/01/14, 08:11 PM

I'm sorry your in such a difficult situation. We had a buck who is similar. He never wants to be touched or petted though he will stay close by if his pals are around. I would try to associate you with food. Maybe offer animal crackers when she gets close to you? Maybe just try sitting in her pen and letting her make the moves. Now would also be a good time to try to work with her in getting on a stanchion or wherever you would milk her. Feed her, treat her with a cookie... Make it positive. Then as she gets more comfortable give her pets, and start petting her more. I hope you find something that works!

CraterCove · #3 12/01/14, 08:15 PM

Get her pregnant and be present for the birth, get the goop on you and let her lick you clean. It has worked for me before. My once completely wild doe will deign to be handled now and my once standoffish doe now is second to the fence any time I come out. I have had good luck with that and it's made my life easier.

However, knowing what I do now I would not again purchase a doe that wasn't human friendly. It's such a hassle!

And yes, lots of treats and quiet time just sitting with them helps a lot.

GoldenWood Farm · #4 12/01/14, 09:59 PM

Find out what treats she likes and also if she was my doe I would be working with her a lot. If you catch her don't let her go until she is relaxed and calm, lots of sweet talking. I second the having her bred, be present for the birth and rub the birth goo on you. Hormones are STRONG and that has turned around a few not so friendly does I have met.

The only time it didn't work was on one CRAZY wild doe who was just high strung and terrified of everything. She was sold because it was just a part of her personality and not something I could overcome. I would just keep working with this doe and honestly if she where mine I would catch her, put a halter on her and work with her. By work I mean leading her around while feeding treats, keep it positive. This is the biggest reason of why I bottle raise my kids, I prefer to have easy to handle does from the get go

.

Good luck with your girl!

Justine

**mygoat** · #5 12/02/14, 12:34 AM

If it were me in YOUR situation...

I'd probably keep doing what you're doing, but start feeding her a little bit and when you can get near to pet her, try to get a leash on her and take her into the milk stand to finish her ration. Play with her udder and go through all the motions of milking her. Go out extra to hand out treats.

Personally, I would probably breed the doe to the best buck I could find, kid her out, and take a nice daughter off of her at a few days old, and leave the rest of the kids on her. Raise the daughter to be your tame dairy goat, and keep her dam as a brood doe (eating meat kids) or butcher her and the rest of her kids out. I am short on time and patience though, and the other method DOES work for people. I'd suggest plan A with a backup plan B. :P

Doug Hodges · #6 12/02/14, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraterCove

Get her pregnant and be present for the birth, get the goop on you and let her lick you clean.

I was told something very similar the other day about a doe I bought from someone and have trouble catching.

Can I just say "get a buck to get her pregnant" and I shouldn't have to finish the rest of my thoughts. Is it to early? Should I think before I type? 😊

http://www.spottednubian.com/index.html

Nancy_in_GA · #7 12/02/14, 06:40 AM

Try brushing her with a stiff hair brush.

lovinglife · #8 12/02/14, 08:54 AM

I had two like that. When they kidded I was there and took the kids to be bottle babies, milked the moms. The first couple days were difficult but they came around and did bond to me. Now they are the most friendly girls you could ask for. Great milkers and tame and most important, are in fact bonded to me. It works, you become like the baby and are not the big scary monster they once believed. These guys were terrible before, trying to jump through the fence to get away from me, had to corner them to catch them, not fun, but complete turn around now.

wvsjwest · #9 12/02/14, 02:15 PM

For a month or two before my untouchable girl was due I sent my granddaughter out with a grooming brush and a bowl of pellets she would only let her brush her for one stroke for a week then 2 strokes then 3 but after about a month when she saw the brush she would stop and stand now we are awaiting our second freshening and she follows me around like a puppy I only milked her for 5 months but she is the best milking goat I have now. She stands (even without the stand)and even though she is still timid she is respectful and gentle I love her and she was worth the time it took to gentle her. don't give up find what she likes and work with it if its food feed her in the milk stand only don't touch her at first then add a pet here and there until she accepts your touch.

TeenyTinyFarm · #10 12/02/14, 02:23 PM

Our little pygmy was dam raised and very skittish and unfriendly when we bought him at 4 months old. I was given good advice by a woman who dam raises all of her kids when I asked her how she tames them. She simply said "everything comes from my hands". We started holding his feed dish when he ate. Yes at the start it was on the ground as far away from us as possible with only our fingertips touching it. But each day we moved it a little closer till he was eating out of our lap. Then we would reach out to touch him, he would run away, but come back. The next time we would do it again. After weeks he stopped running away, but would tense up when we touched him while he ate. Weeks passed and he relaxed for touching while eating at that point we touched him and pet and scratched him all that we could while he ate. Eventually he continued to stay after the bowl was empty for petting. After awhile he started to come up to us even when we didn't have food (it helped that we also had one goat that was like a lap dog that showed him we weren't scary). Now he is the most affectionate lovey little thing. He jumps on me and let's me pick him up. Just go through all these steps and understand it will take several months, but probably only 15 minutes or so of each day...really a small effort.

marusempai · #11 12/03/14, 02:53 PM

Having a friendly goat already helps. I accidentally taught Man Goat to eat out of my hand - by feeding the lady goats grain out of hand while he was around. And he was completely wild, never handled. Excellent advice all around, I'm sure she'll tame up nicely.

wintrrwolf · #12 12/03/14, 07:28 PM

Her attitude make change once she kids, I had a doe that would not let me touch her before kidding after kidding and learning she got grain while milking her attitude totally changed