# Goat Rolling her neck around - just playing?



## winterduchess

I have a 6 month old baby who seems healthy in every way.  She has plenty of energy, eats just fine, and is obnoxiously loud when she wants attention.  Her and her mother are the first goats I've ever had, so I'm brand new at all of this.  

The only thing mildly concerning me right now is a behavior that she has, that I haven't seen from the mother.  The baby ("Chaos" is her name, and it's very appropriate) will frequently roll her head back, in a circle, far enough back that the top of her head almost touches her shoulders.  I know that this can be a very scary symptoms in young goats, who are lethargic and not holding on to life too well.  But Chaos is otherwise quite healthy-seeming.  She will do it quickly, much like a human will roll their head and neck around to stretch it, or as if she is sniffing a large circle in the sky.  She does it very frequently - whenever I'm around her, she'll do it every few minutes.  It almost seems like she's just being goofy, either amusing herself by looking at things upside-down, or purposefully making herself dizzy.  And I "think" she does it only when people are out with her - when I've spied on her from inside the house, I haven't noticed her doing it.  That would make me think she's just being a weirdo, or trying to get attention from the humans. But, I am worried that maybe she does do it even when I'm not around, and that it's a symptom of something.

Any opinions?  Anyone else notice their goats doing it?  If I had seen Momma goat doing it too I would just assume it's a normal goat behavior, but so far I've only noticed it from Chaos.

Thanks!


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## ksalvagno

I have a goat that rolls her head often when I'm out. Her sire does it too. So unless there are some other symptoms that would indicate an illness, it is probably just something that she does.


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## Livinwright Farm

All of my goats do this from time to time. It is just something they do. I think they are just making a quick observation of what is above and directly behind them, or trying to scritch an itch at their withers(shoulders) with their horns... either that or they are just stretching their neck, like we humans do at times(remember how they used to have you roll your neck around in gym class?)


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## redtailgal

My Socrates does this.

Freaked me out at first too.


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## winterduchess

Awesome, thanks guys.  I feel better.  

It is pretty amusing to see, now that I know it's not a sign of a disease.  She is such a weirdo!  Boots (the mom) is a very stern and mellow goat, but Chaos is...chaotic.  She runs and leaps and twists and likes to chase the cats and tries to climb on my back.  It's hysterical.  I am very much loving being a goat-owner!


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## jimhammer1

I was relieved to see these comments.  My almost six month old wether and doe-ling do the head rolling, also.  The wether was first to adopt this about a month ago and now his sister is doing it.  They mostly do it when they are in the open so I assumed they to doing a recon.  Glad to hear it is not a malady of some sort.


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## SheepGirl

My friend's Alpine doe does this.


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## mama24

My goats have horns, and they do this to scratch their backs. Maybe when they are polled, this instinct is still there?


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## wannacow

My young ones do it too.  I would have freaked out a little if it hadn't been for the picture of Socrates that RTG posted.


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## Mamaboid

If you check out my goat cam often enough, you will see Elsie do it quite often.  Freaked me out when we first got her but it seems to be just a habit.


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## Dapplepony

My doe (Mandie) does this all the time. When I see her doing it, I saw in a funny, high pitched voice, "UPside DOWn!".


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## hannahbanana3

My goats always do it, I dont know why. Just a goat thing.


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## EggsForIHOP

My husband calls this "Phantom Horn Scratching" - because it looks like they would be scratching an itch with their horns... BUT NO ONE HERE HAS HORNS!  He says it's like the phantom pains an amputee gets...but for disbudded goats...then gives me the sad face and reminds me "Because you MAKE me disbud them they try their whole lives to scratch an itch they cannot reach..." and then he itches the back of the goat in question...

I think I've seen every goat here and at a few friends homes do this at some point, maybe DH is right?   I hate to admit it when he is...


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## mama24

The only time my goats do it is when they are scratching an itch with their horns. Sorry. They're shedding now, and it's really funny to see the tufts of hair that they pull free with their horns that either stick for forever or float away on the wind.


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## Queen Mum

EggsForIHOP said:
			
		

> My husband calls this "Phantom Horn Scratching" - because it looks like they would be scratching an itch with their horns... BUT NO ONE HERE HAS HORNS!  He says it's like the phantom pains an amputee gets...but for disbudded goats...then gives me the sad face and reminds me "Because you MAKE me disbud them they try their whole lives to scratch an itch they cannot reach..." and then he itches the back of the goat in question...
> 
> I think I've seen every goat here and at a few friends homes do this at some point, maybe DH is right?   I hate to admit it when he is...


Your DH is a card.   This made me laugh and laugh.  He must have a very soft spot in his heart for disbudded goats.  What does he do when you band a baby buck?  Wait, don't answer that.


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## EggsForIHOP

He doesn't band - that's ALL me!  had to do a few last year...only had one that acted a fool over it...and I heard him saying over the baby monitor "I'd cut it that rubber band off little fella, but she'd band ME next if I did" when he got home that night watching him...he REALLY likes to heckle me with the farm stuff...and barely does all that much of it really!


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## Queen Mum

EggsForIHOP said:
			
		

> He doesn't band - that's ALL me!  had to do a few last year...only had one that acted a fool over it...and I heard him saying over the baby monitor "I'd cut it that rubber band off little fella, but she'd band ME next if I did" when he got home that night watching him...he REALLY likes to heckle me with the farm stuff...and barely does all that much of it really!


Well, I hope he doesn't scratch their phantom boy places for them.


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## EggsForIHOP

LOL - no, but I think that night he said a little prayer I would lose the bander...because i DID when we moved!


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## Queen Mum

EggsForIHOP said:
			
		

> LOL - no, but I think that night he said a little prayer I would lose the bander...because i DID when we moved!


LOL....  Too funny!


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## melody

I was just going to post something about this. One of my girls does this (I have 2 Nig Dw.) She is the larger and both got great report cards for their 1 yo check up. I assumed it was a natural behavior..and indeed reminds me of ME and my neck issues...always stretching,rolling. When I watch her it makes me thing that this is one of the behaviors that made scaredy-cats believe that these were the "devil's" animals. She does look possessed sometimes!


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## Missy

EggsForIHOP said:
			
		

> LOL - no, but I think that night he said a little prayer I would lose the bander...because i DID when we moved!




.....or did you...

He sound like my other half


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## Blarneyeggs

Just got our very first goat AND she is doing this.....I panicked, gave it a 'google' and ended up here.  THANK You all, got some relief, and quite a few chuckles.  You people are funny!


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## Catahoula

I think it has to do with their field of view which is pretty wide. They literally don't have to turn around to see behind them. So with just rolling their head up, they can pretty much see 360 degree. One of my goats does that all the time. I think he is just checking the view around him without moving the body. He is also one of my smarter goats.


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## Syman Says Farms

This is good to know! I would've freaked out seeing this too... Glad it was nothing serious for Chaos (love the name, btw)


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## lapiloto

Mine do this too- well the does anyway and one more than the other. I think she is being silly although the phantom horn theory sounds plausible. When she does it, she reminds me of being little and hanging upside down on the swing set. maybe they are having fun?


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## Evergreen160

So glad I found this thread!  I just posted about this.  I have a wether that does this and he taught his buddy, my younger doe, to do it too!  Only odd thing is that they first jump up so that their front legs are on the fence or up on the wall and then swing their heads around!  I was starting to worry that they had some weird neurologic condition!


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## michickenwrangler

hannahbanana3 said:
			
		

> My goats always do it, I dont know why. Just a goat thing.


My neighbor and I have several breeds apiece and for some reason our Saanens do it FAR more than the other goats. We wanted to get some t-shirts made with goats rolling their heads with a caption that says "It's a Saanen thing--you wouldn't get it."


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