Addy's Settling In

[Goat Whisperer]

She's still headbutting and stomping/snorting at everything that comes near her, especially dogs and other goats. I'm getting kind of worried, she's fine with me and the chickens as far as aggression goes, but other animals, not so much. She has learned that I am okay if I have food and stay as still as a statue at every moment in time

This goat has just gone through a huge stress. Give her time to settle in before jumping to conclusions

I recommend you have her fecal checked for parasites/cocci. The stress causes a bloom, based on what you have described her stress level is incredibly high. You don't want parasites or cocci taking her down.

 

[TAH]

You haven't had her very long so I wouldn't worry too much. Every goat is different, some may take a few days to settle in some may take 3 weeks.
.

 

[farmerjan]

I agree, you are expecting her to settle in too fast. Not only did she come to a completely different place than she was used to, but she lost her momma and any other goats she "knew". Anytime you wean an animal, even if she wasn't nursing or not much, you are creating alot of stress. And by wean, I don't mean just from nursing, but weaning her away from familiar circumstances and her mother. I have a jersey heifer that has been with her mother all her life, and when I weaned all the heifers from this field, she went with the group and SCREAMED for days. AT a YEAR OLD!!!
She no more needed her momma than a hole in her head but it was that security thing. She will hate me even more when she gets dehorned with the other 2 in a couple of weeks....oh well..
You are going to have to do the sitting in her pen and reading and being very quiet with her for days before she gets the idea that she isn't being threatened. The butting the little goat was also a defense thing, scared and alone she is going to keep anything away from her. GIVE HER TIME and keep working with her in small doses. The headbutting and stomping is her only defense and she is scared....

 

[NH homesteader]

Agreed, give her some time. Some goats adjust to change better than others. I have one (neurotic) Nigerian who took two weeks to chill out with me. She still won't let my husband touch her (we got her 6 months ago). But my Mini alpines showed up like they owned the place and the only issue they had was when I walked away and they got lonely!

Like others have said, go in and hang out with her and get her used to you. Then worry about getting her used to the others. She'll be OK.

 

[Lanthanum]

I realize she is just stressed, I understand she is very scared and confused. Bonnie and Clyde were like that when I got them, but they were not aggressive at all, and they were about 4 months old. They wouldn't stomp or snort or butt anything, they just ran. That's why I thought she was giving a hint to her normal personality. It took almost a year before Bonnie and Clyde were comfortable enough to let me touch them, and they still don't like being "pet". However, they were still never aggressive, even towards animals they had never been around. I could completely understand if Addy was just skittish, but she is "aggressively skittish", and I am afraid it may cause a problem in the future if she is teaching herself that the only way to neutralize the threat is to hurt it. So if she teaches herself that the other goats and dogs are a threat, she may hurt them. Even if she gets comfortable with me and her home

 

[Lanthanum]

This goat has just gone through a huge stress. Give her time to settle in before jumping to conclusions

I recommend you have her fecal checked for parasites/cocci. The stress causes a bloom, based on what you have described her stress level is incredibly high. You don't want parasites or cocci taking her down.

Her previous owner said she was just vaccinated and dewormed before being put up for sale, so I'm pretty sure she shouldn't have anything like that. Will I have to deworm her again or anything like that?

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Her previous owner said she was just vaccinated and dewormed before being put up for sale, so I'm pretty sure she shouldn't have anything like that. Will I have to deworm her again or anything like that?

Ask what she was vaccinated with and when and how many times previously.
Still get a fecal. Stress = parasite bloom. Different dewormers target different partsites. Also coccidia is not a worm, but a protozoan that does not respond to dewormers. That will show up in a fecal as well.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Every goat reacts to stress differently.

It isn't abnormal for goats that aren't very tame to act the way she is acting right now.

Give her some time. If she still acts like this after she is settled in, eat her. Right now she is trying to protect herself.

I have had goats come that didn't skip a beat. Completely fine with the transition.
I have had another that literally would have killed herself had I not intervened. She ran all over and was trying to run through fencing. Like full on slamming herself head on into fencing. I had to confine her in a wire dog crate that is just big enough for her to stand up in. Had to cover it with a tarp (left a gap for fresh air- in winter so wasn't worried about her getting overheated) and left her in for a full 24 hrs.

Just goes to show you every animal is different.

Bottle babies seem to cope better than dam raised goats.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Her previous owner said she was just vaccinated and dewormed before being put up for sale, so I'm pretty sure she shouldn't have anything like that. Will I have to deworm her again or anything like that?

I agree with @Green Acres Farm
You still should have her checked.

It also depends what she was wormed with, how much, etc. I see a lot of that people do not use the right dosage. Depending on her count, one deworming might not be adequate.

 

[Lanthanum]

I changed the name of the thread because I thought since you all gave great advice, I'd just give you updates on how it's working.

Day 2: She is a very curious goat, and I have found her best friend; Food. I set her food bucket right beside me, as in actually touching my side because I intended on handing it as treats, but as soon as she figured it was food, she had her whole head in the bucket chowing down. So i had an idea, I reached my hand out slowly, and she didn't budge. And to my great surprise, she let me pet her like you would a dog! She new it was me because she looked up, but as soon as she was out of food, I wasn't allowed to pet her and she was back to being as far away as possible and jumping when I moved. I'm starting to think there's progress