Attitude problem

[freechicken]

We bought a newly freshened 3 year old Nubian about five weeks ago. She gives over a gallon of beautiful, creamy milk which we love. Unfortunately, we don't love her attitude. She doesn't walk well with us and she is a brute! She practically drags me around the barn- it takes every ounce of strength I have to lead her from stanchion to stall after milking. Our other two does (both well mannered Alpines) kidded a couple weeks ago and the new doe is biting and aggressive towards their kids. Can this goat be tamed? Will she ever be a manageable, docile animal? We have young children who are just now entering 4H. If she can't be tamed, I think we may have to sell her.

 

[Ridgetop]

It's possible that she is still trying to find her place in the herd. What kind of collar do you use on her? Does she not want to return to the stall? has she finished all her grain? Or is she trying to escape back to the stall? Did you buy her with or without her kids? Are your Alpines nursing their kids? Maybe she is trying to steal them.

Call the previous owner and ask her about the behavior. Maybe that is why she was for sale. She may not have been properly trained when she was young. You may want to work with her other times than at milking. Milking time is stressful - for you because you have to get it all done while knowing you have to get dinner for the family. For the goats because they are full and want to be emptied and after milking out they know they get fed so . . . . . Try working with her during the day to teach her to walk calmly on her collar. You can even try putting her on a lead rope so you have more control if she pulls out of your hands.

If you like her millk, and her structure, but her attitude doesn't improve, breed her and bottle raise her doe kids next year. Then if you still want to sell her, sell her in milk next year. Your children can raise and show her kids who will bond to them. Later you can buy a showmanship goat from a graduating 4-H kid. You will meet a lot of people in your 4-H goat project. A lot of 4-H kids sell off their herds when they go to college. She will be trained, and used to being handled by kids. One of my 4-H project kids bought a lovely Grand champion doe that way. She wasn't too expensive because the seller wanted her pet to go to a good home.

Good luck to you and enjoy the 4-H experience. Too fun!

 

[babsbag]

Everything that Ridgetop said...

Most of my goats are aggressive towards kids that are not their own only if the kids try to nurse off of them, or steal their hay. They can certainly be brats that way. I have about 25 goats and some are tame and some are not. Some I have to drag to the stand and others I can barley get off of the stand. A few are perfect and most of those were raised on a bottle; it can make a huge difference.

She may settle down once she is more familiar with all of it, but she may not too, some goats are just living on the wild side; I have a few of those.

 

[Sweetened]

My does , especially with new kids, will always go after other kids. To this day if the triplet bottle babies are released or get loose, the girls will give it their all to run them down until they are bigger and older.

As for the leash thing, ive taught all my girls, and a ram, who had never been leashed how to walk on them the same way i teach dogs. Put the collar on, up high if its a dog collar, lower is fine if its a twine collar. When they pull or are at the end of that leash, pull back and hold tension, slowly increasing it. The very moment they turn away from that pressure i put my hands towards the goat and release the tension. If they take that as a sign to pull, it starts over. Even the doe i cobsidered untrainable for milking i trained to a leash. It took me a week, and she still walked in front of me but all it took was a quick tug if she was pulling me around and she would stop.

I think you may just have a herd queen mentality goat that rules with an iron fist. My Agnes was that way and i HATED her until she kidded the next year. I was there for her kidding and she changed completely with me and settled down as long as her kid was around.

 

[Ridgetop]

All good advice. Give her a chance. 5 weeks isn't much time for her to adjust to you and her new herd.

 

[Tastefultragedy]

I know this is an old post.

But we have had our goats since last September.. so 10 months now. Thru their pregnancies.. and births... and being ffmoms

Attitudes just like this up the wazoo. Especially one of them. They are just mean mean mean aggressive towards the others even her own babies at times.

Very bad on the lead with me.feliberately steps on me all the time. And other bad attitudes.
She started bucking at me after her pregnancy was over. And I immediately ended that... simply by always having a good hold on her collar and tugging to the side and putting myself in her path and changing her direction.
A coupl3 times she even went to nip at me and got a sharp tug to the side or the end of the lead on the side of the nose (that was once...) she hasn't nipped or headhunter me since I stood up to it and calmly showed I was over her.

But the lead issues for walking. And towards the other goats.
Or my children when they visit the goats (doesn't happen any more)

And milking...
Hobbles didn't work.
Ropes off the back like I've seen other do... didn't work.
I literally have to hold a leg up and milk her one handed. She will deliberately step in. Kick bucket. Sit on me or try to step sideways off stand on to me. It's not fun.

We o my have the two does in milk... and really wanted/needed this milk for our family...

But after working with... and working with... and not getting anywhere with this particular doe (the other one has improved drastically... even leads well)
She is just such a hardship to deal with.

She's horrible to the other goats every minute of every day she is near them. Like... she can have a ton of food in front of her. But no matter what she will bite attack headbutt them till they are all cowering... her own babies included. This is an every day thing.
When we separate babies she and the other doe are in the stall together. And if I don't feed the other goat first... she gets nothing all night till milking the next day.

We can't just replace or buy a new doe in milk. Money is tight and we much budget everything accordingly.

And now that I am expecting again ... I'm getting more and more nervous for fall and winter and dealing with these bad behaviors again in that condition while pregnant.

Is there any ideas or hope... or am I just stuck having to sell/or rehome... and start over?

I'm really thinking it was bad behavior taught thru interaction from the kids of the previous owner maybe before we got her, she was 3... the other one was 2... same family...

*sigh* I really don't want to give up. But I also am at the point I need to be safe. And she could pose a risk for me soon.

 

[Baymule]

This is one you need to sell. Buy another goat. You want enjoy your goats, not have to carry a pitchfork fro protection. LOL There are too many good goats out there than for you to have put up with this one.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

You have listed more reasons to sell her....... than keep her.....
Your childrens safety as well as your own safety is most important....your answer is simply freezer camp or sell her , ..and start with another.............

 

[Baymule]

Does she have horns? Make your next goat polled.

 

[Tastefultragedy]

Does she have horns? Make your next goat polled.

No she doesnt.. lol.. she breaks all the basic rules.

And yes things are looking towards selling her. We really need the milk. So we cannot afford to sell her yet. But before winter sadly... sounds like for sure. ...
Or freezer camp (will be a first for me)