TigerLilly
Loving the herd life
Here's my situation with my Nigerian Dwarf 'herd':
I bought Buckley and had him home first. He was born in May 2010.
Brought Maddie (5 yr old doe) home the same day, but after Buckley.
Couple of weeks later I bring home Tiny Tim, born April 2010; he was bought from the same farm as Maddie and had previously been in the same pasture.
Being that Maddie was older, and 'possibly' pregnant, I expected her to be a little 'butt-head' with Buckley until they got used to each other. I was right. They get along fine now.
Maddie and Timmy, however, are NOT getting along. She will charge him any time he gets within 6 feet of her. Sometimes she will even just look up, see him and charge. It has been at least a month since Timmy has been here. Since they previously lived together, I don't understand why she treats him this way! She is perfectly fine with Buckley. Oh, she hates my little terrier mix dog, too. The dog has never done anything to Maddie, but EVERY time the dog is let out, she head-butts her. The dog is so laid back & on a mission to catch just one lizard in her life that she is completely blind-sided when Maddie attacks. Needless to say, the dog is always supervised when she's out, but Maddie has this uncanny ability to wait for just the right moment that I turn my back to get her...
On the other hand, most times when they are all out grazing, they seem to be fine, although I have seen her do this even then. Mostly it seems to be when I am outside with them. She is not very friendly, nor is Timmy (there's a lot to be said for bottle-baby friendliness!), but she doesn't seem to want him to get near me or possibly any food/treats I may have. She still doesn't do it to Buckley in that situation though.
Am I crazy or does my doe have issues? I'm hoping she IS preggers & drops a doeling so I can eventually get rid of her if she keeps this up.
If she's not preggers, I may have to get rid of her anyway because the buck she attacks is the one I bought to breed her with in the future! Buckley is going to be wethered soon, so using him to breed is not an option.
Help?! Do I keep the 2 bucks separate from Maddie? Do I ride it out a little longer & hope it changes? I feel bad for Timmy, he's so little & cute. It's gotta be messing with his 'psyche' in some form--he steers clear of her whenever possible.
Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to try to give as much info as possible from the start.
I bought Buckley and had him home first. He was born in May 2010.
Brought Maddie (5 yr old doe) home the same day, but after Buckley.
Couple of weeks later I bring home Tiny Tim, born April 2010; he was bought from the same farm as Maddie and had previously been in the same pasture.
Being that Maddie was older, and 'possibly' pregnant, I expected her to be a little 'butt-head' with Buckley until they got used to each other. I was right. They get along fine now.
Maddie and Timmy, however, are NOT getting along. She will charge him any time he gets within 6 feet of her. Sometimes she will even just look up, see him and charge. It has been at least a month since Timmy has been here. Since they previously lived together, I don't understand why she treats him this way! She is perfectly fine with Buckley. Oh, she hates my little terrier mix dog, too. The dog has never done anything to Maddie, but EVERY time the dog is let out, she head-butts her. The dog is so laid back & on a mission to catch just one lizard in her life that she is completely blind-sided when Maddie attacks. Needless to say, the dog is always supervised when she's out, but Maddie has this uncanny ability to wait for just the right moment that I turn my back to get her...
On the other hand, most times when they are all out grazing, they seem to be fine, although I have seen her do this even then. Mostly it seems to be when I am outside with them. She is not very friendly, nor is Timmy (there's a lot to be said for bottle-baby friendliness!), but she doesn't seem to want him to get near me or possibly any food/treats I may have. She still doesn't do it to Buckley in that situation though.
Am I crazy or does my doe have issues? I'm hoping she IS preggers & drops a doeling so I can eventually get rid of her if she keeps this up.
If she's not preggers, I may have to get rid of her anyway because the buck she attacks is the one I bought to breed her with in the future! Buckley is going to be wethered soon, so using him to breed is not an option.
Help?! Do I keep the 2 bucks separate from Maddie? Do I ride it out a little longer & hope it changes? I feel bad for Timmy, he's so little & cute. It's gotta be messing with his 'psyche' in some form--he steers clear of her whenever possible.
Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to try to give as much info as possible from the start.
