How Much Time...

[Genipher]

...do y'all spend with your goats every day?

We've had our Nigerian Dwarf doelings for 10 days now. I check on them several times a day (usually just peeking through the fence and talking to them for a minute). At night when I shut them up in the "barn", I spend about 10 minutes holding them, talking to them, etc.
During the day my children will often go out and hold them for awhile, too.

But they're still pretty skittish. While they'll wait for me to put them to bed at night, they won't come close to me; and while they tolerate having their hooves trimmed and being held, they don't really want to be touched.

Should I be spending more time with them, or is this just how goats are?

Also, I realized today that both the doelings, when I bought them last week, had been running with a bunch of other does and a full-grown buck. They're 2 months old...should I be worried that they might have been bred, or are they too young for that?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I will go sit on one of the goat benchs out in their area and have a bottle of water, they come up to see what i am doing. Sometimes i will have sliced carrots, ours are so tame now that when i go to the gate they all come running to greet us, they each want their attention time, one will "paw" me with her foot, one will nibble on me to get my attention and we even have one that insists on sitting next to me..
Just take some time and go sit, let them come to you, relax and enjoy watching them....
As far as them being bred.....depends if they went into heat early....I have purchased young ones and they were pregnant and nobody knew.....we lost one doe and her kid, and her sister who was also pregnant did fine and had a blue eyed doe. I think they got pregnant at about three month old....
Good luck with your goats , have fun and enjoy them

 

[CntryBoy777]

First off, they are goats.....and being such, they are a prey animal and their instincts are to be leary of strange things....once they accept ya into their "herd" they won't be near as skittish, and as they gain confidence that ya aren't going to harm them, they will warm up to ya....some take longer than others, but they will....ya just have to be patient with them.....if ya go sit in their area and ignore them, they will come to you....any quick movement or noise will usually send them scurrying....just enjoy the time and they will warm up to ya....we had a couple that took much longer than another, but they all came around eventually.......

 

[Genipher]

I will go sit on one of the goat benchs out in their area and have a bottle of water, they come up to see what i am doing. Sometimes i will have sliced carrots, ours are so tame now that when i go to the gate they all come running to greet us, they each want their attention time, one will "paw" me with her foot, one will nibble on me to get my attention and we even have one that insists on sitting next to me..
Just take some time and go sit, let them come to you, relax and enjoy watching them....
As far as them being bred.....depends if they went into heat early....I have purchased young ones and they were pregnant and nobody knew.....we lost one doe and her kid, and her sister who was also pregnant did fine and had a blue eyed doe. I think they got pregnant at about three month old....
Good luck with your goats , have fun and enjoy them

Last night when I put them in the "barn", one of the girls pawed at me. Looked like she was trying to shake hands! I think she thought I had some alfalfa pellets in my hand and was begging for some.

Yesterday I sat outside with them for awhile. They basically ignored me.

 

[Genipher]

First off, they are goats.....and being such, they are a prey animal and their instincts are to be leary of strange things....once they accept ya into their "herd" they won't be near as skittish, and as they gain confidence that ya aren't going to harm them, they will warm up to ya....some take longer than others, but they will....ya just have to be patient with them.....if ya go sit in their area and ignore them, they will come to you....any quick movement or noise will usually send them scurrying....just enjoy the time and they will warm up to ya....we had a couple that took much longer than another, but they all came around eventually.......

It probably doesn't help that my children like to go out and catch them so they can hold them, eh?

 

[CntryBoy777]

Well, animals recognize "young" of any sort and if they are "young" themselves....they will find "common ground" to play their games....as they age tho, there could be difficulties...just be watchful....as I know ya are.....just the grandpaw in me, I guess.....

 

[CntryBoy777]

We got ours used to the grandkids by letting them feed leaves to the goats.....cut some branches and them get them to hold a branch with leaves on it so the goats can eat them.....let them get your "smells" with a positive experience.....goats sound like "teenagers" munching on potato chips, grabbing and chewing the leaves....keep fingers away from their mouths...they have seriously Sharp law teeth....uppers and lowers.....they trim branches with them......

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Set rules with the kids about the goats , explain how in nature they are prey for other animals and teach them to just go and sit......let the goats come to them ....and when they do they can give them a slice of carrot, ...be gentle with them...make friends with them....the way the children treat the goats now is how the goats will react to people when they are grown up adult goats.
If you want friendly goats, be kind and gentle
If you want willd out of control PITA goats........they are your goats, and will react to what they learn, ....somewhat like children do lol,
Last nights "pawing" is usually a sign that she wanted attention, a soft rub or scratch between the horns, behind her ears....equals trust and goat love .....enjoy teaching all your kids

 

[Genipher]

Well, there is a rule I set from the get-go that NOBODY was allowed to cross over to the "Goat Side of the Fence" without me or my husband going with them. The older 3 can go with permission. However, when we all go over, the kids want to hold the goats and the goats don't want to be caught, so we have to corner them. Once caught, they seem to enjoy being held and fed treats (well, mostly grass....they don't seem to like any of the treats we've offered so far) But there's that initial "chasing" to get them... Is that something we shouldn't be doing?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I love that RULE !
They don't know you yet .....if i was a young animal , ...and humans of diffrent sizes chased after me, and frightened me to catch me.....
But were nice to me when they loved up on me, ???
I would be confused.......you have to gain trust, be patient, gentle ...just go sit in their area as a family or alone , and chill and watch them....sooner or later they will come near you, they are curious, ....offer them a thin slice of carrot or animal cracker....feed by a open flat hand....once they relate you to food, then start not brining a treat (If you want to pick them up, one person goes and gets them and brings them to everyone).....each time, make it a real TREAT......once they don't fear you they will be more friendly.,