- Thread starter
- #11
TXMissy
Loving the herd life
Oh good! Glad to hear that mine aren't the only ones. I felt bad at first but they are starting to get more comfortable with their new place. They are so funny! I really enjoy them.
Our new little herd
- Thread starter TXMissy
- Start date
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Are these bottle babies?
You need to understand the familial dynamics of herd/flock/pack hierarchy.
In a normal goat herd in the wild, bucks do not always stay with the herd. If they do, there is one buck that is allowed to breed the does. The other bucks are young males that will live in a group. The leader of the herd is a female. She is the most dominant of the females, usually the oldest. When she dies she will be replaced by the next dominant (often her daughter because she will have moved into that position under the auspices of her mother). The dominant female is the Herd Queen. She leads the herd through pastures and forage. She decides where the others go, what they will eat (by watching what she eats), etc. By watching what she browses on the rest of the herd learns what is safe as opposed to poisonous. The dominant male, followed by the younger group of males, accompany the herd, buy are only allowed around for protection. Most of the herd is related to the Herd Queen, they are her sisters, daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and grandnieces.
In the family flock you become the Herd Queen. If the goats are bottle fed, then you become their mother as well as their Herd Queen. This is what new goat owners don't understand when their goats try to follow them around the farm or into the house. This is why your goats will call (scream) for you. A lost goat will call to locate their herd. So the goats that are locked in the corral or barn will call to try to locate you, their Herd Queen.
If you have ever kept bucks with your does and their kids, you can see this in person. When a predator attacks, the does will surround the kids with their heads pointing outwards. The young bucks will surround them with their heads pointing outwards. The dominant male will advance to meet the threat if necessary.
This is a protection device peculiar to goats. Sheep will simply run from an attacker. Goats will try to stand off the attacker if they can. Naturally, the success of this depends on what sort of attacker is coming after them.
Anyway, rest assured that since your goats love you the reason they are following you is because they have accepted you as their herd.
You need to understand the familial dynamics of herd/flock/pack hierarchy.
In a normal goat herd in the wild, bucks do not always stay with the herd. If they do, there is one buck that is allowed to breed the does. The other bucks are young males that will live in a group. The leader of the herd is a female. She is the most dominant of the females, usually the oldest. When she dies she will be replaced by the next dominant (often her daughter because she will have moved into that position under the auspices of her mother). The dominant female is the Herd Queen. She leads the herd through pastures and forage. She decides where the others go, what they will eat (by watching what she eats), etc. By watching what she browses on the rest of the herd learns what is safe as opposed to poisonous. The dominant male, followed by the younger group of males, accompany the herd, buy are only allowed around for protection. Most of the herd is related to the Herd Queen, they are her sisters, daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and grandnieces.
In the family flock you become the Herd Queen. If the goats are bottle fed, then you become their mother as well as their Herd Queen. This is what new goat owners don't understand when their goats try to follow them around the farm or into the house. This is why your goats will call (scream) for you. A lost goat will call to locate their herd. So the goats that are locked in the corral or barn will call to try to locate you, their Herd Queen.
If you have ever kept bucks with your does and their kids, you can see this in person. When a predator attacks, the does will surround the kids with their heads pointing outwards. The young bucks will surround them with their heads pointing outwards. The dominant male will advance to meet the threat if necessary.
This is a protection device peculiar to goats. Sheep will simply run from an attacker. Goats will try to stand off the attacker if they can. Naturally, the success of this depends on what sort of attacker is coming after them.
Anyway, rest assured that since your goats love you the reason they are following you is because they have accepted you as their herd.
- Thread starter
- #13
TXMissy
Loving the herd life
Thank you. I appreciate all this info.Are these bottle babies?
You need to understand the familial dynamics of herd/flock/pack hierarchy.
In a normal goat herd in the wild, bucks do not always stay with the herd. If they do, there is one buck that is allowed to breed the does. The other bucks are young males that will live in a group. The leader of the herd is a female. She is the most dominant of the females, usually the oldest. When she dies she will be replaced by the next dominant (often her daughter because she will have moved into that position under the auspices of her mother). The dominant female is the Herd Queen. She leads the herd through pastures and forage. She decides where the others go, what they will eat (by watching what she eats), etc. By watching what she browses on the rest of the herd learns what is safe as opposed to poisonous. The dominant male, followed by the younger group of males, accompany the herd, buy are only allowed around for protection. Most of the herd is related to the Herd Queen, they are her sisters, daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and grandnieces.
In the family flock you become the Herd Queen. If the goats are bottle fed, then you become their mother as well as their Herd Queen. This is what new goat owners don't understand when their goats try to follow them around the farm or into the house. This is why your goats will call (scream) for you. A lost goat will call to locate their herd. So the goats that are locked in the corral or barn will call to try to locate you, their Herd Queen.
If you have ever kept bucks with your does and their kids, you can see this in person. When a predator attacks, the does will surround the kids with their heads pointing outwards. The young bucks will surround them with their heads pointing outwards. The dominant male will advance to meet the threat if necessary.
This is a protection device peculiar to goats. Sheep will simply run from an attacker. Goats will try to stand off the attacker if they can. Naturally, the success of this depends on what sort of attacker is coming after them.
Anyway, rest assured that since your goats love you the reason they are following you is because they have accepted you as their herd.
I did not know specifically about goat herds. The doeling was bottle fed, but not by me. The wether is her older brother. I got them from the same place. She was bottle fed because her mother died suddenly. He was not bottle fed.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
It doesn't matter that you were not the original bottle feeder. This little doeling has bonded to people as being her herd. Her brother is following her lead. You have become her Herd Queen and she will follow you as her leader. This is much better than having a mama fed goat kid that is afraid of people. You can easily train them to wear collars and walk on leads because they already trust you and their automatic reaction is to follow their Herd queen - YOU! 
Welcome to the world of goatkeeping!
Welcome to the world of goatkeeping!
- Thread starter
- #15
TXMissy
Loving the herd life
Thank Yeah you! I am very excited and already love them both tremendously. She cries at the back door every time I come inside. Makes me a little sad lol. I am thinking about teaching her to walk on a lead so my grandson can use her in 4H if he wants. He is 5. And... in general it would probably be good to have her comfortable on a lead.It doesn't matter that you were not the original bottle feeder. This little doeling has bonded to people as being her herd. Her brother is following her lead. You have become her Herd Queen and she will follow you as her leader. This is much better than having a mama fed goat kid that is afraid of people. You can easily train them to wear collars and walk on leads because they already trust you and their automatic reaction is to follow their Herd queen - YOU!
Welcome to the world of goatkeeping!
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Definitely worth teaching her to walk on a lead. Also the wether. Nothing as awful as dragging a fighting 120 lb. goat along. Your grandson can have a good time with them both if they are leash trained.
Our son had a pet wether and used to put a goat cart harness on him. Then he would walk him down the hill and sit on his skate board holding the harness ends. The goat would trot back home pulling our son. Lots of good times with out children and their antics with their animals partners.
Our son had a pet wether and used to put a goat cart harness on him. Then he would walk him down the hill and sit on his skate board holding the harness ends. The goat would trot back home pulling our son. Lots of good times with out children and their antics with their animals partners.
- Thread starter
- #17
TXMissy
Loving the herd life
That is amazing! I am hoping we will have stories like that with our grandchildren and goats lol. I am definitely going to get halters and leads and train them. Getting them here was entertaining lol.
