Question about taming goats

[crazy4cochins]

Good for you pattyjean73.
I have been interacting with my soon to be goats and the little doe starts to bleat when she hears my voice now. and I can hear then jump up on the doors on the pen trying to get a peek.
It seems they are maybe eaiser to win over than the dogs?

 

[pattyjean73]

I'm beginning to agree with you on that. I was lucky, the ones I got weren't totally pasture goats so they were used to people being in their pen and near them. I just don't think that they were treated as pets per se. I would imagine a goat straight off the open pasture would take more time to "tame".

 

[zatsenoughcritters4me]

And I just purchased a very nice and very HUGE buckling that I intend to make head herd sire. He is 8 weeks old and already 48 lbs. His dad is over 200 lbs and he is only 14 months old himself. I've named him Hercules. I can hardly wait to bring him home!

they did warn you about the buck and how he will be very stinky when he gets bigger and realizes what his job will be I hope.... they pee on their heads and you won't want to pet them unless you have gloves on! Our samson is a huge boer billy and he is a big baby, but does this rearing up stuff and then stomps his feet back to the ground and pushes on us, he is well over 200 lbs!
very stinky goat but we love him anyways!

 

[pattyjean73]

Yes I'm aware that bucks are "stinky".

Although there are alot of different theories. About half the people I talk to suggest keeping the buck seperated from the doe herd. There are plenty of viable reasons to do this as we all know I'm sure.

But the other half says to keep them in with the herd. I believe in doing whatever works for you. Seeing as this is my first herd, I'm sure I'll have plenty of trial and errors to go through. I do have two seperate pens set up (just need a shed built in the second one) for "just in case whatever" but I'm going to start out with keeping the herd together and let nature run its course. Many of the people I have talked to that own goats state that the buck only smells bad when he's seperated. I have only been to two goat "farms" and they both keep the buck in with their does. I didn't notice an offensive odor at either place.

I never go into the goat pen (or anywhere else outside the house) without gloves anyway if I intend to do any working. ha ha ha I might break a nail if I do.

 

[zatsenoughcritters4me]

we keep samson separate from the does until breeding season, then he runs with them for a few months, usually separating them after about 3 months. we also want to make sure that they are all bred, but don't want to go out of our window of when we want kids
if milking you need to keep the buck far away from your milkers, it will alter the milk flavor!! '
sometimes the buck is not as stinky as other times, like breeding season.
My DH warned me before we brought my darling little 5 month buck home last year, and sure enough when he saw the girls, he started!!!
I am glad he warned me!

 

[FarmerMack]

Yes I'm aware that bucks are "stinky"

That's interesting, i was told the same thing but i have never noticed my 3 yr old angora buck having a "stink" and he has bred with my 8 yr old pygmy goat. maybe it's the breed or maybe i just didn't notice it.

I guess I'll see if his 2 boys "stink" when they com of age. right now at 9 wks they are just cute fuzzy kids


Farmer Mack

 

[zatsenoughcritters4me]

Yes I'm aware that bucks are "stinky"

That's interesting, i was told the same thing but i have never noticed my 3 yr old angora buck having a "stink" and he has bred with my 8 yr old pygmy goat. maybe it's the breed or maybe i just didn't notice it.

I guess I'll see if his 2 boys "stink" when they com of age. right now at 9 wks they are just cute fuzzy kids


Farmer Mack

our billy didn't start stinking till he was 5 months old, he doesn't stink all the time really bad, just during mating season!! Our neighbor has a pygmy billy and he stinks too! our samson is a boer goat. maybe the breeds are different!

 

[pattyjean73]

Both of my bucklings are boer. But I won't get to pick Hercules up until June 22.

 

[jambunny]

The difference between dairy and meat goat bucks is that boers can and will breed any time during the year but the dairy goats only have a certain breeding "season". My boys (dairy) are really friendly but only get extra loving from me when the does are out of season. Oh and by the way ours love a peanut now and then. Mainly the salted ones in the shell.

 

[pattyjean73]

I have made pets of 5 of my goats. The 6th one is slowly coming around I hope. 5 of them (Billy, Pyxis, Star, Galaxy, and Skye) will all come running to me whether I have food or not. I'll sit on an over turned bucket and they'll vie for my time and lovings. Comet, she hasn't came that far yet. She'll eat out of my hand and she'll let me pet her and rub her tummy when she's feeding, but otherwise she could careless about me right now. She comes near me when all the others do. She'll stand around and watch me (to see if I am handing out treats I imagine) but otherwise doesn't approach me. She stays at an arms lengths away. If I reach out to her she'll back up enough to stay out of my reach. Unless I have food that is. ha ha ha I don't force her. I didn't force any of the others and they all came around. Maybe she will too. At least she doesn't run from me anymore. When she came home she wouldn't even eat out of my hand or eat from the feeder if I was nearby. So she's made progress. Just not where I'd like to see her.

Any suggestions on how to speed up this whole taming process with her? ha ha ha I'm inpatient, I know. But I'm holding back and letting her make all the first moves.