silly goat

[treeclimber233]

This morning when I tried to feed my goats they were fighting over the trough so bad (before I even put the grain in) that I pulled a muscle in my leg trying to get them to move over some. I decided to tie two of the pushyest goats at each end of the trough. One goat was trying so hard to push everyone else away (while she was tied) that her feet slipped in the mud. Believe it or not she just lay there straining to reach the grain screaming her head off because she could not reach it. I thought she had a leg stuck under the fence and could not get up so I ran over and got her up. Nope no legs stuck. Just laying there not intelligent enough to stand so she could eat. This is the same doe that stands at the barn screaming for me to come feed her all the time. All the rest of my goats go out and eat pasture but not this one. If I take her out into the pasture and tie her so she cant get back to the barn she eats grass like there is no tomorrow. But she has not figured out that she can go there without me. The oddist part is she is the boss at the barn but a different doe is the one that leads everyone else out to eat. This doe stands and watches them leave and hollars for me to come feed her. Does her elevator not go all the way to the top????? Is this normal behavior for a goat? Even her son goes out with the rest of the herd and leaves his mom at the barn.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

That is odd. Is it possible that she has trouble seeing? I am no vet, but have seen a horse that was pretty severely vision impared and would not leave the barn area. Her owner, had another horse and they put a bell on the horse with good vision and it was a great experience. The one that was vision impared followed the sound of the bell. I know it is a goat, but is it possible?

 

[treeclimber233]

I don't think she has trouble seeing because when I tie her in the field she doesn't seem to have any problem seeing me when I go around the barn. But then again when I try to sneak to the barn (trying to make no noise) she is the first to start hollaring and first out of the stall. Maybe she just hears me. Hmm....must check to see if she has an eye problem.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

The other option is that she is a spoiled baby. I have a whether that as soon as he sees me, begins a horrible screaming to say, you must come here, because I am near death. Of course, when I get there he just want me to stand there and pet him.

 

[treeclimber233]

I wonder if she is just spoiled too. Where I bought her from she was in a small pen with the rest of the herd (milkers). The owners just moved panels around so the goats could graze some but I suspect they fed them almost all the food they ate. I don't think they had to "fend for themselves" and she has never learned to go "look for food outside the barn". She is getting a little better about eating greenery because I moved the manger outside "in the sunshine" and don't feed her in the stall anymore. I also took the grain trough out into the field to feed them grain so she will follow me out there to get her grain but as soon as she is finished with the grain she runs right back to the barn. When she runs back to the barn screaming the rest come back too but they lose interest when they figure out the are not getting any more food and they go eat grass. Silly goat.