Sudden, extreme aggression in boer/nubian doe

[Westcoaster87]

I'm writing this in here because I'm extremely concerned this doe's behaviour could result in a ruptured rumen or some other horrible accident in another goat.

I noticed yesterday some unusual calling from the barn and went down to investigate but saw nothing strange. Feeding them this evening though I watched one doe run from hay pile to hay pile violently headbutting the other goats against walls, into corners, etc. The behaviour was as if she was panicking and aggressively protecting as much hay as she could manage.

I feed in several areas to ensure all the goats can access the hay so generally we do not have this issue. I have not recently changed hay so there shouldn't be any 'under-feeding' from switching to hay that's less nutrient dense. They are coming up to being de-wormed (they're on a schedule) so there is a minor chance she's wormy but I've never had that problem with this particular goat.

Has anyone experienced this before? What can/should I do?

 

[alsea1]

I have one of those too. She is herd queen. Seems some goats are adamant about letting the others know who is boss. Especially when food is concerned.
It's a bother but I have created feed stations where each goat is tethered to a spot to eat. That's where I feed them their ration. The benefit is that I can feed each goat a unique amount or feed. Disadvantage is feeding time takes more time by me. I have noted that the less dominant goats are looking much better and seem happier.
Once the goats have eatten a good amount I put hay in a hay rack and then they work it out. At least I know that the less pushy got a decent amount of food before the queen starts her crap again.

 

[Latestarter]

Well, couldn't that be modified just a bit and tie off the one who's doing all butting? That way she can still eat but not interfere with all the others who are eating peacefully?

 

[mcjam]

With such a dramatic change, I wonder if Rabies infection is possible? Below is link to eHow explanation of signs and symptoms.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6453824_signs-rabies-goats.html

 

[alsea1]

Yes. Only thing the obnoxious one would work as well.

 

[Westcoaster87]

I've fed them using this structure for two years now and haven't had a problem. The milkers are fed grain in a particular order and only at the stanchion, never in together.

There hasn't been a case of rabies where I live so quite a long time. We have strict laws on moving livestock to avoid instances of encephalitis and other issues. In fact, there was a rumour just a few years ago that a horse might have come in to contact with one with encephalitis before coming back in to the province and they shut down all livestock movement until they could disprove it. Scary stuff.

The doe has calmed down now so I'm not sure at all what could have happened. She seemed agitated and was aggressively protecting food. She's actually not at all the herd "queen" and is generally a more timid goat unless she has a kid with her. I guess the only thing I can really do is watch for it happening again, separate her and do another thorough look over.

 

[norseofcourse]

Just a wild guess, but could she have been in heat?

 

[SkyWarrior]

I suggest estrus, or perhaps something odd happened recently that caused an upset in the herd. I have a really bad tempered doe who used to chase the others around. She's now better, but this spring I discovered broken ribs on Belle, her mom. Sigh. I think she'll calm down when Skittles breeds her.

 

[samssimonsays]

I would guess she was in heat. I am not very experienced but my older doe will get more ramie and head butt the other two when she has been going into heat.

 

[Westcoaster87]

You could all very well be right.

For my own understanding, what roughly are the seasons for this breed? I have one other boer cross and she appears to be about 3+ months pregnant. My saanens should all be in and out of heat for the next few months.

Thanks