understanding goat behavior

[peachick]

I have had goats for only 2 years....
I have shown, bred, trained, and competed in almost every dog event for 20 years. I have read all the dog training books, been to all the seminars.... I know how to read a dog, I understand their behavior, their issues, and i know how to train them to do almost anything....
.... but I dont understand goats!!

Tonight I let new mama Mapel out with all the other does... shes been separated from them for a week for maternity leave .... her babies are now 3 days old.... so as a test tonight, I opened up the gates, and let everybody mingle in the yard for about an hour.

WOW

Mapel and Elvira immediately started butting heads..... over and over.... rearing up on hind legs and hitting HARD.
They didnt seem angry. But every time I tried to break them up, distract them with something else to do... they kept seeking each other out and knocking heads again.
A few of the other girls tried to join in, and there was a 3 way and 4 way challenge..... it was fascinating to watch. I believe it was all in play.... but they were playing hard! and if it was play... I didnt know that Elvira and Mapel were such good friends, and missing each other. The alpha bitch / heard queen was one of the ones that tried to participate.... if it was dogs.... the alpha bitch would have stopped this fight/play..... and chased off the two that started it.
In these goats... the herd queen acted as if she was left out, and she wanted to be a part of it.....she stayed right with them, and watched. She didnt choose sides... she just wanted to join in.

I clearly dont understand goat behavior but ohhh how i loved watching this tonight.....

 

[terrilhb]

I hope you get an answer. Cause I am right with you. I don't understand them either.

 

[mama24]

I don't get goats, either. I only have 2 young does. The herd queen is my bigger, older (by just weeks or months as far as I know) doe. She is nasty to my little doe at feeding time, but they are great friends. My little doe had her first kid a few days ago. My herd queen will chase the dog away from the baby, but when the baby runs up to her, she butts her! I guess she does it pretty gently, but I was shocked and horrified the first time I saw it. Baby's mama didn't seem to mind, so I guess I shouldn't either, but Geez!

 

[elevan]

It's part of re-establishing herd order. The Herd Queen only gave a few knocks to show that she is still in charge but the others were competing for their spots below her.

 

[peachick]

It's part of re-establishing herd order. The Herd Queen only gave a few knocks to show that she is still in charge but the others were competing for their spots below her.

I believe you are right.
Thats is actually what I was thinking too.
Maple is second in command.... as the herd queens daughter, and Elvira seems to be climbing up the ranks... I see it with how she is treating the other girls lately.
I guess since Mapel has been away from the herd for a week Elvira tried to make her move. LOL you should see all that hair flying when she is rearing up and charging after someone.... big black mop.

Studying animal behavior entertains me.

 

[SarahFair]

I find goats funny creatures.

Sometimes I think they butt heads to "test the waters"

When I introduced my new goat I saw Fancy, the lowest goat on the rung (aside from a couple bottle babies who would shy away from a strong wind), was actually meaner than my herd queen, Mama.
Mama would at times herd Fancy away and mount because I dont think she wanted the new goat getting confused about who was in charge.
Guess Fancy just wanted to say "Listen here, Ive been here way longer than you and you arent getting ahead of me"

 

[SDBoerGoats]

Mine do that whenever they are separated for any time, like when they have their babies, etc. They have been raised together since the day I got them, yet they do it every time. Only ones that never head butt each other are the 3 sisters I bought together, my very first goats. They love each other, called to each other when they were in their separate kidding pens this January. Amber had her babies last, she was about 4 days behind her sisters. And even though they couldn't see her, they knew she was having babies! They would call out to her, and she would be busy licking her babies and take a second to call back. It was so cute and loving, for them to tell each other what was going on. Also when Amber was getting ready to deliver, we had checked on her and decided we'd go in for a quick lunch. She stuck her head through the panels and yelled at us. We went back to check and she's like DON"T LEAVE ME NOW! Sure enough, she was getting ready to have those babies. The triplets always head butt with OTHER goats that have been gone for any length of time, but never ever each other.