Won't shut up!

[Suburbanfarmer]

We got a new doe last Friday. She has cried almost non-stop since then. Will she settle?

She is a 3 year old and we picked her up at weaning time for her babies. I get that she misses her babies (they are 8 weeks old), but HOLY COW! We are in a neighborhood. So far none of my neighbors have complained (they are usually supportive of our "farm" endeavors), but I can't imagine that they will be happy with this for long.

None of my other goats have carried on this long. She is in with my other doe and 4 month old doeling. They get along fine, but the new doe basically ignores the other two and just paces and cries.

Plus, for a 3rd freshener she has terrible manners on the milk stand. I'm trying to take my time and be patient with her, but it's getting ridiculous.

She has really good lines and good production so I don't want to get rid of her, but is there anything I can do to help transition her?
Thanks,
K

 

[ragdollcatlady]

As for the crying, she will likely settle down after awhile. My does that are not new to me, cry when their babies are sold and they miss them. It takes 6 or 7 days for them to stop crying and pacing though they seem to still look for them for another several days. I imagine, she is a tad more stressed with the move on top of it.

As for the manners, last year 2 of my then FFs were horrible. I mean full out rodeo all the way. Bucking, kicking etc. I only managed to get milk for them to step in at the last minute. This year they are much better. One only has to have her leg picked up when I milk out the second side, and the other is mostly pretty good, just a little dancing and an occasional attempt to push my hand off with her hoof. Neither of these girls would tolerate a stranger anywhere near their udders. They are too cautious for that. My DD was able to learn to milk them for me but she is not a stranger to them.

Was this girl ever milked on a stand before you got her or were the babies on her full time? If she was milked before, she may just need some time to get used to you and come to terms with the fact that you are going to be the one from now on.

Of course one girl that I milked last year that wasn't too bad, has decided she is done milking before I even begin and runs back to the pen instead of up on the stand, then dances and is uncooperative. I am tempted to hobble her again just as a reminder for a few days.

I might bake the neighbors a few cookies and apologize, then thank them for their patience. Let them know that the noise should come down in a few days once she settles in. If you have chickens, a few farm fresh eggs can help in convincing them to be a little more patient a little longer.

 

[lovinglife]

I would say be patient and kind, my FF was scared silly of everything, but I just kept at it and now she is perfect, just totally perfect! At least give her a few more weeks to adjust.

 

[Djaco]

I know this is a post from a year ago, but I've had a 2 yo doe since January and am dealing with the crying and screaming off and on all day. She was moved to my urban farm with her I week old kids and was pretty upset. So I got her a doe friend, who has been wonderful. That wasn't helping so I borrowed a doe from her herd and that seemed to help, but she is still the noisiest one! Since January, I sent back the borrowed doe. Still doing good, then just sent her buck away. So now I have her daughter and another doe. She is back to crying and screaming off and on especially when she sees someone. A couple of my neighbors are not so nice, one in particular (2 yards away) and will mimic her, which makes her worse! So a couple thoughts, when I let them out to graze in the yard late in the day, she is pretty mellow the rest of the evening. She does startle/spook at random sounds. If I played a radio to help drown out some noises, might that help? Does anyone have any experience with that?? Ultimately I think she prefers a larger herd, but I don't want to have so many the he living conditions are compromised. Any other suggestions out there are appreciated!!

 

[OneFineAcre]

I know this is a post from a year ago, but I've had a 2 yo doe since January and am dealing with the crying and screaming off and on all day. She was moved to my urban farm with her I week old kids and was pretty upset. So I got her a doe friend, who has been wonderful. That wasn't helping so I borrowed a doe from her herd and that seemed to help, but she is still the noisiest one! Since January, I sent back the borrowed doe. Still doing good, then just sent her buck away. So now I have her daughter and another doe. She is back to crying and screaming off and on especially when she sees someone. A couple of my neighbors are not so nice, one in particular (2 yards away) and will mimic her, which makes her worse! So a couple thoughts, when I let them out to graze in the yard late in the day, she is pretty mellow the rest of the evening. She does startle/spook at random sounds. If I played a radio to help drown out some noises, might that help? Does anyone have any experience with that?? Ultimately I think she prefers a larger herd, but I don't want to have so many the he living conditions are compromised. Any other suggestions out there are appreciated!!

I don't have any suggestions. Some goats are just more vocal than others. You said especially when she see's someone. A lot of goats do that. Most of mine start to carry on in the morning, when they hear us start moving in the house because they want to be fed, and then again in the afternoon. Most of the time during the day on weekdays they are quiet. But, when we are around on the weekends, some just want to talk to you every time they see you.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

There does seem to be a magic number about the right sized herd. I remember starting with 2 goats, then another, then a couple more.... I think it was once I reached 5 does that everyone seemed happiest and most comfortable. I still have a few that talk alot more than the others, but overall they aren't too loud. Some of it may be the temperament of your goats. I have 2 that are firm about queen status and willing to duke it out to maintain, but when one of my other goats was the queen, things were nice and calm too. I don't like Reese being queen because she is higher strung about everything. She worries about the kids, food, things that go bump in the day or night ....When Georgia or Spell are queen, they are calmer and less afraid of people (mostly) but also less spookable overall and the whole herd stays mellower. If your goat is more of a follower, maybe she isn't the best temperament to keep in a smaller herd. Some queens might do very well with fewer peasants to boss around and some underlings might do well in a smaller herd too...... Something to think about.

 

[M.L. McKnight]

I've had nannies bawl and cry for their babies, it takes a few days but they get over it. As for her milking manners- add a little chopped apples and carrots to her feed and she will settle down nicely for you.

 

[HoneyDreameMomma]

I don't have any suggestions. Some goats are just more vocal than others. You said especially when she see's someone. A lot of goats do that. Most of mine start to carry on in the morning, when they hear us start moving in the house because they want to be fed, and then again in the afternoon. Most of the time during the day on weekdays they are quiet. But, when we are around on the weekends, some just want to talk to you every time they see you.

X2 - Our goats are always more vocal when they see people around, particularly near feeding time, but just how vocal varies from goat to goat. We have some that give a few bleets of greeting, and a couple that carry on like they're near death. If the bellowing is happening mostly when people are around, you may want to politely let your neighbors know that if they leave the goats alone rather than harass them, they probably won't hear them make as much noise.