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Buck Behavior

Posted by Karen Brown (Abiga) on March 10, 2011 at 12:21pm in Goats 101

Hi, My daughter's  buck is a sweetheart but he has a very annoying habit now of pushing his head forcefully at you, hands, legs, whatever is near his head. He seems to want to be petted but he does not stop even if you pet him. And he only likes petting around his neck to pacify him.  I don't like to encourage this as it seems like it could be dangerous for the smaller grandkids being around him. What does he want?

Also what size hoof trimmers do you use? The ones my daughter has are too large for me to squeeze comfortably in my old age?

Karen/Abiga

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Replies

  • Karen Brown (Abiga) March 17, 2011 at 9:16am
    Deborah, I bought those clippers, visited Anna yesterday and had some time to try them out. Oh my, it was SO EASY with them!!!!!!!!Clip, clip  and clip I was done. We seem to have a habit of doing everything wrong the first time, ah well. Can't wait to get over to do the rest of them. Thanks so much.
  • Karen Brown (Abiga) March 11, 2011 at 1:12pm
    Well, when I go over to visit I am going to see if he can be discouraged from keeping it up the whole time I am in the pen. Maybe he is very lonely. He has two curled small horns so it does get annoying and hurts a little after repeating it over and over.
  • Adrienne March 11, 2011 at 11:57am
    My boys do that too... one more than the other. Boudreaux has one curly horn. I guess when he was disbudded it didn't get done very well on that side. I have thought of having it removed, but I have not decided yet..especially with it being like spring right now. I think if I do it, it might be next winter. he rubs on everything and LOVES to be petted. Usually once  I have made it into the pen he leaves me be, but getting in there is a real challenge. Pecial is the complete opposite. His favorite thing to do is try to escape when I open the pen, but other than that, when he feels like it he comes over to be petted. But he never tries to rub on me.
  • Karen Brown (Abiga) March 10, 2011 at 1:02pm
    Thanks so much Deborah!  I guess I am marked now and part of his harem. ;o)
  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 10, 2011 at 12:28pm

    That's typical buck behavior, although you are correct that it should not be encouraged. I don't have a great answer for you. Personally I just keep pushing them away. Usually after about the fifth or tenth time you push them away, they'll give up for at least a few minutes. It's probably one of the reasons that people don't like to spend time in their buck pen. I think the head rubbing thing might have to do with them wanting to "mark" things with their scent. They also do it to trees and even little bushes, and some of them do it so much that they rub the hair off the top of their head towards their neck.

     

    I buy the hoof trimmers from Hoegger.

    http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=2898&c...

    I know exactly what you're talking about with the one kind being too big. I think those are labeled "hoof rot shears." I bought those once, and I couldn't use them either.

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