Help! My buck turned on me!

You guys the craziest thing just happened. I was down doing night chores by myself. I went into the buck pasture to catch one of the young bucks who gets put up at night. When I walked into the stall, Miyagi was in there. He is now I guess about 3. I raised him since he was a weanling. You guys have heard me rave about how much I love him and he has always been so gentle and loving with me.

Tonight I turned around from closing the door, he ran up the wall in his signature ninja move that got him his name, came down off the wall and rammed me in the leg full force. No warning, no provocation, nothing. I was just shocked. Didn't know what to think or do.

Mind you this is the unregistered not really purebred Nigerian buck who was 26 inches and 100+ pounds the last time I weighed and measured him. So he is a pretty big boy. I walked on by him and tried to go get the other buckling and Miyagi started going around me in circles, sometimes rubbing on me, sometimes rearing up and coming down at me but just stopping short of actually hitting me. I just stood my ground quietly and kinda waited, and he let me get the little guy and go. I petted him a couple of times while he was rubbing on me.

A few minutes later I went back in the buck pen, and he just came at me. He hit me in the arm hard enough to raise a big welt and leave a huge bruise. I hit him in self defense a couple of times this time, he came at me again and hit my hand and bruised that up pretty good too. I was hitting and kicking at him just trying to get out, he had me in a corner and was just coming for me.

Finally I managed to get out the door. He is going to have to drink out of the pond tonight because I was home alone and am not going to try and go back in there to refill his bucket by myself. I really wasn't sure if I was gonna get away from him that second time. I guess I infuriated him by smacking at him to try and fend him off?

He was running around, mouth open, panting, tongue out, blubbering at the fence, at me, very agitated, this whole time. I have never seen him act like that either. Could there be something wrong with him? Like a sickness, that would cause him to act like that? My husband and I will try to take his temperature when he comes home but no way am I going near him by myself again.

He did hop a fence in with two does this afternoon, but both are already pregnant by him and I took him out of there by the collar and put him back in his own pasture with no problem. that was at about 3pm. He seemed normal then.

I never thought in a million years that I would be afraid of Miyagi! But he really scared me putting me in the corner like he did and just ramming me for no reason. And man he hit me hard. I cannot bend one of my fingers while typing this because my knuckle is all swollen and purple.

I have never heard of a Nigerian acting that aggressive...has anyone seen that happen?

My only explanation is that my husband has been playing knuckle head games with him since he was a baby and I have been asking him not to but you know how men are...so Miyagi will rear up and come down real gentle like and my husband will bonk his head with his fist. Did he take that game the wrong way, wake up one day as an adult and just freak out? I mean, it would make more sense if he had done this to my husband but to me? he has been just so gentle and loving with me his whole life.

Yep, sounds like a hormonal issue caused by never being bred and then made worse by being alone and not knowing she's a goat. But not much you can do at this point. There was someone on here a couple of years ago who had a doe that was about 4 years old and having hormonal issues. They put up a video, and she was totally acting like a buck. I think their vet recommended sterilization like spaying a dog or cat, but I don't recall what they did. This is why I recommend wethers as pets. There are times when does work as pets, but sometimes they wind up with crazy hormonal issues. This is the worst I've ever heard though.

Sam B said:

Yes, I know, but she is nine and has lived alone , with us in our house , since she was 3 months old. She literally killed a baby goat when she was four and broke the mother goats leg and shoulder /neck area. They put mom down too. She was living up, part time, at a nice ranch in her own stall/run combo. She could see these goats everyday. Thinking she needed a friend they turned her loose in the goat pasture. I didn't even know about it until I went to pick her up that evening. Would have never allowed it. She can be vicious if provoked. The doe was a Saanen. She also attacked and broke the hip of a Pygmy goat we bought for her when she was two. We payed a huge vet bill and gave him back to the previous owner . So I really just don't have the heart to try again.

Replies

Deborah Niemann-Boehle May 15, 2015 at 12:34pm

I wouldn't breed a 9-year-old goat that's never been bred before. I worry about goats that are 3 or 4 who are kidding for the first time, and I usually retire my does when they are 10. They really have trouble maintaining their body condition after 9 years old when they freshen. I have a 10-year-old right now that has always had the best body condition in the herd, but this year she is a perfect model for an article I'm writing on poor body condition. :(

Sam B said:

I was thinking Dorthia , my goat, is very well bred. Would breeding her be helpful. She is pretty old, but in great shape. My vet assessed her as being in the same average shape as three and four year old goats she sees. Is there any huge risk with breeding her at this age ? She has battled laminitis / founder, but it seems to be pretty well under control at this point. She is also the perfect lady in public. She is nice to children and friendly to dogs. We go to the coffee shop / Bistro and Petco almost every day . She never acts up when we are out .
Sam B May 15, 2015 at 12:40am

I was thinking Dorthia , my goat, is very well bred. Would breeding her be helpful. She is pretty old, but in great shape. My vet assessed her as being in the same average shape as three and four year old goats she sees. Is there any huge risk with breeding her at this age ? She has battled laminitis / founder, but it seems to be pretty well under control at this point. She is also the perfect lady in public. She is nice to children and friendly to dogs. We go to the coffee shop / Bistro and Petco almost every day . She never acts up when we are out .
Deborah Niemann-Boehle May 14, 2015 at 11:42am

Yep, sounds like a hormonal issue caused by never being bred and then made worse by being alone and not knowing she's a goat. But not much you can do at this point. There was someone on here a couple of years ago who had a doe that was about 4 years old and having hormonal issues. They put up a video, and she was totally acting like a buck. I think their vet recommended sterilization like spaying a dog or cat, but I don't recall what they did. This is why I recommend wethers as pets. There are times when does work as pets, but sometimes they wind up with crazy hormonal issues. This is the worst I've ever heard though.

Sam B said:

Yes, I know, but she is nine and has lived alone , with us in our house , since she was 3 months old. She literally killed a baby goat when she was four and broke the mother goats leg and shoulder /neck area. They put mom down too. She was living up, part time, at a nice ranch in her own stall/run combo. She could see these goats everyday. Thinking she needed a friend they turned her loose in the goat pasture. I didn't even know about it until I went to pick her up that evening. Would have never allowed it. She can be vicious if provoked. The doe was a Saanen. She also attacked and broke the hip of a Pygmy goat we bought for her when she was two. We payed a huge vet bill and gave him back to the previous owner . So I really just don't have the heart to try again.
Emily May 13, 2015 at 9:16pm

Totally just looked at the date on the original thread. lol My bad :P Not much help now!!
Emily May 13, 2015 at 9:16pm

Growing up my friends had a buck that they took in as a rescue (full set of horns mind you) and he was AWFUL. He would wait until you weren't looking and then attack. Once, I thought he broke my leg he hit me so hard. After that we would take a pressure pump sprayer in the pen full of vinegar water (the kind of sprayer you would use to spray pesticides and stuff on a garden). We would set it to stream and when he would run at us we would spray him in the face with the vinegar water. It took a little while but he eventually stopped attacking us because he hated the vinegar water in his face so much. We were able to use that to stop him without furthering the aggression by hitting/kicking him. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! Good luck!
Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres May 13, 2015 at 6:57pm

That sounds horrible! I'm so sorry you've had such a rough time of it with her!! I totally understand not wanting to try again with her as far as another goat friend goes. I really think she's got some hormonal issues... which can be REALLY hard to figure out in some goats, and since she's so old... :::sigh::: poor thing. Poor you!! That would be really rough.
Sam B May 13, 2015 at 6:48pm

Yes, I know, but she is nine and has lived alone , with us in our house , since she was 3 months old. She literally killed a baby goat when she was four and broke the mother goats leg and shoulder /neck area. They put mom down too. She was living up, part time, at a nice ranch in her own stall/run combo. She could see these goats everyday. Thinking she needed a friend they turned her loose in the goat pasture. I didn't even know about it until I went to pick her up that evening. Would have never allowed it. She can be vicious if provoked. The doe was a Saanen. She also attacked and broke the hip of a Pygmy goat we bought for her when she was two. We payed a huge vet bill and gave him back to the previous owner . So I really just don't have the heart to try again.
Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres May 13, 2015 at 5:58pm

Being an only goat is probably not helping her behavior. Goats are herd animals. They need other goats to feel secure. If you don't have another goat, you and the other animals on your property become her herd. I still think that she's probably got some hormone issues, but I'm sure not having herd mates is not helping her behavior.
Sam B May 13, 2015 at 5:33pm

No she is an only goat. She blubbers at the other animals like cats and chicken, objects like solar light stands , soccers balls , and empty buckets.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle May 13, 2015 at 2:49pm

Sounds like she has some serious hormonal issues. This is buck behavior. Does do NOT act like this unless they are in heat, which would be about one day every three weeks.

Sam B said:

My 9 year old doe is relentless blubbering, snorting, snarling, licking, and biting. She also rams you, runs you over , and steps on your toes and feet. She gets this wild look in her eyes and sticks her tongue out before attacking. It makes me really sad, because we used to have a great relationship.

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