Okay, todayI got a 2.5 month old baby female and a 18 month female. Ben seems afraid and runs from the 18 month old, the 18 month old keeps head butting the baby, Mia keeps sniffing the baby. The baby keeps running from me. The baby took it's last drink of milk from mamma when I got her. I don't know how to socialize the baby like the other goats are. The lady told me that the the 18 month old female who was bottle fed, hand raised (in the house) and is as sweet as can be but it appears she is barren as she has never come up pregnant so she gave her to me. The baby I bought. Can someone help me on how to get the baby to calm down and be handled?
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I have been a Nigerian goat owner since March, I got my babies at 12 weeks old and they were terrified of us and would run away. I would sit in their pen with them day after day and finally after about a month they would let me comfortably handle them. I also clicker trained them with animal crackers as treats, worked wonders. Now they hear the clicker anywhere in the yard and come running for their treat. They have adjusted very well and I think patience is the key. My only issue with them is they are so loud when they see anyone.
That's a good idea Jessica. The 18 month old is butting the baby. I put the male and chained him to the other side of the fence and he can browse in sight. Maybe taking him out of the mix might help settle the girls? I did sit and got close to offer a slice of apple and the baby didn't take it. She's very skiddish. I did get her and put her on my lap and started to hum and sing to her and she seemed to like that... then is was "good by"... Now to try and get her to eat some noble goat like the others..
Jessica stafford said:
hehehe yeah, couldn't remember the name ... wattles...some call them goat jewels :-)
Are you talking about the wattles that are hanging down under her jaw?
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
new goats.jpg
I've read this but am stuck on 2-1/2 months old. How is this baby eating? I would think she would still be needing milk. I think of my Ginger at that age and there is no way she could have been alone like that. Reading this, I am more concerned about her health than her shyness.
Also, I read somewhere that we need to be really careful about pulling them on leashes because if pressure is on the windpipe it can collapse and they will die immediately. I don't know that is fact, I've just been really careful to not let the collar against their windpipes, I always hold it from the side or underneath. I would appreciate knowing if there is any truth to this.
Chasing a prey animal is always a bad idea because generally only predators chase them. They are programmed to run whenever something chases them. You can't make the baby stop running away from you. It's a survival instinct to run away from strangers. She doesn't know you or trust you. If you just sit down out there, she will start to check you out and get closer to you. But you can't try to drag her around on a leash when she sees no difference between you and a coyote. Seeing you pet the other goats won't exactly help because as the smallest goat, she will be on the bottom of the pecking order, and goats like that generally never get a chance to get any attention from the humans because the dominant goats are demanding your attention. The less dominant goats stay away then NOT because they are afraid of you but because they know their place in the herd. Goats have a very strong hierarchy system within the herd, and the baby will quickly learn not to try to get anything that the bigger goats want -- including your attention. It will simply take patience and perhaps working with her separately. But you should probably wait a couple days so that she can start to feel more secure in her new home. Imagine a five-year-old human that just got taken away from her family and the only world she's ever known. Patience is key!
Goats that are genetically infertile are incredibly uncommon. I haven't seen one in ten years, but I have had three does that didn't get pregnant until they were three years old, in spite of being bred many times. And one of those does has gone on to throw quads and even quints! In all three cases, they were does that had a very rough start in life, so I think their bodies were just not ready for them get pregnant -- or maybe they were aborting in early pregnancy -- because they had health or nutritional issues. If that doe has been with a buck in the last few months, you should keep an eye on her udder just in case.
the 18 month I can't say whether she has been with goats before as the lady said that over and over again with attempts with the buck she never got pregnant. The lady said that she was in the house and bottle fed.
How do you stop the baby from running away from me. When I catch her she's okay. I guess maybe the next couple of days, let the pack browse and get adjusted to each other and then work on the baby. Will the baby learn watching the other goats come to me and let me love on them. The baby was on a leash and she fought and fought like I was killing her trying to pull her.
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