Screaming, crying, and carrying on!

[Carolyn Bennett]

Hello, everyone, I'm new here.

We just jumped into the Nigerian dwarf goat world - we went to pick up some chickens at a farm and fell in love with the goat and brought him home, too.

He's about 10 weeks old.  If he's not right by my side, he'll scream and cry for hours.  If he's inside the fence, he's found all sorts of clever ways to break into the house, and surprise me in my living room!

Is he hungry?  Lonely?  Is there such a thing as "separation anxiety" like there is with dogs? 

He has the company of 2 friendly Goldens, and some cats and chickens.  He was bottle fed, and we're currently reducing that and he's eating grain and hay fine.  He doesn't seem to be too interested in pasturing, though the land is great for that. He was also weathered a week ago.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Yes, he should be able to take care of it. The sooner you take her back, the better it will be. If he messed up on a doe, that says a lot about his disbudding skill. We've never had a doe with scurs. You might consider someone else to do your kids next time. I hope he doesn't charge you for the touch-up.

Tammy said:

We had both of our kids debudded by the vet, but he missed one of the horns. She is about 2 1/2 months old. Can I have him redo the horn?

[Tammy]

We had both of our kids debudded by the vet, but he missed one of the horns. She is about 2 1/2 months old. Can I have him redo the horn?

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I would never put horned and disbudded goats together -- especially horned adults and a kid. They could kill him. It could be much worse than broken ribs. When I first got goats, someone gave me two horned pygoras, and after a couple months, I called the woman and asked her to please come get them, because I was afraid they were going to kill my other goats. One of the horned goats had hooked his horns under the belly of a pregnant doe and lifted her off the ground. She was fine, but I wasn't going to take any more chances. I know a woman who said she saw a kid gutted by a goat with horns.

Carolyn Bennett said:

Is there any concern with broken ribs? The little guy I believe was debudded-and the two females both have their horns. The smaller of the females is not aggressive-but the bugger one hit him pretty hard in the ribs. I am worried about him getting hurt more than anything. He is really scared of them if I am not there to hide behind.

[Michelle Lyon]

sorry, not sure why I am not seeing replies before I reply!!

[Carolyn Bennett]

Is there any concern with broken ribs? The little guy I believe was debudded-and the two females both have their horns. The smaller of the females is not aggressive-but the bugger one hit him pretty hard in the ribs. I am worried about him getting hurt more than anything. He is really scared of them if I am not there to hide behind.


Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

You can have a fence separating them initially, so they can see each other, and then put them together after a few days. Or you could just put them together right away. Goats will establish a pecking order, and since he is the smallest, he'll be at the bottom. The only thing you really have to worry about is them letting him eat, so you might need separate hay racks. But that is not usually a problem. Goats ALWAYS butt heads when you put new ones together, even if they've been together before. I try very hard not to change the groupings on my farm, because I know it will cause a bit of head butting until the new order is established.

Carolyn Bennett said:

So we got 2 more goats-1 year old nigerian/pygmy does. They are sisters that have been together from birth. Any tips for introducing them? I have them separated now as the sisters would butt the kid as soon as I was gone (observing from outside the pen). If I was inside the pen, they recognize not to mess with me-and the kid hides behind me. Should they continue to be separated until he gets bigger? Should I intervene when they are being introduced-or is the butting simply establishing a pecking order? I am used to dogs-and if you establish yourself as the top "dog" in the pack, the others will tend to fall in line out of respect for you. Is it a similar theory with goats?

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

You can have a fence separating them initially, so they can see each other, and then put them together after a few days. Or you could just put them together right away. Goats will establish a pecking order, and since he is the smallest, he'll be at the bottom. The only thing you really have to worry about is them letting him eat, so you might need separate hay racks. But that is not usually a problem. Goats ALWAYS butt heads when you put new ones together, even if they've been together before. I try very hard not to change the groupings on my farm, because I know it will cause a bit of head butting until the new order is established.

Carolyn Bennett said:

So we got 2 more goats-1 year old nigerian/pygmy does. They are sisters that have been together from birth. Any tips for introducing them? I have them separated now as the sisters would butt the kid as soon as I was gone (observing from outside the pen). If I was inside the pen, they recognize not to mess with me-and the kid hides behind me. Should they continue to be separated until he gets bigger? Should I intervene when they are being introduced-or is the butting simply establishing a pecking order? I am used to dogs-and if you establish yourself as the top "dog" in the pack, the others will tend to fall in line out of respect for you. Is it a similar theory with goats?

[Jane Wagman]

Yup he definitely needs a goat pal. Preferably one fairly close to his age. Since Niggies are small you can have two of them in a relatively small space. They need 20-22 sq feet of sleeping space (4'x5') for the two of them at adult size. And a 30x30 foot yard is enough outside area for two - but of course more is better. And an area that size would mean you would be providing them with all of their nutrition.

[Carolyn Bennett]

So we got 2 more goats-1 year old nigerian/pygmy does. They are sisters that have been together from birth. Any tips for introducing them? I have them separated now as the sisters would butt the kid as soon as I was gone (observing from outside the pen). If I was inside the pen, they recognize not to mess with me-and the kid hides behind me. Should they continue to be separated until he gets bigger? Should I intervene when they are being introduced-or is the butting simply establishing a pecking order? I am used to dogs-and if you establish yourself as the top "dog" in the pack, the others will tend to fall in line out of respect for you. Is it a similar theory with goats?

Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

The breed doesn't matter, but don't mix horned and not horned goats. The horned goats have a huge advantage, and it's sad to watch.

Carolyn Bennett said:

Does it matter what breed the new goat is? We are planning on getting a second goat now-the crying is getting a little better, but we still think he is lonely.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

The breed doesn't matter, but don't mix horned and not horned goats. The horned goats have a huge advantage, and it's sad to watch.

Carolyn Bennett said:

Does it matter what breed the new goat is? We are planning on getting a second goat now-the crying is getting a little better, but we still think he is lonely.

[Carolyn Bennett]

Does it matter what breed the new goat is? We are planning on getting a second goat now-the crying is getting a little better, but we still think he is lonely.