I have two separate questions. First, I am taking care of a neighbor's goat that escapes their pasture so was locked in a stall 24/7, he is now living in my pasture with my 2 goats and 2 horses. He is a loner but they get along fine. My question is, he has scurs. He's an older goat, several years old at least. One of his scurs is loose and wiggly (pictured). He plays and headbutts with my other goat who is much smaller but horned. Is this a problem? Will the scur break off and if so, will it bleed, and if it bleeds, what care should I give him?
My next question is about the HORNS with a very BIG attitude behind them in the next picture. I love this guy, he can be very sweet. But he also likes to stick his head between my legs and hook me with his horns. I'm covered in bruises. When I walk through the pasture he will stop in front of me and try to rub his horns on me/hook me and it hurts! He was castrated (by a vet) at around 7 months old so I think he has a lot of "buck" tendencies. His sister who has been with him since birth is a sweet little thing that never tries to hook anyone with her horns (except him, when she gets tired of him). How do I teach him to be respectful at over a year old? He's only about 45 pounds but as you all can attest those little bodies can pack a punch. I don't think he is malicious usually, just a brute. He is just a pasture pet with his sister, the neighbor goat and 2 horses. He is a butt with his horns to the horses as well and one of the horses has whipped his head at him and thrown him several feet more than once. He also had the end of his tail bitten off by that horse. I'm afraid the horse will lose his patience eventually, I can't say I'd blame him. Any advice???
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Hi Asia
For the question about scurs- they will likely get knocked off. Sometimes they bleed and sometimes they don't. If they bleed it is usually not nearly as bad as it looks and no intervention is needed. I have noticed with my guys that the more they get knocked off the less they grow back and I've had bucks who eventually did not grow them back at all. They are all a little different.
For the horns with attitude. Asking how to curtail this behavior is a question that we answer quite frequently and unfortunately there is no easy answer or solution that just works for them all :/ Some folks have really good luck with a squirt bottle and I know someone that uses a water hose.
The last time I talked to someone with this issue I recommended coins in a metal container to rattle loudly each time the goat came at her. I've not heard if that was successful or not. If you come up with a solution that works, please let us know.
Unfortunately pushing them off and trying to defend yourself with your knees or your boot seems to reinforce the behavior because it mimics goat interaction.
Something you may want to consider, which is what I did several years ago when I had goats with sharp pointy horns, is to have your vet remove the tips with a special saw wire. The tips are dead, and so can be trimmed down to a blunt end instead of that sharp point. But have your vet do it because if you go too low the horn has blood supply and then you have a bad mess on your hands.
As far as the horse situation, the only sure way to guarantee you won't end up with a very injured or dead goat is going to be to separate them.
~Tammy