Female goats and issues!

[KennaFox]

So I've got this one goat, Lily! Lily the Lamancha ( its fun when you say it togother) any who, perfectly fine girl, although shes got a knack for getting into chicken feed and sometimes an attitude problem which I can fix... EXCEPT ONE. I've got a friend who came from Missouri to California to move here, lily tried her husband once, and then left him alone. But my friend who's a girl, noooo, no matter what we do, when she comes out the door lily wants to attack. Constantly jumping and headbutting, kicking and chasing, grabbing her legs with her horns and trying to pull her over. We've tried everything from the take down to water to a swift knock with a stick, nothing. I have to stand by my friend while she's outside or she gets attacked. (Frankly its kind of hilarious because she goes running and screaming, this is a veteran were talking about) but she has a bad knee, and can't have lily taking it out all the time. Advice?

 

[cassie]

First of all, I'd get rid of the horns. The goat doesn't need them and they can be dangerous both to caretakers and other goats. Secondly, if you want to stop this behavior, invest in a shock collar. Set the goat up and when she charges zap her. If she does this with your friend she will no doubt do so with someone else sooner or later. It would also help if your friend would stop acting like a ninny. With that idiotic fleeing behavior she makes herself a perfect target. One the goat thinks is a lot of fun to go after. The goat is right. It's not nearly as much fun to charge someone who stands their ground.

I had goats for over 40 years. At one time or another I had pet goats, a hobby herd, a show herd, and a commercial dairy. I never, except for one noteable exception, had any of my goats ever attempt to charge me or threaten me in any way, and that included breeding bucks in full rut, The exception was a young not-too-bright buckling with an oversized ego and an undersized brain. He butted me. Once. I was so mad I grabbed two handfuls of hair and hide, picked him up bodily and dumped him on his side in a mud puddle. It's amazing what you can do with a little adrenolin. He never attmpted to do anything like that again. Not ever. I never abused my animals, but I made it very clear from day 1 that I was the alpha goat.

 

[KennaFox]

First of all, I'd get rid of the horns.  The goat doesn't need them and they can be dangerous both to caretakers and other goats.  Secondly, if you want to stop this behavior, invest in a shock collar.  Set the goat up and when she charges zap her. If she does this with your friend she will no doubt do so with someone else sooner or later.  It would also help if your friend would stop acting like a ninny.  With that idiotic fleeing behavior she makes herself a perfect target.  One the goat thinks is a lot of fun to go after. The goat is right.  It's not nearly as much fun to charge someone who stands their ground.

I had goats for over 40 years.  At one time or another I had pet goats, a hobby herd, a show herd, and a commercial dairy.  I never, except for one noteable exception,  had any of my goats ever attempt to charge me or threaten me in any way, and that included breeding bucks in full rut,   The exception was a young not-too-bright buckling with an oversized ego and an undersized brain.  He butted me. Once.  I was so mad I grabbed two handfuls of hair and hide, picked him up bodily and dumped him on his side in a mud puddle. It's amazing what you can do with a little adrenolin. He never attmpted to do anything like that again.  Not ever.  I never abused my animals, but I made it very clear from day 1 that I was the alpha goat.

she's never done it to any one but her. We can't get her to stop being a wawa, problem lies with my friend I'm sure, she's too scared to hurt the goat. We tried to explain to her she's got to establish her dominance and that lily has more ability to hurt her but nope. I'd love to use the shock collar but can't find the one I use for my dogs. Thanks though! I've always wanted to stick antenna balls with smiley faces on them horns lol. My hubby is supposed to rid of the horns though when he gets back from trucking long enough to have time to do it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sounds a little mean to the goat, maybe keep her in a pen, she's just being a goat, I don't agree with hitting, or abuse, does your goat have goat friends, or stuff to play with, she sound frustrated, keep her where she can't interact with people unless you want her out, all you're gonna do is make her afraid of you or more aggressive.

 

[cassie]

Sounds a little mean to the goat, maybe keep her in a pen, she's just being a goat, I don't agree with hitting, or abuse, does your goat have goat friends, or stuff to play with, she sound frustrated, keep her where she can't interact with people unless you want her out, all you're gonna do is make her afraid of you or more aggressive.

Teaching a goat, or any other critter, manners is not being mean. And she is not "just being a goat". She is behaving like a spoiled brat. The person who is acting like an idiot by running and screaming is encouraging her. That has got to be very entertaining to Lily. You are right in that hitting doesn't work. The shock collar would because she would associate that with her actions, not with something someone did to her. This behavior has got to be stopped. She can hurt someone.

 

[KennaFox]

The problem came from my brother always touching her head growing up, always letting her from thinking its okay to praise her for head butting because it was "cute" and fun to play chase with him. Me personally never ever touch her on the head. She's gonna have to learn one way or another. Now my hubby, any time he's around (over the road trucker) she will not try anything let alone come near us in any rude manner, but without him she puts her cackles up (that line of hair that goes all the way up her back) and starts running and jumping and rearing up. I usually give her toys like a water bottle with some holes in it filled with food, or she has a few stumpa throughout the yard to run and jump across, she's got a pool, even her own bed. (Took over a chicken coop) when she's bored she stands on her back legs and tries to get the leaves off my trees or rub her horns on my face even play with my little dog. But she's also starting to attack my dog (German Shepherd pitty mix who is 6 with cataracts) and that is starting to upset me. When I punish her for it, she comes at me and then tries to go right back to the dog. She also likes to eat the feathers off my roosters tails lol. Maybe if I go pick up a male? I can buy them here for 10$, but I have to bottle feed them for a while because they're so little. I just don't know if itd be safe for the little guy for me to bottle feed him with her around and get jealous??

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She is probably frustrated without having another goat to do all those things she is doing to you on. Goats bash and butt each other all the time, she is probably sexually mature as well and that can make her moody, and with the approach of fall and breeding season she will get noisy and probably more agitated, that's why I keep mostly wethers now. if possible she should have a goat companion, hanging a tire swing can help her get some of that head butting behavior out. She's not naughty, just frustrated, goats are intelligent little monkeys, always looking for stuff to do.

 

[KennaFox]

She's intelligent alright! We keep our feed in an ice chest. She uses her horns to pop it open when its sealed and get in and eat. She's only about 6 months or so. If I get a little guy you think he'd be okay with her? She won't like beat em up to much or something?

 

[KennaFox]

I bought her from a dairy. She's an American Lamancha. The males I can buy here "alpines" I think, are only 10 as babies and sell around 450$ full grown here.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She might, for a bit, but eventually they will be best friends, I have two lamancha boys, gotten this year, and an alpine cross as well, amongst others, I "rescue dairy boys" from Easter Dinner, I feed them goat milk replacer when young, saying that will make goat people go nuts, mine do fine on it and I like the ease of feeding it, despite the talk they don't drop dead from being raised on it. The thing with goats is they make you have to try to be smarter than them.