Hens and Roos
Herd Master
They are cute!!
1st time owner - bottle baby
- Thread starter WingAcres
- Start date
Goat Whisperer
Herd Master
Congratulations!
If you are going to be bottle feeding them, make sure that the breeder has alreay acclimated them to a bottle.
If you are going to be bottle feeding them, make sure that the breeder has alreay acclimated them to a bottle.
babsbag
Herd Master
Aren't they just the cutest things ever So happy for you that she had two.
So happy for you that she had two.
misfitmorgan
Herd Master
Pulling is definitely not for everyone. It's a lot of work for the first week or so.
I sometimes have to fight the emotional aspect of pulling kids too, but honestly weaning the kids at 8-16 weeks is MUCH worse. There is no pacing, screaming, production drop, parasite bloom, goats tangled in fences etc. I have less bullying in the herd, and none of the adults are pushy, other then the alpine anyway.
You are right about the issues with the bucks. We teach the boys manners from day one. We don't tolerate any buck-like behavior towards people and NO rubbing their heads on people! All of the bucks I have raised have never had an issue with being pushy or bossy towards people- another reason why I like to hold onto them until weaning.
I only have one mean buck, he was a BB but I didn't raise him and I got him when he was 2. I knew the lady and had seen this buck as a yearling. Anyway, he was "very sweet and a big baby". Once I got him I started to see that he was trying to 'mark' people by roughly rubbing his head on people. He didn't like correction and would act like an I'll behaved child who had never been disciplined. In rut he was very dangerous and nobody will ever go on the same pen with him.
I know another person who got a buck from the same lady, a little younger than my buck, but had behavior issues too. He was dam raised. I really think most of it has to do with HOW they are disciplined.
I do somethimes miss watching the does dam raise, we still let a doe or 2 raise her kids every year
I am also worried about an adult killing or injuring a kid… I know someone who found a kid with a snapped spine, one of the goats butted the kid hard
We used to dam raise, and have friendly dam raised goats here. But I still love bottle babies!
I think your pretty spot on there. We got our buck when he was over a year old and the people thought head rubbing and "playing" headbutt with the human butts was so adorable....let me tell you a 200+ lbs alpine with full horns doing that behavior is not cute at all. I think he may have one more season left then he will be put out to retire in his own pen with a whether for company. I have noticed him being more and more aggressive with the younger goats and even my one adult alpine doe...so we have started keeping moms and kids separate from the herd for the first few weeks on the standard kids and the first month or so on the mini's. We have stall doors with wide slats so they can still...mingle with the herd. It is kind of funny to see the does visiting thru the "prison" doors lol.
So cute!! Congrats
MrsKuhn
Loving the herd life
congrats! beautiful kids
