Bully male goat

Kathy

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I have a whethered Lamache goat that is bigger than the other 4 and he is constantly pushing them out of way of food, water, anything. I'm actually getting fed up with how he is behaving. I have a little Boer female that I'm sure he could hurt. Is it possible to "train" him or should I just separate him. He even tries to head butt me but I can still push him around. When with me alone, he is super loving.
 

Latestarter

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Greetings and welcome to BYH Kathy, from NE TX! So glad you joined us. I own Lamancha goats as well. Right now I have the buck separated and he lives with 2 wether yearlings. I sold my previous wether to someone for "yard clean up work". All of my goats are friendly and though several have challenged me once or twice, I didn't stand for it and it stopped. Were I you, I'd make that wether into goat burger and replace him with a friendlier model. That being said... I suggest that you arrange to clip him to a stationary object he can't pull away from during feeding so he can only eat what you give him and the others can eat in peace. Once they're done, you can release him. Having multiple feed spots and watering places will aid in stopping the possessiveness (maybe). I feed mine out of multiple feed bowls and they have "paired up" where the same group feed at each bowl every time. I had to stand guard initially to keep the dominant ones from trying to own all the bowls. When feeding them pellets, it's 2 adults to a bowl and 2 kids (yearlings) to a bowl. When I fill the bowls with hay, it's 3 adults to a bowl and 4 kids to a bowl. anyway... There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!
 

animalmom

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@Latestarter has a good point. I had a LaMancha/Nigerian doe that thought all the feed was hers so I clipped her with a short lead to the fence so that she could only get to one portion of the feed. I'd leave her clipped to the fence while I fed the other two pens and did the milking. She had enough slack so she could lay down if she wanted so other than restricting her wandering around she was fine. She eventually got the message that it is nice to stand still and eat and not hog all the dishes.

If one of my males or wethers gets frisky and tries to challenge me I remind them I am the boss by flanking and sitting on them until they stop struggling. I do this by quickly grabbing the legs on the side closest to me and pulling up. This action flips them on their side. Whoomp down they go. Doesn't hurt anything but their pride. Stay on them until they stop struggling and when you let them up they are chastised. This rarely happens now, but a reminder is occasionally needed. Otherwise if one of them gets pushy I shake my fist in front of his nose and he suddenly remembers his manners.

Good luck with your goats. They are enjoyable with manners and not so much without manners. You are the boss at all times.

Pictures! We all love pictures, please and thank you.
 
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