Cattle Prods?

[sarahr]

Hey guys

I am new to the forums and relatively new to raising goats. I'm having trouble at the moment with a young buck who is getting more and more 'buckish' - peeing everywhere (including on me!), headbutting stuff (including me) and trying to mount me...

Some of it is probably my fault for being overly friendly when he was younger, letting him rub his head on me etc. Now I have tried tipping him and it hasn't helped yet.

I've read other similar threads and one of the things that comes us is using a cattle prod. Now I have one of those BUT I realise they can be a bit controversial. So rather than make this thread all about my woes (although feel free to give advice!) I thought I would ask what people thought in general of using a prod on a misbehaving buck, and if they had any experience. Thanks!

 

[Baymule]

Welcome to the forum! I don't have goats and can't give you the answer, but you sure came to the right place to get your answers.

 

[sarahr]

Aw, thanks

 

[cjc]

Personally I am against using one but I have never used one so I don't have experience with it. One of the first cattle auctions I went to I was watching a local cattle rancher give crap to an Alberta cattle rancher for prodding his cattle to get them off his truck. The man who was against told me I would never need to use that and a stick with no electric shock would work just as well. Maybe try that? That's what we do with our cattle when we enter the field with the crazy ones. We carry a stick. One small poke on the side with a stick and they go running. I don't know about goats tho...

 

[babsbag]

I don't use them on my bucks but I know people that use them on their rams, they never go in the field without one. I don't think I would be against using one and I bet it doesn't take very many times. Mine respect the hot wire fence just fine.

The peeing you won't stop, that is their cologne and they love it. Are you keeping him as a breeder or is he a pet?

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH @sarahr When you say you've "tried tipping him"... what exactly do you mean by that? You should get him down on his side and kneel on him/lay on him to keep him there till he submits and stops struggling. Just "tipping" him isn't going to leave the impression you want to leave. And you'll need to do it several times till he gets it through his head that you are the dominant. You didn't say what breed so size/weight is a question, Also, is he disbudded/polled/horned? Never used a prod, but like CJC said, you could try a stick first and if that doesn't work then go to the prod. I'll bet after you've used the prod a couple times a stick will work just fine... When he sees you entering with something in your hands, he'll be real cautious. Anyway, glad you joined. Share some pics if you will, we all love pics. And make yourself at home!

 

[sarahr]

Thanks guys/gals

To answer some of your questions he's a Nubian and we are keeping him as a breeder. I'm pretty terrible at estimating weight but he's plenty big enough for me! He's about 10 months old if that helps, and dehorned. I'll try and get some pictures but I'll have to find my camera first!

Interesting to hear no-one so far has ever used a prod. I can certainly give the stick a try but with what I've done so far I can't see it working! He has a pretty severe lack of respect for me. When I've tipped him in the past (which was a struggle) I've tried to hold him down but maybe I haven't been doing it long enough.

 

[Baymule]

If you can't get him to behave, eat him. No animal is worth getting hurt over. And you sure don't want to sell a problem animal that could hurt someone else. You can buy a real nice buck for a lot less than a trip to the emergency room.

 

[babsbag]

I am not really sure if a buck will respond to the dominant thing like a dog would. I had a bottle baby buck that LOVED me too much. And while he never tried to hurt me he was big at the age of three and yes, he would try to mount me too. I would just grab his collar when I went in the field and walk him with me; just never let him get behind me. He was never mean, which was a plus, but annoying all the same. My new buck wasn't a bottle baby and he isn't afraid of me and lets me catch him, but he doesn't LOVE me either. Not sure that bottle baby bucks are really a good thing. I think I would try the prod.

 

[OneFineAcre]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using the cattle prod on a Nubian buck
You better teach him some manners