Husband wants goats and I'm terrified of goats...

[Jesusfreak101]

I have bottle baby bucks that dont act that way.

 

[Nommie Bringeruvda Noms]

Just for the record, all my goats have horns. We have heavy predator pressure, and I won't leave them defenseless. My goats have never intentionally hurt me, and only occasional small bruises, from them and/or me accidentally trying to change the laws of physics. Be gentle with them, and never use their horns as a means of controlling them, and they won't use them against you.

 

[Physhyr]

My husband and father-in-law keep pushing for goats on the farm. I am however, to put it bluntly quite terrified of goats lol Now you are probably thinking that's absurd and I won't argue with you it might sound very silly to most people. The story behind my fear of goats starts when I was 10. Our next door neighbor kept a single buck (I believe nubian). It was "disbuded" , but of course his horns grew back and they NEVER had it fenced they just let this guy free roam. My parents always made me walk to my grandmother's house every day which was on the other side of this neighbors house with the goat. This goat would always come onto the road to chase me, head butt me and even would try to jump on me (I'm assuming mount since he was alone all of the time). I would layer my clothes and wear an oversized canvas carhartt coat to try and cushion myself from this goat and even then I would have grapefruit sized bruises on my sides and scrapes all over. He even nicked my face with a horn one once and I still to this day have a small scar from where he got a little chunk of skin out of my face. Eventually the neighbors were forced to get rid of the goat because I wasn't the goats only victim and other neighbors complained. He would attack anyone on the road walking, he even attacked the neighbors little dog when she was taking it for a walk and then the goat started to headbutt people trying to knock them off of their bicycles. He also went full crazy and started trying to headbutt cars that drove by (it was a dirt road so most people didn't drive above 20 mph). I still to this day avoid going anywhere near goats, but my husband and father-in-law LOVE goats. They have been planning out a goat yard and goat barn while I'm sitting here sweating up a storm watching my childhood fears come to life again😅 However, I don't want to let my fear stop him from getting goats if that's what he wants. Basically I'm willing to learn and try, but need a little reassuring before he brings any goats home. So my questions are based on your personal experience:

-What goat breeds are the most docile?
-Are male goats in general very aggressive?
-Is it purely each goat is it's own individual and it's a hit or miss personality thing?
-Or was it simply because the neighbors kept a lone buck that made him so aggressive?
-Would it be better to stick with only does?
-Also I know goats are herd animals so how many goats does it take for a goat to feel most comfortable and like they have their own herd?
-I'm a reader are there any recommended books on goat handling/goat behaviors?

Thanks!

From my experience unneutered males can be more aggressive or pushy. My wethers (neutered males) are very sweet (both were bottle babies), and my bottle baby doelings are very sweet as well. I would recommend getting bottle raised goats because they are imprinted on people so they tend to be friendlier. My goats will climb on me if I sit outside with them, but they aren't rough- just play.

 

[MamaGoneCrazy]

My husband and father-in-law keep pushing for goats on the farm. I am however, to put it bluntly quite terrified of goats lol Now you are probably thinking that's absurd and I won't argue with you it might sound very silly to most people. The story behind my fear of goats starts when I was 10. Our next door neighbor kept a single buck (I believe nubian). It was "disbuded" , but of course his horns grew back and they NEVER had it fenced they just let this guy free roam. My parents always made me walk to my grandmother's house every day which was on the other side of this neighbors house with the goat. This goat would always come onto the road to chase me, head butt me and even would try to jump on me (I'm assuming mount since he was alone all of the time). I would layer my clothes and wear an oversized canvas carhartt coat to try and cushion myself from this goat and even then I would have grapefruit sized bruises on my sides and scrapes all over. He even nicked my face with a horn one once and I still to this day have a small scar from where he got a little chunk of skin out of my face. Eventually the neighbors were forced to get rid of the goat because I wasn't the goats only victim and other neighbors complained. He would attack anyone on the road walking, he even attacked the neighbors little dog when she was taking it for a walk and then the goat started to headbutt people trying to knock them off of their bicycles. He also went full crazy and started trying to headbutt cars that drove by (it was a dirt road so most people didn't drive above 20 mph). I still to this day avoid going anywhere near goats, but my husband and father-in-law LOVE goats. They have been planning out a goat yard and goat barn while I'm sitting here sweating up a storm watching my childhood fears come to life again😅 However, I don't want to let my fear stop him from getting goats if that's what he wants. Basically I'm willing to learn and try, but need a little reassuring before he brings any goats home. So my questions are based on your personal experience:

-What goat breeds are the most docile?
-Are male goats in general very aggressive?
-Is it purely each goat is it's own individual and it's a hit or miss personality thing?
-Or was it simply because the neighbors kept a lone buck that made him so aggressive?
-Would it be better to stick with only does?
-Also I know goats are herd animals so how many goats does it take for a goat to feel most comfortable and like they have their own herd?
-I'm a reader are there any recommended books on goat handling/goat behaviors?

Thanks!

I am so sorry who had that horrible experience! But I think it’s important to face your fears if you want to. Don’t be pushed into something you really don’t want to do!

We have Boers. We started this past summer with 3 females and 1 male, all adults. And ended up having 5 baby goats born around New Years! So we are super new to goats and making a ton of mistakes I’m sure but I’m learning so much. Our male likes to be petted. He’s very friendly. But my 5 year old son hit him with a stick once and the goat, Chuck, hasn’t forgotten that so he does mess with my son if he is in the goat pasture. (Which is a good lesson for my child.) Have you thought about the dwarf goats? That might be a good reintroduction to goats. I love having goats! They are doing a great job at cleaning up our pasture 😉

 

[Mini Horses]

Goats are smart! I've had some or a lot for many years now. I liked my Boers, they were a friendly and non aggressive group, overall. I led my bucks with a collar. Same with my Nubians & Saanens now. The one you had around as a child was totally out of control! The bucks will want to rub on you but I've not had any attack! If several together and you have treats, you might get pushed as they crowd in for their share. 😁 My regular milkers know their name and come to it when called. If it's milking time, others will come and know their turn in line. Of course I have 20 now, plus 16 kids. Only a couple would be like having a couple big dogs walking with me.

I hope you are able to visit some goats that have been handled properly. They really are nice animals and very social. But you fear is well founded!! Don't apologize for it. Starting with young ones would most likely work best for you. Like many have said. The hair sheep may be an option.

 

[mutchi]

Umm most male goats are mean but if treated properly they can be the sweetest!

 

[Taffy&Pretzel]

H

My husband and father-in-law keep pushing for goats on the farm. I am however, to put it bluntly quite terrified of goats lol Now you are probably thinking that's absurd and I won't argue with you it might sound very silly to most people. The story behind my fear of goats starts when I was 10. Our next door neighbor kept a single buck (I believe nubian). It was "disbuded" , but of course his horns grew back and they NEVER had it fenced they just let this guy free roam. My parents always made me walk to my grandmother's house every day which was on the other side of this neighbors house with the goat. This goat would always come onto the road to chase me, head butt me and even would try to jump on me (I'm assuming mount since he was alone all of the time). I would layer my clothes and wear an oversized canvas carhartt coat to try and cushion myself from this goat and even then I would have grapefruit sized bruises on my sides and scrapes all over. He even nicked my face with a horn one once and I still to this day have a small scar from where he got a little chunk of skin out of my face. Eventually the neighbors were forced to get rid of the goat because I wasn't the goats only victim and other neighbors complained. He would attack anyone on the road walking, he even attacked the neighbors little dog when she was taking it for a walk and then the goat started to headbutt people trying to knock them off of their bicycles. He also went full crazy and started trying to headbutt cars that drove by (it was a dirt road so most people didn't drive above 20 mph). I still to this day avoid going anywhere near goats, but my husband and father-in-law LOVE goats. They have been planning out a goat yard and goat barn while I'm sitting here sweating up a storm watching my childhood fears come to life again😅 However, I don't want to let my fear stop him from getting goats if that's what he wants. Basically I'm willing to learn and try, but need a little reassuring before he brings any goats home. So my questions are based on your personal experience:

-What goat breeds are the most docile?
-Are male goats in general very aggressive?
-Is it purely each goat is it's own individual and it's a hit or miss personality thing?
-Or was it simply because the neighbors kept a lone buck that made him so aggressive?
-Would it be better to stick with only does?
-Also I know goats are herd animals so how many goats does it take for a goat to feel most comfortable and like they have their own herd?
-I'm a reader are there any recommended books on goat handling/goat behaviors?

Thanks!

Hi, I believe that buck acted that way mainly cause he was alone and bored and had no company. I also think it could have been part of his personality which is hit or miss but if both the goats parents are calm the kid is most likely to also be calm. If you were to get male goats make sure they are castrated and that will soothe their buck tendencies but not completely.
In most cases just 2 goats is enough to keep each other company as long as they become friends.
One of the best goat books I can recommend is Holistic Goat Care by Caldwell. If you want a smaller calm goat that are super friendly I recommend Nigerian Dwarf Goats. They also make great milkers if that’s something you would want to do in the future

 

[Beekissed]

I don't like goats either, though not a bit scared of them....just don't like them overall for various reasons. If I were forced to keep goats, I think the Boers would be the most likely candidates.....good meat quality for good market yields, they seem to stay in fencing better than most goats and utilize graze quite well and they seem more docile. I could be wrong about all of that but just observations of the Boers with which I've come in contact and observed on farms over the years.

Boers in these parts are bringing good money, both on the market and in private sales.

 

[goatyyymama164]

My husband and father-in-law keep pushing for goats on the farm. I am however, to put it bluntly quite terrified of goats lol Now you are probably thinking that's absurd and I won't argue with you it might sound very silly to most people. The story behind my fear of goats starts when I was 10. Our next door neighbor kept a single buck (I believe nubian). It was "disbuded" , but of course his horns grew back and they NEVER had it fenced they just let this guy free roam. My parents always made me walk to my grandmother's house every day which was on the other side of this neighbors house with the goat. This goat would always come onto the road to chase me, head butt me and even would try to jump on me (I'm assuming mount since he was alone all of the time). I would layer my clothes and wear an oversized canvas carhartt coat to try and cushion myself from this goat and even then I would have grapefruit sized bruises on my sides and scrapes all over. He even nicked my face with a horn one once and I still to this day have a small scar from where he got a little chunk of skin out of my face. Eventually the neighbors were forced to get rid of the goat because I wasn't the goats only victim and other neighbors complained. He would attack anyone on the road walking, he even attacked the neighbors little dog when she was taking it for a walk and then the goat started to headbutt people trying to knock them off of their bicycles. He also went full crazy and started trying to headbutt cars that drove by (it was a dirt road so most people didn't drive above 20 mph). I still to this day avoid going anywhere near goats, but my husband and father-in-law LOVE goats. They have been planning out a goat yard and goat barn while I'm sitting here sweating up a storm watching my childhood fears come to life again😅 However, I don't want to let my fear stop him from getting goats if that's what he wants. Basically I'm willing to learn and try, but need a little reassuring before he brings any goats home. So my questions are based on your personal experience:

-What goat breeds are the most docile?
-Are male goats in general very aggressive?
-Is it purely each goat is it's own individual and it's a hit or miss personality thing?
-Or was it simply because the neighbors kept a lone buck that made him so aggressive?
-Would it be better to stick with only does?
-Also I know goats are herd animals so how many goats does it take for a goat to feel most comfortable and like they have their own herd?
-I'm a reader are there any recommended books on goat handling/goat behaviors?

Thanks!

This is the exact opposite of us. I LOVE goats but my husband hates them (because of their evil eyes I guess) .

 

[Ridgetop]

We had around 100 dairy goats at one time. Milking up to 20, the others ere dry kids and yearlings. We divided up the goats that we would freshen as yearlings to make up our herds and get/produce classes for shows and fairs. (Premium $$ paid on all classes). Disbudded our Boers because they went to 4-H and FFA kids for Fair projects. No horns allowed in youth shows. Kept some does with horns to sell at Boer shows.

I disbudded my goats because we showed them and no horns were allowed. I had guardian dogs for my stock and never lost any goats. It is personal for me not to have horned animals. I still have a scar in my leg where a horned Pygmy tossed his head and tore open my leg when I was feeding for a friend. I lost a horned Boer who got tangled in a feeder and brought it down on top of her. Lost another horned Boer who hung up in a fence. Since Highland Meadows got torn up by a goat with horns/scurs, she may feel safer with a disbudded goat. What works for one doesn't always work for another - everyone makes their own choices with no judgment on them.

We also kept at least 4-6 bucks in their own pen, 1 Nubian, 3+ LaManchas, and 1 Boer. None of them behaved like the buck Highland Meadows described. None of them were mean. The Nubian and LaManchas were bottle fed kids raised by our children. During breeding season our children would go in the pen and choose whichever one was to be used, put him on a leash and led him out. We did not pen bred any of our dairy does. We hand bred them on leashes with the bucks. No problems with any bucks. We also collected semen from our bucks during rut. This meant we had to handle them, loading them in the trailer, taking them to the collection site and leading them into the collection chute. Our bucks were well behaved. We had trained them to be well behaved.

We pen bred our Boer goats with a harness and crayon on the Boer buck. He was mama raised. He was not a pet. He had big horns as did all our purebred purchased Boer does. I would go into the pen 2x daily to feed. It was a small breeding pen 12'x24'. Horse corral with wire so no way to escape if he charged me. I would change the harness crayon and adjust the harness by myself. No problems with bad behavior from that buck either. We got him as a kid and trained him.

There are nice dispositions and mean ones. CULL the mean ones. Train the nice ones. Training goes for all species. Train your rams not to go for you and keep an eye on them. Train your horses, mules, donkeys, cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs to NOT attack you. Rabbits that bite go in the pot. Mean animals go to the auction or freezer. Would you keep a dog that wasn't trained and attacked you? TRAINING!

My son had a registered Hampshire ram that attacked anyone in his pen. Once in a halter he was docile, could be led around, and shown in the ring. It needs experience to deal with dangerous male animals. If you don't have the experience, or the desire to deal with the dangerous ones, DON'T keep them.

Temperament is temperament. Neutering can calm down male animals but it doesn't change basic temperament. Remember the mantra "it's always the owner."

Some of the pushiest goats I have been around have been Pygmies. Highland Meadows has a fear of goats. It's a rational fear considering her experiences. If her FIL and DH want to keep animals that terrify her, they should keep them at FIL's house!