I love you, can you please love me too?

MrsKuhn

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I bring home my babies this weekend ( insert happy dance) :weee:clap:weee:celebrate

So, I need some tips, tricks and advice to get them to love me. The lady that I bought them from has them liking BOSS she said my little girl loves them but the little boy isn't really gaga over them. I have gone up to visit them about three times now and have gotten the little girl to eat out of my hand after sitting on the ground for an hour with them locked in the pin, but if they aren't locked in ( any of the goats) they run. They want nothing to do with you. I don't want my kids like that. I want them to love me and follow me and be my buddies. :hu

My plan is to get them Saturday morning so I can sit in their new pin with them and hopefully get them comfortable with their new home and me. Is that the right thing to do or should I leave them be for a few hours? Im over thinking this I'm sure lol :barnie:he
 

samssimonsays

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When we brought home my mother son pair, baby was 4 weeks old and not handled much, we had to catch him and hold him petting him gently and talking sweet and gentle to him. He would kick and scream and fight but once he settled down, we placed him down and he went on his merry little way. He now will come up to us for rubs and is just 9 weeks old. He started around 7.5 weeks old to be more friendly. Once they are taken from their familiar place and moms you will be their familiar so usually they will bond quickly to you.
 

MrsKuhn

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Thank you @Samantha drawz They will be 8 weeks old on Thursday and I'm just so in love with them that I want them to love me too and want to be with me as much I want to be with them :lol: We have to run and catch them at her place if we want to hold them too. Han the weather is my favorite ( don't tell princess Leia ) and they are so little that I just want to cuddle and love them alllllllll the time :gig
 
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samssimonsays

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HAHAHA! That is awesome! THey will come around eventually! We struggled to catch my first two when I picked them up but once home they were glued to me due to unfamiliar surroundings, smells and noises. The dam raised babies seem to be a bit less.... not unfriendly but less interested in human contact. Not all of them are but if for any reason they don't get as much attention as the next they will be a bit more apt to take a bit more work to settle down and want to spend time with you. My first two were super dog like and friendly but even so, our bottle baby (raised by breeder) was so relaxed and would rather be with people. Our new doe was a bottle baby and her baby is not. You can tell the difference.
 

MrsKuhn

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@Samantha drawz They aren't bottle babies unfortunately. When I was looking to purchase I started out wanting a bottle baby but she said she was unwilling to do so. So I decided that I would maybe do it for myself when I breed. We will see. However I think I may give it as an option when I get more into breeding but who knows. I know it is a lot of work. But if they are a pet I can see how a bottle baby would be more affectionate since they are around people a lot more. Fingers crossed my two bond quickly or I will be one very sad goat mama :fl
 

TAH

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You will need a area that they can't run from you. And like Samath said holding them is the way into there heart. We just got a little while ago a Alpine a doe and doling, they were not very friendly. I traped them in a 6x6 foot stall and would sit in there for a hour or more a day, after 4 for days of this they started to come around. What breed are they?
 

Goat Whisperer

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Depending on the goat BUT it is usually to let them be for a little bit then try to make them friendly. Try to have a fecal run on them right away! The stress of the move and the stress of people is a parasite bloom waiting to happen. Once you know you are out of the risk of parasites & cocci you can spend as much time as you want with them.

When I brought my one ND home, she was absolutely terrified of EVERYTHING. I put he into a a 15x30ft lot but she was so frantic, I was afraid she was going to break he neck as she was leaping into everything out of fear. I moved her into a 10x15ft lot and she was still just running into everything. Once I got my hands on her, I locked her into a small wire dog crate with just enough room to stand and turn around. I also had to cover 3 sides with a tarp (it was also cold out- not fear of her overheating). Ran a fecal & treated her for Cocci right away. The next morning I put a dog harness on her and a very short lead and kept her in the small pen. That day she realized I was safe and was glued to my side :) She had NO handling at all, she came around amazingly fast. This wont work for every goat, most of the time its best to take it slowly. Being able to read them is a big key.

Okay... the BOSS :hide:hide:hide
Some may not agree with me BUT this is TERRIBLE for bucks and wethers! The Ca: P ratio is WAY off and is UC waiting to happen. I know a lot of folks always say its the grain that causes the UC. Truth be told, feeding a small amount of quality, well balanced feed is NOT going to give your goat UC.

A small amount of a GOOD feed or Alfalfa pellets is a good "treat" for taming them.
 

babsbag

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Fruit loops or peanuts and lots of patience on your part. The smaller the pen the better and let them investigate you. I was hoping you were getting bottle babies. I only have a few in my barn and most of my goats are brats and right now I am selling the brattiest ones. But I never spent much time with them as kids as they were dam raised and just stayed here.
 

MrsKuhn

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@TAH they are Nigerian dwarf and Pygmy. I have a 20x20 corral for them. hopefully if i just sit in there they will get used to me eventually. maybe I can bribe them ;)
 

TAH

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maybe I can bribe them ;)
You not the only one to bribe them. I do it to:hide. Are you planning on milking them eventually? Are you going to teach them tricks? Pygmy's and ND are really good at doing tricks.
 

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