Ctittle
Chillin' with the herd
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2022
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 23
- Points
- 39
Hey all, new to the site here. I’ve only owned goats since March.
I’m hoping someone has an idea of how to help a goat previously kept as a pet (I believe it was alone - not in a herd) integrate into my herd. Rosie is a 3 year old healthy ND doe, never been bred. Her story, as much as I know, was that she was the pet of an elderly woman who could no longer care for her and had to give her away. A friend of mine with standard diary goats was approached first and took her, but after 30 days of quarantine and 2 months with her herd, the doe stayed aloof and wasn’t getting along with the livestock dog AT ALL.
I have ND and Pygmies, so she asked if I’d like to take her. She’s a sweet girl, so I said sure.
It’s been two weeks and she still won’t join in the herd. She lives to get away from them and be wherever I am. She also seems to hunt down little bits of garbage - stray paper cups, plastic bags, and the like - instead of browsing as my other goats do.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
The girls are due to come out of the pasture (where the bucks are) this week. She’s only been in there 2 weeks, and I doubt the boys have succeeded in getting near her. I would love to breed her for spring babies - I just don’t know how to make her realize she’s a goat.
The herd queen, who she is terrified of, is now on the other side of the fence with another doe. Maybe this will help her acclimate? I’d like her with the other does for winter - it would make feeding much easier if she weren’t in with the rowdy boys.
Thanks so much!
I’m hoping someone has an idea of how to help a goat previously kept as a pet (I believe it was alone - not in a herd) integrate into my herd. Rosie is a 3 year old healthy ND doe, never been bred. Her story, as much as I know, was that she was the pet of an elderly woman who could no longer care for her and had to give her away. A friend of mine with standard diary goats was approached first and took her, but after 30 days of quarantine and 2 months with her herd, the doe stayed aloof and wasn’t getting along with the livestock dog AT ALL.
I have ND and Pygmies, so she asked if I’d like to take her. She’s a sweet girl, so I said sure.
It’s been two weeks and she still won’t join in the herd. She lives to get away from them and be wherever I am. She also seems to hunt down little bits of garbage - stray paper cups, plastic bags, and the like - instead of browsing as my other goats do.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
The girls are due to come out of the pasture (where the bucks are) this week. She’s only been in there 2 weeks, and I doubt the boys have succeeded in getting near her. I would love to breed her for spring babies - I just don’t know how to make her realize she’s a goat.
The herd queen, who she is terrified of, is now on the other side of the fence with another doe. Maybe this will help her acclimate? I’d like her with the other does for winter - it would make feeding much easier if she weren’t in with the rowdy boys.
Thanks so much!
