# Success with noisy doe!



## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

I have a doe who likes to scream when she's in heat and I just wanted to pass on that I've had great results with a dog bark spray collar (one of the unscented aerosol sprays) that sprays when she tries to call. Just make sure it's tight enough and hangs so it touches the bottom of the neck. Hope that helps someone with noisy goats. Really helps if you have close neighbors.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Sorry I do not agree with this method at all.
By the end of day two they are usually quiet. Relatively speaking.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

I have had a few does that scream many times during the year. Heats, feedings, milkings, weanings. To the point where you almost grab the gun and turn her into lunch.


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

^agree. And my little Pygmy will be noisy anywhere from 1-3 days, sometimes even through the night if she hears a noise in the house. I personally don't see the problem with this. It's no different than spraying her with a water bottle. It's a non-toxic, water based spray. It still lets her make little noises, just not the screaming bleats.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks, but I believe I will have to pass. Hollering does in heat go with the territory, if it's a problem for you then perhaps you should find a different type of livestock/pet.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Some goats are very verbal, in any breed. 
I agree, to sell the goat, if we do not like it or want to deal with it. 

I have a young boer that screams at me, at the top of her lungs,when it is feeding time. But, I keep her and put up with it, just her nature and she is gorgeous, so I won't sell her. And I won't hurt her for doing so.


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

How is a spray collar hurting them? I'm not going to get rid of her because she gets loud once a month, it only helps my neighbors and I (mostly my neighbors, although I've had no complaints and talked to them extensively) keep our sanity for a day or two.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh my, I as well as others I believe, seen it as a shock collar. Feel kinda stupid :hammer::doh: Kinda skimmed over it I guess. Had a lot of post to answer. 
I am so sorry, I thought it was a shock one, which can be pretty harsh.:hug:

Maybe you are not getting many replies, as this is what others are thinking when they first read it. I never ever knew there was a spray bark collar, just looked it up and sure enough they exist. 

That method is good and I am glad it is working for you. I am sorry for misunderstanding to begin with, just so you know, this is the first time I ever heard of the spray bark collar. :thumbup:


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

Haha no worries. Yeah, I would never resort to a shock collar for anything. I actually once bought an invisible fence with a shock collar for my dog and could never bring myself to even use it. Put the wires in the ground and everything and never even put it on the dog. Felt horrible for even buying it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Thank you for forgiving me, it makes me feel a lot better. 

Hopefully now, members will see the good idea involved here.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Hahaha....combined with your avatar...maybe the idea of a shock collar comes to mind! :razz:! Maybe a less scary pic  JK...

I never knew there was spray bark collar either...very cool....


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

LOL, that could be.


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

Lol, it was the only relevant pic I had on the computer I was using. It's from halloween. I'll be sure to change it to a pic of my goats so as not to scare anyone


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I was sorta confused myself about it being abuse. I mean , if it is spraying something irritating the eyes or throat or mucus membranes it would be mean. But it is natural for the goat to be "noisy" at that time.
Just the way I see it. But , rather then give her up , I guess I would try something like it too. Do you plan on breeding ? Babies can be noisy too , just saying.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Like the new Avatar zcurrier19 .


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Love the new avatar


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## Jason (Dec 10, 2013)

This can also be a learned behavior....just as a warning. Our first doe is a spoiled brat, and she bleats constantly whenever she wants something, or just wants some company. She has taught every other doe we have brought home this same behavior withing 3-4 months....so yeah, it can get down right noisy when the hay rack gets empty! I had to put up dark curtains on the back windows of the house so she can't see us moving around inside...once she does, she starts in until we come out and pet/treat her. I know...monster of our own creation, but what ya gonna do...


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

My Nubian doeling is like that. She will scream at the top of her lungs with every breath she takes for 4 days during her heat cycle. I wanted to kill her. It upsets the LGD's, who then bark and carry on because they think something is trying to harm the goats. It makes the Malamutes go crazy because they think it is a wounded animal they need to have for supper. She attracts the coyotes for the same reason. She sounds like a dying calf in a hailstorm. She goes above and beyond what most does in heat will do. I have never had or heard a doe this bad in 35+ years of goats. I was ready to shoot her and toss her into the dogs. I do not want to risk the coyotes coming by just because she is loud and obnoxious. 

I wasn't going to breed her this year as I wanted to show her as a dry yearling (she is gorgeous, total show quality) next year and I couldn't find a Nubian buck that was good enough for her in my limited area but I couldn't take the noise. 3 nights of no sleep about killed me, so did my neighbors. I bred her to my Lamancha buck. 

Personally, I would not have a problem putting the dogs electric collar on her and zapping her when she screamed non-stop. I only use the vibrating mode for the dog (she is deaf and I used it to get her attention and to "call" her until we came up with another system) but for this goat I would have used a minimal zap. 

To sell her would have caused someone else to have the same problem and potentially have coyotes bothering them too. It was stop the noise or send her to freezer camp.


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

Thanks! That's my Oberhasli trying to eat my phone while I took a picture lol. She started learning to call when I first got them, but I ignored them until they were quiet and they stopped (plus it was never as noisy as her in heat). They get excited when they see me coming home or getting up in the morning but I just take my time getting to them to prevent that. Now I can take a shower and turn the bathroom fan on (bathroom is about 100ft from their pen) without a peep!


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

lottsagoats said:


> My Nubian doeling is like that. She will scream at the top of her lungs with every breath she takes for 4 days during her heat cycle.


Wow, sounds like you have it even worse than I do. Mine at least sleeps eventually.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Good to know! I wouldn't use any chemicals in it ... but even just water may do the trick. I personally like that my girls cry so I know when they're in heat! But I don't think this is a wrong tactic at all. Much better than locking her in the barn and letting her scream for three days, lol!!!


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## wendylou (Oct 5, 2013)

I personally love to hear the bleats. Let's me know they are ok and speaking about it. I bleat back and converse with them or brush them to help calm down for a minute or 2. I even bought one of those "bleating" goat alarm clocks at tractor supply just to wake up to a bleat ! Lol


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

Lol I like the bleats (and apparently so do my neighbors who love to make goat noises at them-- pretty funny to watch when they don't realize you are standing there), but the incessant screaming drives me nuts! Especially since it really echoes in the large open yard.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I hear ya...I hate it when I have to separate my two nubians....my younger one has a voice only a mother could love, and she uses it full force non-stop until they are reunited 
Certainly helps me to work faster so i can put her buddy back in with her!


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

zcurrier19 said:


> Lol I like the bleats (and apparently so do my neighbors who love to make goat noises at them-- pretty funny to watch when they don't realize you are standing there), but the incessant screaming drives me nuts! Especially since it really echoes in the large open yard.


Tell me all about the incessant screaming! I never understood all the talk about Nubians being noisy until Izzy was born - she is the original screaming mimi! She screamed when she couldn't see her mother, she screams when she is in heat, she screams when I'm late feeding, she screams when she is bored, she screams just for the hell of it! I have learned to recognize her voice, so at least I'm no longer racing to the goat pens to see what is eating whom anymore. :roll: :laugh: I'm still not going to put a spray collar on her, though.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Screaming mimi :ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:


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## zcurrier19 (Sep 9, 2013)

GoatCrazy said:


> Tell me all about the incessant screaming! I never understood all the talk about Nubians being noisy until Izzy was born - she is the original screaming mimi! She screamed when she couldn't see her mother, she screams when she is in heat, she screams when I'm late feeding, she screams when she is bored, she screams just for the hell of it! I have learned to recognize her voice, so at least I'm no longer racing to the goat pens to see what is eating whom anymore. :roll: :laugh: I'm still not going to put a spray collar on her, though.


That's how she was when I first got her, especially that first day! Being my first goats, I was just like "what the #?!* have I gotten myself into?!" Even had a visit from animal control (although it was only one complaint from a lady who complains about EVERYTHING according to the officer). I just ignored her and she finally let up. A few weeks later the animal control guy here came into where my girlfriend works and asked us what we did to quiet her since there hadn't been any more complaints. Told him nothing she just adjusted. Luck for me, I'm 90% sure the crotchety old neighbor who called moved lol. Don't regret getting them for a second though, even with the occasional noise.


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## MaAdMtns (Oct 4, 2013)

*Spray collar*

Thank you for sharing that info!

I have considered the spray collar for one of mine who can get quite loud when I put him and his brother in his pen....

I think for vocal pack animals, the collar may be a lifesaver. Living in forests with predators, or working in the wilderness calls for a quiet goat.

If you look up "my goat won't be quiet" you'll see that many, many people have this problem.

Although I have not purchased a spray collar yet, I think it is a great idea that can possibly save a goat that is too vocal from having to leave the heard or to be given away or even put down.

Thanks again!


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