# Goat noise & age



## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

Hi everyone. I just recently had a complaint lodged by a neighbor because of a noisy goat (Nigerian Dwarf). I have a feeling he might have been noisier than most for some reason. My other goat was fairly quiet 98% of the time, but Copper would cry for sometimes 2 hours straight in the evening, somewhere between 5-8 pm. He wasn't in pain or any kind of distress, and he would quiet down completely when I finally came outside. I had him from 5 weeks of age, and I made sure not to go outside every time he cried, but if it went on for VERY long, I would go out because I do have neighbors, and if I was my neighbor I would be getting upset. So I completely understand the complaint. My question is, is it possible he cried so much because he was so young when I brought him home? I ended up selling them both yesterday (it broke my heart). The officer didn't expressly tell me I had to get rid of them, but of course I would have to control the noise. Which is pretty much impossible if there's no known reason for the crying. I'd really like to try the "goat thing" again at a later time, but I know there's no way to guarantee a goat won't be noisy. I'm wondering if the age of the goat matters much when bringing it home. Any thoughts on this?


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Some are just that way. He thought of you as his mother, and new you were close by. Some goats cry for their mom, others get used to having a goat buddy


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree.

If he is alone, that is another reason why he would yell out. He needs a friend, a goat buddy. 
That should calm him down, if he is indeed alone.


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## Nigerian dwarf goat (Sep 25, 2017)

How sad that you had to sell him  
Yes, if he was alone, then that is why he was yelling


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I meant to say how sorry I am that you had to sell them. I don't have enough experience to answer your question about getting older goats making less noise.


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## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

Im just surprised they even took a noise complaint for that early in the evening. I mean arty least in my area if it's before 10pm it had better be really really loud or they will basically just laugh at you and tell you to call back if it's still going on after 10


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## Journey11 (Sep 20, 2019)

I think it's just in their personality for some goats to be a little more vocal or needy with their person. I have one that hollers because she just wants me to bring her a cookie all the time. I'm sorry you had to sell them. Sounds like he had been your pet for a long time. That would be hard.


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## ReNat (Jan 20, 2019)

You need to achieve good sound insulation goat room. 
https://soundproofliving.com/soundproof-room-cheap-free-ideas/

The goat shouts out of necessity, demands food, you need to make a schedule when you can appear at the goats and start feeding them at the legal time for noise.


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## ReNat (Jan 20, 2019)

You can also try clicker training. In any case, goats can be raised.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I find that bottle kids are much noisier than dam raised kids - they come to demand attention from their humans. YES dam raised kids can be extremely friendly, and I find they are not as dependent upon their people when with a goat buddy


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## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

Thanks to everyone. To clarify, I had 2 goats, so he was not alone. I got them at the same time, from different owners, and I had them for about 5 months. They were completely silent when it got dark. Maybe I pulled the trigger and sold them too early? I just didn't want to feel the stress every time he cried for a lengthy period of time, wondering if my neighbors were getting annoyed. I may try it again later, but not getting a goat that is so young. The one I bought at 12 weeks of age was pretty quiet, so maybe that played a part. I miss them terribly.


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## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

ReNat said:


> You need to achieve good sound insulation goat room.
> https://soundproofliving.com/soundproof-room-cheap-free-ideas/
> 
> The goat shouts out of necessity, demands food, you need to make a schedule when you can appear at the goats and start feeding them at the legal time for noise.


I fed them at the same time every day, usually at 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and they had hay available at all times. I'm not sure I'm understanding the sound-proofing concept. My goats were in our backyard surrounded by a wooden privacy fence.


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## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

CCCSAW said:


> Im just surprised they even took a noise complaint for that early in the evening. I mean arty least in my area if it's before 10pm it had better be really really loud or they will basically just laugh at you and tell you to call back if it's still going on after 10


I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I made the decision to sell them too early. Live and learn, I guess. I may try again later. I sure miss them.


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## Chris488 (Sep 4, 2018)

The other thing I was wondering is, what is the zoning for your area? If it's agricultural, I'm not entirely sure they could do much to you about noisy livestock. 

Our goats can be pretty noisy, especially at feeding time and when they just want some more attention ( they're spoiled rotten ). One in particular screams more that bleats and it's definitely irritating sometimes. Some goats are just noisy. 

Our new neighbor's dog tends to bark a lot, and one day while he was here looking at a welding job he said he hoped it didn't bug us too much ( it doesn't ). Of course the goats were in full "feed me" mode, so I just pointed and said, "Not if that doesn't bother you!" LOL


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## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

Chris488 said:


> The other thing I was wondering is, what is the zoning for your area? If it's agricultural, I'm not entirely sure they could do much to you about noisy livestock.
> 
> Our goats can be pretty noisy, especially at feeding time and when they just want some more attention ( they're spoiled rotten ). One in particular screams more that bleats and it's definitely irritating sometimes. Some goats are just noisy.
> 
> Our new neighbor's dog tends to bark a lot, and one day while he was here looking at a welding job he said he hoped it didn't bug us too much ( it doesn't ). Of course the goats were in full "feed me" mode, so I just pointed and said, "Not if that doesn't bother you!" LOL


I'm not exactly sure what we are zoned for, but I'm assuming it's residential. We live in a subdivision. I did check with our mayor before purchasing the goats to make sure it wasn't against code, and he said it was fine as long as no one complained. Although there is agriculture pretty much right behind us, as those neighbors have horses and chickens.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I'm sorry you had to sell your goats. I think you may have jumped the gun and sold them too soon, but I think there is also a chance that one of your goats just had a noisy personality. He almost certainly would have grown out of it eventually, but sometimes that can take a year or so. My suggestion is to buy a pair of siblings or close friends from the same farm so they are used to being buddies with each other. It sounds like your loud goat was a lot more bonded to you than to his goat friend, and buying a pair that was raised together may solve that issue. I also agree that dam-raised kids are less prone to screaming for human attention. Just make sure if you buy dam-raised kids that they were properly socialized as babies so they aren't skittish of humans. Good luck!


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## Chris488 (Sep 4, 2018)

Terri Hughes said:


> I'm not exactly sure what we are zoned for, but I'm assuming it's residential. We live in a subdivision. I did check with our mayor before purchasing the goats to make sure it wasn't against code, and he said it was fine as long as no one complained.


And of course someone had to. That really stinks, sorry you had to get rid of your goats!


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## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

Damfino said:


> I'm sorry you had to sell your goats. I think you may have jumped the gun and sold them too soon, but I think there is also a chance that one of your goats just had a noisy personality. He almost certainly would have grown out of it eventually, but sometimes that can take a year or so. My suggestion is to buy a pair of siblings or close friends from the same farm so they are used to being buddies with each other. It sounds like your loud goat was a lot more bonded to you than to his goat friend, and buying a pair that was raised together may solve that issue. I also agree that dam-raised kids are less prone to screaming for human attention. Just make sure if you buy dam-raised kids that they were properly socialized as babies so they aren't skittish of humans. Good luck!


Thank you! I was thinking the same thing on all accounts. I found out the person who complained was 2 houses down and doesn't have the nicest personality. So I'll chalk this up to a learning experience and buy a couple more next spring. We're getting a new neighbor in a month, and I want to see what kind of person she is before bringing home more goats.


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

I find that my animals that are used to being fed grain are much noisier than the ones that aren't. If you get another pair, maybe get ones that are old enough that they don't need grain/pelleted supplements, and have a hay-only diet. Might help. My first pair were wethers and got sweet feed twice a day (I didn't know better back then) and they got very noisy in the afternoon/evening.


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## Terri Hughes (Aug 29, 2019)

Calistar said:


> I find that my animals that are used to being fed grain are much noisier than the ones that aren't. If you get another pair, maybe get ones that are old enough that they don't need grain/pelleted supplements, and have a hay-only diet. Might help. My first pair were wethers and got sweet feed twice a day (I didn't know better back then) and they got very noisy in the afternoon/evening.


GREAT idea! About how old would they be to not need the grain?


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## Iluvlilly! (Apr 6, 2019)

ReNat said:


> You can also try clicker training. In any case, goats can be raised.


#MYFUTUREGOAL


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

Technically if they're wethers (or even does you don't plan on breeding) and they were left with their mothers until at least 10 or 12 weeks, they shouldn't need it at all. When I sell baby boys (never before 10 weeks) they're used to eating it because they're still with their mothers and sisters and everyone gets fed the same. I usually suggest that my buyers get a bag of what I feed just to make the transition easier, and wean them off of it as the bag runs out. So by the time they're 6 months or so, they should be weaned off of the pellets.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Terri Hughes said:


> GREAT idea! About how old would they be to not need the grain?


There may be many different answers for this question. Mine would be when they reach a more mature age, yearlings or slightly older. Young animals need higher levels of protein because they are growing and developing muscle, bone and stature.


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## seachick (Jun 2, 2010)

I would also recommend you buy an already-bonded pair. That is generally pretty easy to find with wethers. That way they already have a super close friend to rely on and shouldn't be AS desperate for you...


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## Katy Henderson (Jun 29, 2019)

I'm so sorry this happened! My husband and I were just talking about this this morning. We have Nigerian Dwarf goats that are about 7 months old. One is quiet and one is loud. The loud one was making a racket at 6:30am today and I said to my husband, "I wonder if that bothers anyone?" Our next door neighbors are kiddy-corner behind us, so part of their house practically hangs into our backyard. They can hear EVERYTHING and they don't have animals. We have lived here 12 years and they have complained but only when I had a really whiny puppy. Are spoiled rotten bleating tiny little goats as annoying as a whiny puppy? 
We can have any kind of animal but there is a noise ordinance. That's probably the case where you live as well based on what your mayor said. That would be after 10:00pm and before 7:00am here. NOT 5:00 in the evening. That's ridiculous. I'm sad for you. I would talk to your city and find out the ins and outs of the noise ordinance and be prepared with that info (in writing) before you get more so you will have that to push back when they complain again.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Frankly, people who live in the suburbs have different expectations than folks who live in a rural area. Goats are pets in most circumstances, whereas, in rural areas people expect some noise from livestock, tractors, harvesting, etc. Ordinances should be well researched before getting goats, who can require more than bargained for - most people can't put them in the house if the noise level is objectionable. I would just say, for those considering goats as pets, make sure that your neighborhood allows for goats, and that you have nice neighbors!


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

I moved to the country because my Pygmy wether was illegal in town. He wasn’t noisy but there are crumby neighbors everywhere you go. My neighbor in the country complained because, in addition to having a small herd of goats, we had free range guineas. Rant over and back to your noisy goat question. Out of 12 goats I have one that has a very distinct voice. It’s more of a scream and she’s very vocal. She’s a Nigerian mix maybe part Borer, her dam was bred when we got her. I’ve heard that Borer goats are loud but I can’t verify that. All of my goats are spoiled because we don’t have a lot of pasture. We feed grain and hay but I made a habit of taking treats and staying in the lot with them to socialize at feeding time since one of them was the bottle raised pet. At my place the miniatures are louder than the standard breeds and they’re all pretty quiet after they’ve been fed. When it gets close to feeding time they watch for me and all hell breaks lose if I step outdoors. I don’t think bonding or age has as much to do with how much noise they make as behavioral conditioning and reward.


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