# Here comes Trouble - May need some help here 6 days in



## reggalce (May 2, 2013)

Lots has happened.

Day 1-4 went swimmingly well. New 2 month old wethers were fascinated and preoccupied by cats crawling on their kennel. Now the honeymoon is over, the goats are jealous the cats can run wild and one of the goats screams like a baby if I'm not in line of sight. I've tried sneaking away, a radio with country music and/or talk shows and nothing has worked outside of just standing there. This is a goat I've come to call trouble. He is the most friendly, yet the bully. The other goat, named Poe, has to be right by his side so that kind of works in my favor. Both goats were yanked from the herd as soon as they were weaned so maybe that's a factor.

Trouble has screamed and cried so much that he now has no voice at all.* What can I do to try to quiet him down? Will he just grow out of it? *


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

Just ignore them. Don't try to go out to comfort them every time they cried or they'll learn crying works. Most of the time they'll learn and will quiet down.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

You have to ignore him and I know how hard it can be. Goats are probably some of the easiest animals there are to spoil. You can do it without even realizing it. Don't ask how I know.


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## still (Mar 16, 2013)

elchivito said:


> You have to ignore him and I know how hard it can be. Goats are probably some of the easiest animals there are to spoil. You can do it without even realizing it. Don't ask how I know.


LOL! That's soooo true!!


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Let them cry, don't go out to them when they're crying. The older they get, they should quiet down. With most of my goats they quiet down quickly, others it took them awhile to mature, but they eventually did too. I'd make sure they have lots of toys, lots to do all day (hay to munch on as often as possible), and room to roam. All that should help. My sister takes our louder buckling on daily walks, that helps him.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

ignoring them is hard. I have one like that...she cries bloody murder when she's left alone somewhere....usually after 10-15 min of crying she start preoccupying herself with bush or grass.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Mine will cry non stop while I'm out there and be totally quiet when I'm not...don't fall into the "oh poor baby" trap...you must be "hard hearted" for a while. As soon as they quiet down, go in and play with them.


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

My doe still cries if she's in an unfamiliar place without me right next to her. At shows...wow let's just say it's _very_ embarrassing. You can hear her all the way across the barn!! She's done it since she was a baby and was weaned. Ever since we moved her in with a herd of goats however, she's stopped and learned that she _is_ a goat, and she should be friends with other goats. If they are completely weaned by now maybe you can put them back in the herd? It would help tremendously in my opinion and experience. If not and you want to keep them where they are, ignoring him is the only option, you are simply encouraging it by going back to stay with him.


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## reggalce (May 2, 2013)

Thanks again everybody. Ignore them I will.

The only thing that bothers me about that notion is if there is a real problem. Today I caught two large stray dogs sniffing around and chased them off with my car. I know both of them, hate to chase them off because I know at least one of them is a really good dog that minds. He kept getting lose and I kept calling the owners until one day I offered to buy the dog. They kept it penned pretty well after that but the other dog I've seen carrying dead animals around in it's mouth. ...and I don't like to see them together because the red dog is a bad influence on the good one. ...I just installed a wireless camera so now I can spy on them to find out what's going on. :type:


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

reggalce said:


> The only thing that bothers me about that notion is if there is a real problem.


You will know if their cries mean trouble. Always listen to your gut/instinct, whatever you want to call it. If you have a feeling something is wrong, check it out by all means! In the meantime, double check your fences/pen from a predators point of view and fix anything that you think could allow them access.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

Once accustomed to their individual voices and the variations in the sounds they make, you can tell right away when something's up. 
Big difference between "hey where you been?" greeting call and "There's a coyote outside the fence!!"


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

mine like to give me the "i don't like the food here where you've left me" bleat, and the "i've spun my lead and now i'm stuck" bleat. the new one i've sort of picked up is the "it's about to rain...time for you to take me inside!".


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## reggalce (May 2, 2013)

nchen7 said:


> mine like to give me the "i don't like the food here where you've left me" bleat, and the "i've spun my lead and now i'm stuck" bleat. the new one i've sort of picked up is the "it's about to rain...time for you to take me inside!".


I can't wait to learn these things. I've notice they cooperatively move to their shelter for me when the rain is coming. You might like nchen.

What's the dumbest farm animal?

Truer words are hardly ever spoken so far as it concerns me. ha. 

Also, things are good again. I had already started ignoring them as a last hope but posted over concern that Trouble had lost his voice. Today he sounds great but seems to be a little mad at me.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

hahaha! they can hold grudges!!! wait until the first time you worm them or clip their hooves.....i get the stink eye for days and days after she gets wormed.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

reggalce said:


> I can't wait to learn these things. I've notice they cooperatively move to their shelter for me when the rain is coming. You might like nchen.
> 
> What's the dumbest farm animal?
> 
> ...


Just keep in mind that when they run for cover at the first raindrop, they aren't doing it, "for you".


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

What everyone said is right. Ignoring is the only thing you can do. 

I think my goats kind of miss the rain. When I first got goats I lived in Mississippi and they would run like crazies trying to get out of the rain but now that I'm here in Arizona where there isn't much rain they will stay out in it until it gets bad and there is so dragging them into the shelter.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

xymenah said:


> What everyone said is right. Ignoring is the only thing you can do.
> 
> I think my goats kind of miss the rain. When I first got goats I lived in Mississippi and they would run like crazies trying to get out of the rain but now that I'm here in Arizona where there isn't much rain they will stay out in it until it gets bad and there is so dragging them into the shelter.


do you think they do it to cool off??


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## reggalce (May 2, 2013)

xymenah said:


> What everyone said is right. Ignoring is the only thing you can do.
> 
> I think my goats kind of miss the rain. When I first got goats I lived in Mississippi and they would run like crazies trying to get out of the rain but now that I'm here in Arizona where there isn't much rain they will stay out in it until it gets bad and there is so dragging them into the shelter.


It's working well. Things are getting better every day so far as the crying goes. In fact, it's no longer a problem.

Also, the other day when I saw Trouble butt Poe while I was filling up the water, I sprayed him with the hose. He didn't seem to mind at all. I didn't even get dirty looks or an attitude!?!


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