# Pawing at the bowl?



## goat_lover125 (Aug 13, 2013)

Well i seperated my goats when they eat, sorta. i hooked my male to the tree (by a rope) and let my doe eat in front of him for about 5 minutes. then i let him eat. he then started "pawing" at the bowl. and the reason i seperated them in the first place is because he was preventing her form eating and they were flipping their feed bowls over, wasting feed. is there any explaination 

~thanks in advance:rainbow:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a doe who paws at her bowl when she wants more 

A way to keep feed from being wasted is to secure the feeders to a fence, wall etc. I use the hook over type feed troughs and feeders, they stay on the fence panels. No spilled feed... I also have a feeder for each goat so those that don't get fed on the milkstand have their own pan to eat from.


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## goat_lover125 (Aug 13, 2013)

so they know which one to eat from cause i only have two and what he'll do is run from one to another and push her off each one :?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

The only way you can keep a goat at their own bowl would be to tether them because even though each of the 3 I have do get their own, it's always a circus because my wether will go to each of the does dishes and make sure they don't have anything special.
Put 3 dishes out and only a minimal amount in the 3rd, it should confuse him enough that your doe will have time to finish her meal


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## goat_lover125 (Aug 13, 2013)

i tried that and he would run back and forth, back and forth. then when he gets to her bowl he knocks her around


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## Buckleberry Woods Farm (Dec 20, 2013)

My wethers finish their food at exactly the same time and don't tend to bother each other. I separate my doe from them because she is a slower eater and they will push her out of her bowl for sure. I get a laugh from my doe because when she finishes eating she picks up her bowl in her mouth and walks around with it (-:


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## Mikesell04 (Jan 26, 2014)

My goats do that too. Running back and forth switching bowels several times, and pawing at the bowel. I always assumed they were trying to scoot the bowel away from the others.. I watch while they are eating and switching, and pawing. As long as everyone seems to be getting a good amount, I don't worry about it.. Mine will dump theirs sometimes then eat it off the ground. No grain goes to waste with mine.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Amanda83 said:


> My wethers finish their food at exactly the same time and don't tend to bother each other. I separate my doe from them because she is a slower eater and they will push her out of her bowl for sure. I get a laugh from my doe because when she finishes eating she picks up her bowl in her mouth and walks around with it (-:


That is too funny! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## crownofjules (Dec 31, 2013)

Amanda83 said:


> My wethers finish their food at exactly the same time and don't tend to bother each other. I separate my doe from them because she is a slower eater and they will push her out of her bowl for sure. I get a laugh from my doe because when she finishes eating she picks up her bowl in her mouth and walks around with it (-:


The littlest doeling, Mellie, sometimes finds the wayward feed scoops (that my teens leave lie around :|) and plays with them for a while chewing, flipping it, stomping and smashing it.

Also, I have these small hay feeders - they are re-purposed stacking storage bins with open fronts - well, Starla plays with them_ on her head_. She walks around, clucking to herself, with this small black bin hanging over her face. She can only see the ground at her feet, but wanders around the yard this way. There is no way for this bin to get stuck - she puts it there. We call her 'Darth Goater'. There are no words to describe how hilarious it is! :lol:


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## Buckleberry Woods Farm (Dec 20, 2013)

Hahaha!


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## goat_lover125 (Aug 13, 2013)

Well my male will go out in the cow pasture and challenge my semi young male cows to fight and they will put their heads together and act big and bad. then he will paw at the ground like a bull and its just hillarious


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