# Bonding with the Pig



## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Pig slept next to my hammock for the days we were at the Rendy. 

Since being home I have kept him in the old chicken coop at night so that he is separate from the other goats. During the day he has either gone to work with me or had free range in the area where the other goats were tethered. 

He is still on the bottle.

At work he is mostly alone except when I visit him on breaks and walk him at lunch. And he gets lots of visitors from the surrounding businesses.

Today I left him home for the first time with the other goats. He now calls to me when he sees me and comes running to me. This is the behavior I had hoped for. 

He had a good start with sweetgoatmama and I think the investment in bonding early and getting that 'buddy' relationship will pay off later. 

The only down side is that he now owns the chicken coop but can't defend it against the other goats. So at night he calls to me to put him in, and I have to lock the door. And in the morning I have to let him out. 

But at least he has a place where he feels safe. When he gets bigger I'll just leave the door open and move the food and water out. I think that's all the others are after anyway.


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## Ann Bond (Aug 6, 2010)

I still think that cute little goat needs a cuter name! Great to hear the bonding is going well! Nice meeting you at the rendy! Ann


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

When Pig slept next to me at the rendy I had a wool blanket that I covered him with and he slept partly on it as well. 

When we got home I threw it in the chicken coop for him but figured that he would destroy it.

I was able to sneak up on him sleeping and he is actually curled up on the blanket. He has kept it clean as well. 

I may have to bring it along on out camp trips. Or make a coat for him out of it. He's still on the bottle, and he turns up his nose at the calf manna. He is eating grass and weeds and grape leaves, chinese elm, box elder, apple leaves and willow. He has an apricot today and a carrot. 

I picked up my glasses this week, and he doesn't look anything like a seeing eye dog.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

I bet he's grown a lot this month.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Someone was trying to collect growth and size data.

I haven't picked up a John Deer and a sling yet, but I'll go get a tape measure this week and a bathroom scale.

With as many babies we have running around the forum this year, we should be able to get a bunch of data.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

Rachel and I have been working on a project but we havent' gotten it off the ground. Eventually all the data will get recorded so please do collect it.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Pig has reached the age that he can make teenage girls blush, so I guess it is time to get him snipped, though it seems a bit early.

He's still on the bottle, and won't touch the calf manna. I don't mind so much because he likes it so much more than anything else that I am using it for training. But eventually have to get him off it. He is eating the hay now a bit, but still won't touch grain.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

My thirteen year old Sonny would take a bottle . Goatscan hit puberty at 3 months and especially as his age coincides with fall coming and breeding season, I"m not surprised. I'dput up with it for a little while longer.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Pig discovered the tire swing. The tire swing is one of those old time swings with a 20 ft chain, and the tire mounted horizontally so that three kids can sit in it. They are mostly illegal in public parks because of the liability issues of a kid being knocked senseless by 300 pounds of children and tire flying in a 20 ft arc. 

But to a goat, this looks like fun. Larry discovered it a year ago and plays with it regularly. He'll but it and get it swinging in higher and higher arcs and take the brunt of it head on. 

Pig started doing the same. He had played with it for about twenty minutes and had it swinging about six feet off the ground. Seeing it as a charging ram he reared up on his hind legs, cocked his head as a challenge to it, .... then had second thoughts and turned tail and ran.

Larry came over to show him how it was done.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Here is a link to the discussion on documenting the actual measurements and weights.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=609


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Rex said:


> Here is a link to the discussion on documenting the actual measurements and weights.
> 
> viewtopic.php?f=3&t=609


OK, but no one has addressed the issue of when to weigh them. They go from skinny to rotund in the course of a day. Heck, they can do it in 45 minutes. I'll bet they could have 20 pounds of browse in there.

If the difference between a 180 and a 200 pound goat is what he ate, then the 180 pound goat (when he weighs 200) can only carry 25 pounds at 25% because of what he ate. And he can carry 45 pounds when he's starving.

If he drank that much, and it only fills him half way, then the metacentric height lowers by 18" (due to sloshing) and makes him unstable on side hills and in a boat. Since his cross sectional area increases, he is also less stable in cross winds. This is important when boarding a canoe.

;-)


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Bob Jones said:


> If he drank that much, and it only fills him half way, then the metacentric height lowers by 18" (due to sloshing) and makes him unstable on side hills and in a boat. Since his cross sectional area increases, he is also less stable in cross winds. This is important when boarding a canoe.
> 
> ;-)


Maybe we need to look at a saddle with stabilizer bars that stick out and help with the center of gravity. :idea:


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I just love the the Bob and Rex exchanges. 
Very entertaining. 

thank you.


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## McDanAx (May 24, 2010)

Bob, 
To get an idea of the weight of the full or empty goat could carry, maybe you should weigh him every hour all day. Then come up with his average daily weight (ADW). You can use the ADW when you start loading his packs. 
Just curious if Pig is getting swimming lessons?


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Or maybe his packsaddle pad can be a floatation device. :idea:


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

McDanAx said:


> Bob,
> To get an idea of the weight of the full or empty goat could carry, maybe you should weigh him every hour all day. Then come up with his average daily weight (ADW). You can use the ADW when you start loading his packs.
> Just curious if Pig is getting swimming lessons?


Moe, one of my yearlings was chased by a lab last year and jumped in the lake to lose him. He could swim better than the dog. So although goats don't like water, they know how to swim.

But we should probably try a good swim before the water gets too cold.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

Our club once held a "Float your Goat" party where we took our goats swimming. Some actually like it. And they do swim well whether they like it or not.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

I am now driving a 1964 Ford F-100 truck rather than the minivan.

I lost one of the mounting bolts to the starter motor. As I crawled under the truck to tie it together with a coat hanger, Pig crawled right under there with me. My hands were engaged over my head, so I couldn't fend off his facial affections. 

Later I had Moe and Pig out front. Moe has never been real friendly and normally has to be escorted into the back when it is time. I stood by the gate to put them away and whistled for Pig. Pig jumped in the air and started running back to me, and Moe joined in kicking up his heels and followed through the gate.

Pig is just about as big as Moe is now, and Moe is a year older. 

That's the behavior I am hoping to get out of the whole herd. By having a buddied goat, get less attached goats to behave well. So far it looks good.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Pig is scheduled to get snipped this weekend. It will be interesting to see if he will speak to me after. 

The vet will put him under, snip and stitch. We'll play the latest CD by Rex and the Jeffers Band...

You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain
All I did was get into the grain
You broke my will, so what's the drill?
Goodness gracious great balls of fire!


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