# Ever want to strangle a goat?



## Jane (Apr 17, 2011)

I only kept a pair of twin doelings last year, sold the rest. I am wondering if I sold the wrong ones or if they were just as bad as these two! They are complete spaz's (not sure if that is a word)! I have never had a goat cause so much trouble. They are known as "the annoyances" here. They are out with the milking does, and if I have even one of the milking does out of the pasture for some reason, they will get out of the fence and run up and down the road screaming. They constantly spook at everything. 

Rosie is the worst though. Every day she has been getting her head stuck in the same hole in the hog panel gate in the goat hotel (where I milk the girls). She had only been doing it in the evenings while my husband was there to get her out. Now she is doing it in the mornings as well when it is just me. So, this morning I figured I would be smart and put her in the other pen that has a plywood gate. She jumped it, but her back legs didn't make it over the gate so I had to lift her over the rest of the way before putting her back. 

I just got home from a trash run to find Rosie in the hay feeder. Again. This has now become a daily thing as well. How she ever gets in there, we may never know because she can't get back out. We have to lift her out, all seventy some pounds of her. 

What do you do about cantankerous young goats that make you wish you did not have goats?!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

That is really annoying. There are moments when some of my goats drive me nuts. I have four young bucks in a smaller pen and when I fill up their water every morning...just moments later they have pooped in it! Uhg! Or like last night, when I move my goats from the pasture to the drylot...they didn't feel like going in the drylot so took off running for the hay stack...AND it was about 95 degrees out so I was running around with a stock whip for about 15 minutes...but they eventually went in! 

But I hear ya...goats can be downright annoying at times.


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## Rogersfarm (Jan 24, 2010)

LOL. Do you mean strangle or just plain kill and eat??
We also have a pair of twins and they are the most annoying creatures on this planet :hair: They will stand at the door and just scream and when we go outside the one ALWAYS bites my leg. We had them as bottle babies and they are very spoiled so they come in the house and try to sneak past us when we open the gate.... There is just a list of a million things that they do wrong but on the bright side when they get older maybe they will calm down and be good milkers ???? Or if not I guess come Christmas we will have Roast Goat


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## Jane (Apr 17, 2011)

Poop in the water buckets just after being filled is one of my husband's pet peeves!


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

I have ones that will take me in circles all day long trying to get them out of the feed pen. I've resorted to carrying a crop with me and tapping them on the butt with it to make them move. Of course they are bottle babies. >__<


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Yep, sometimes they can annoy you but they do grow up and settle down. Thank goodness. I do know for a fact though that there are some goats that are more annoying than others, I try to breed for a quite mellow personality and send the hyper ones on their way....


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Definatley know that feeling. Everytime I feed I have it haha. I have one goat on a diet (trying to hold his weight for show season) and one who is being fed up now. Well the one on the diet, Elliott, knows Ricky gets more to eat so he will sit there and stare him down until he's done eating. Of course, Ricky gets mad and tries to headbutt Elliott which makes it take forever to get feeding for two goats done. But sometimes I like them haha


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## WalnutGroveFarm (Sep 27, 2008)

Ok I know what you mean, I bought two little doelings this year and they have been nightmares. I even named the one on her papers trouble maker. lol My husband built nice tall pens, but they where jumping out bout break their legs, but they kept doing it. The would get out in the barn and go upstairs and walk around and poop up in the hay loft, if they had fell off there they would have died. So then we put fence up around it and then just trouble maker was jumping out, then we built the pen up to over my head and she was still getting. I finally fixed her with a baby gate, but so annoying to the point I thought about selling her because I was about ready to strangle her. lol


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## Randi (Apr 22, 2011)

:ROFL: Oh, oops, sorry. I've gotten to where when the goats do something aggravating I just say "Thank you, I was hoping you would do that for me." By the time I am done talking I realize how silly I sound and how truly innocent the goats are. :greengrin:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Not literally, but yup, they sure can be stinkers sometimes! Ever wonder why on earth we love them so much?!

I've learned that you have to do what you can to streamline your chores and eliminate frustrations. Make it so they CAN'T (fill in the blank with whatever frustrates you) and they are angels! :angelgoat: :laugh: 

It may be a lot of work to cover the hay feeder, put up a higher fence, or whatever, but it's definitely worth it.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

>>>>>Ever want to strangle a goat?<<<<<<<<
Yes! 
'Nuff said?!?



I do remember coming home one time to find that the goats had not only gotten out of their yard but had gotten the back door open. Boy did they have fun!!??!!  
To say there was poop everywhere is a gross understatement. But we never did figure out how they got onto the upright piano. :shrug:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Luvmyherd, you're kidding! That is too funny! That would make a great scene in a comedy movie! :ROFL:


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## Jane (Apr 17, 2011)

On an upright piano?! :ROFL: 

I am feeling much better knowing that I do not have the only trouble makers! When the goats are being good, they are such a stress-reliever. My husband promised to fix the hay feeder tonight so sweet little Rosie cant get in it. I think their attitudes came from their sire, who was only here for one breeding season because of his attitude. Glad I did not keep him around!

(The fence is three strands of highly electrified smooth wire. They know it is hot, but when someone is missing they think they need to find them and just quickly squeeze through the wires. I have watched them do it- wincing the whole time until they are free.)


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## Mully (Jun 23, 2009)

They would not be goats if they did not make trouble. I spent a lot of time last planting a maple tree so there would eventually have more shade in the pasture. I put up T posts and ran some welded wire fencing around three T posts and a few stakes in the middle. Well this year I find one of the goats on the inside stripping bark.... I almost cooked her that night. Now I have to wait and see if the tree makes it in all this heat.

Strangle a goat LOL :laugh:


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Strangle a goat? A sweet innocent goat who is just being a goat? Of course!
One of the Boers with a 4 mo old doeling still on her starts hollering hours before grain time. Oh she has the most obnoxious voice! Doeling has gotten the routine down pat only her voice isnt as annoying.
Then there's %Nanette who is being milked. She doesnt need a voice she's a steam roller at the gate close to milking time!! Unless I can grab her nose she'll lower her head & shove right through me & out.
At mineral time Lela hogs all she can then tries to rub her face on mine. Anybody else that comes close gets the "Get Back" warning from her. After all, no one else needs love or minerals.


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## potentialfarm (Apr 11, 2011)

I love this thread! Yes! I want to strangle them almost everyday! :GAAH: How can creatures, that act so aweful sometimes, be so completely lovable??? :shrug: The fact is, that I can't imagine life without them. :sigh: 

I was just telling my husband today, that I may want to consider getting a quieter breed. Whoever said that Nubians have loud voices, must have been talking about Mabel. She starts in about an hour before milking time 2X/day, then when she's in heat.... :angry: 
LOL...Bella makes up for it though, she is the quietest Nubian ever.


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## Steve (Mar 12, 2011)

Ever think that goats are not suppose to penned?While they are domesticated,they can return to the wild in a day and would not even miss the so called caretakers,unless it is just one,then it would run to the first noise it heard to see if it was someone it knew.

Sometimes i think God gave us goats to keep our minds sharp by trying to figure out how they got out or how to satisfy them or why in the world they do some of the stuff they do.

My goats get out,i dont mind them being out,but when someone else sees them they have to stop everything to come tell me the goats are out.I sometimes ask are they eating something theyre not suppose to? Or are they in the neighbors yard?Sometime i just say, i know and go on with what i was doing.

I dont like it when i put them up and they act like they are not doing anything but going to drink then lay down,as soon as i leave they get back out,this is what gets me,they are smart and think im not.This is mostly over now because i sold the ones that like to ride the fences down,i still have a small doeling that can get out and cause her mom to panic.

What i cannot figure out with my goats is what they wont eat.I have 3 pens,total of about 2 acres for 8 goats right now.The pens are growing over with weeds that i want them to eat.When i let them out or they get out they eat the same weeds,but not in the pens.I have cut some from the pens and put them where i feed them grass and hay and they act like they are the best stuff they ever had,same weeds they wouldnt eat while in the pen they love now because they are being fed.

Goats are a lot of fun though, and everyone should have at least 2


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

Stangle, gut, and cook their entrails over an open fire while dancing around tearing my hair out. 

Most of all, I cannot handle the SCREAMS. While milking one goat, I have another that will scream her fool head off because they're separated; even though they're 15 feet away and can see each other. She does this everyday, morning and night. You'd think she'd realize that it's NOT a big deal. I try to tell myself that each scream is the goat telling me how much she just adores and loves me. Sometimes it works, but other times I think she's saying quite the opposite. 

I have four others that never fail to be in the way. I can take them out for a walk in a straight line, and they'll zig-zag right in front of me at all times. If I try going around, they turn so they're all in my way again. They'll also PUSH, PROD, STAMPEDE, and TRAMPLE over me if they feel like it. If they get spooked over a twig, no doubt they'll barrel over you and leave you in the dirt. 

I have a few other girls that have a great pasture; an open meadow area, a seasonal pond, and a thick stretch of woods surrounding it. Yummies galore. And you know what they do? They sit in the barn. Even on days when it's 90+ degrees, they sit in the metal shed and pant and incubate. Oh, the nice breeze blowing out in the trees out there? They have no interest. 

Sometimes, even on days where they knock over their freshly poured water, kick the milk over, knock their grain out of the feeders, get their heads stuck, step on me, and stand on the gate when I try to enter, I just sit amoungst it all; dirty, covered in mosquito bites, hair freshly trimmed by ravenous kids, and I take a deep breath, and say to myself "Yup. I'm completely bonkers."


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

The bottle-baby youngsters were driving me nuts, crying outside whenever they heard my voice. In hot weather, the windows of the house are open, and I swear, they can hear me breathe and get started from the moment I turn over and open one eye in the morning! And sometimes it went on all day and all night! I was at my wits end! 

I have two does who have free-run of the fenced area around the barn -- I let them graze as much as possible on their own. One night I put them in a pen for the night near the other goats. VOILA! Everybody stops screaming. I think that the bottle babies were telling me that it was cruel for me to let the does out to graze, and not let them out. With the does penned too, they stopped crying.

So, maybe they just like to stick together. Or are jealous that someone else is secretly getting more attention. When the does are penned, they can see that nobody is getting more or less attention.

I have mixed feelings about letting the senior does run around the barnyard. I love the way they follow me and keep me company. I hate the way they stay JUST OUT OF REACH when I want to catch them! Today I had to get my shepherd's crook to catch one to milk her (she saw some chickens eating corn, and thought she might get some too).

Today I worked on my new mini-garden that used to be "Fort Knox" when I was keeping a standard buck. I like the cattle panel gate that keeps the Nigies out. They flitted around outside, and listened to me when I scolded them -- "No, you may not eat the herb transplants." I felt good about having them for company. They are curious about what I am doing -- always interested. They flit away, they come back. 

I love my goats when they accompany me and flit around like fireflies. I hate my goats when they accompany me and flit around like fireflies! They are just being goats -- it is my attitude that changes, depending on how much of a hurry I am in.


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## Jane (Apr 17, 2011)

How I feel about their antics is also swayed by how much of a hurry I am in to get chores done. Sometimes I wonder if they know I have an important appointment to get to, feel neglected, and do something to get more attention. One of the goats' and my favorite things to do is take a walk down the creek bed. The bank is high and steep in places, making it impossible to mow it, so the multiflora roses grow crazy there. Us humans hate those bushes but the goats think they are the tastiest treat in the world.

Our goats also make a ton of noise any time they hear a human, even if it is not us. I really think all their noise drives my mother in law nuts, so I actually enjoy hearing them. My husband tells me I am not nice, then laughs.


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

Squires said:


> They are curious about what I am doing -- always interested. They flit away, they come back.


I noticed that when i was doing my barn rebuilding project - they are so curious. They remind me of my children when they were younger, always wanting to help mom.


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## Robynlynn (Jan 18, 2011)

I named one of my goats PITA short for: pain in the .....butt. :laugh:


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Hahahaha, this is so funny. Glad to hear that I am not the only one that gets annoyed at times..... I hear you, Amos, I take my goats for walks in the woods a couple times a day, and like you said they stomp, trip, stampede, bump and basically make the walk a little challenging. I just love them.....lol...


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

OMG YES!!!

As soon as I give them new fresh clean water...I have a couple that dump it and then lay in the water pan...GRRRR....makes me want to strangle them. But then there are moments when they bring me up when I'm feeling bad so that helps in those "I WANNA KILL YOU" moments


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## Steph (May 7, 2009)

Nice to know I'm not alone! lol We put all of our water buckets on blocks above butt height because ours love adding berries so much! Our mineral feeders are high with blocks under them to keep the berries out. The goats can step on the block to reach it but not poop in it. This is the first year of babies that we had so many wanting to be inside the hay feeders. They would line up and take turns jumping in. Unfortunately, they couldn't get back out without our help.

One day I didn't latch the milk room door completely. Talk about a MESS. Not only did they get into EVERYTHING, they pooped on EVERYTHING. It looked like a tornado hit my milk room.

And we just can't help but love them dearly!!


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## KatieT (Mar 20, 2011)

Last night I decided to let my girls out to do some browsing in the horse pasture while I swept out one of the goat stalls. The horse fence is not goat proof, so they only go out there when I'm home, and I always keep the other side of the barn (where the chickens can go in and out) closed up when they're out so that they can't help themselves to the chicken feed. Last night I left that door open so that I could sweep out some dirty bedding, and the goats didn't take long to notice! They came whipping down the hill, through the barn, and into the coop before I even made it out of the stall I was cleaning. All six of them were trying to fit their heads in the feeder, which they promptly knocked it over, along with the chicken water. I'd drag one out, turn around to grab another, and that one would run right back in! The little stinkers. I couldn't stay mad at them though, since it was partly my fault! 

Amos - I loved your story about the goats staying in the barn. On hot days I try to coax mine into the woods. I say, "Look everyone! Look how nice and shady and cool it is in here, and there's so many good things to eat!" But sometimes they just have to find the sunniest, hottest part of the paddock to lie down in, and then they pant their little hearts out. Silly goats. 

I still love them to pieces though.


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## Randi (Apr 22, 2011)

Sometimes it's a horse I want to strangle! I loaded sweet goat into the gator to bring to the feed room. To get to the feed room you have to go through the paddock. While I was carrying in the first bag, the horses came up and tore open the second bag and started to chow down! I grabbed the bag chasing the horses out into the pasture. When I got back for the last bag the horses had ripped that one open too and invited the goats to join in!!


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

Sometimes I have kept a bag of grain in the back of the pickup truck and fed out of the truck -- that is, I scoop out some grain and scatter it near wherever I have parked the truck, to feed the poultry. I have some very industrious chickens, guinea fowl and a couple of old turkey hens that will sometimes jump in the back, hoping that I have spilled some or left a bag open. THEN I got Nigerian goats. Well, if I bring home the grain and do not put it away immediately, the goats will hop right up and open the bags and start to chow down. When they are done, the turkeys, etc. will take their place. 

Moral of the story -- unload and lock up the grain as soon as I get home, or the goaties will distribute it fast!  

Chris


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## Sans Gene Goats (Jul 2, 2010)

LOL this thread is great! So glad to know I'm not alone hahaha!

So recently our Nigerian doe required an emergency C-section just to save her life - knowing when we did it she'd become a very expensive, unbreedable pet. But we did it because it was the right thing to do. 

So, she had been recovering inside the barn in a converted horse stall. 3 days after surgery, she was looking pretty chipper so I let her outside to graze a bit. 4th day post-op, let her out again ... she snuck into the chicken coop and gobbled about a quart and a half of chicken scratch! :GAAH: We tubed her with oil, and hoped for the best.

Well, "Princess Vanna" is now 10 days post-op, looking all sleek and shiny, and I just had to shoo her out of the alfalfa hay this morning -and she stuck her tongue out at me! That's gratitude for ya!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

>>>>>Ever want to strangle a goat?<<<<<<<<
JUST NOW!!!! :veryangry: 
Merry has always been a little bit shy. But now that she is 4 months old, and can run, fast; she uses every opportunity to give me an aerobic workout. In the 95º heat it was just too much. Even with Mom standing on the other side of the gate bawling her head off; she would not come near while I was there. And I could not walk away or everybody else would have been out. We have been wondering who would be in the freezer next. I just told the Hubby, "Now we know."
Thing is, I like her. She is a Tog mix who came out black. I was thinking about breeding her just to see how she would do as Mama gives 2 gallons a day. But I think I may save myself a lot of stress to let her go now.
Had I been able to catch her I may have strangled her on the spot. :dazed:


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## Steve (Mar 12, 2011)

> hair freshly trimmed by ravenous kids,


 i know what you mean Amos,they love the taste of hair.


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

I'm not sure if it's the taste or maybe the color? I think hair would taste rather dead, but I'm sure theres minerals or something in it. I use a baking soda and ACV rinse for my hair so it doesn't ever smell like much. I have long hair (mid back) but I have a few chunks that are about 4 inches shorter now. Oh well, it grows back.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

One of the meat goat kids was the most obnoxious unpleasant little beasts I have ever had the displeasure of working with. I had no intention of weaning him when i did but keeping him with the dairy does where I have to handle him twice a day was making me want to send him to the freezer right now and he has a special event waiting for him in august. He has finally started to settle down some and not be obnoxious and destructive. But for a while there I was thinking it might be time for a goat roast.


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## tmparent1 (Dec 5, 2012)

This thread is such good therapy. Every time I want to give away my screaming little darling, I read this thread and I am cured! My husband used the exact words yesterday. He said "Do you think anyone has ever actually strangled their goat?" lol.. Thanks for all the great stories everyone! Especially Amos.. It is so funny how they get in front of you to block you as if they are saying "you WILL pay attention to me!"


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