# Considering a pet goat. Any advice?



## mrrcflying

Hello,
First a little story. I am a husband and father of 3 boys, 19, 16, and 13. We are all animal lovers. Two large but gentle dogs, a rabbit and a chinchilla currently. All get along well. We live on just over 5 acres of land, so plenty of room.

In late May we rescued an abandon fawn that was all over our property. He was truly abandon, as his mother had apparently stepped on him. He had a broken nose and jaw. I know you are not supposed to, but local DEC would have just put him down. 

Long story short, infections in the nose, antibiotics, e-coli, late night feedings, lots of love. He was getting better, and doing quite well. 

I was planning to give him vaccine for Clostridium perfringens, but everything I read about fawn said to wait until they were weaned. I am afraid I was too late. He passed away the other day suddenly with all the symptoms. Bloating, panting, could not stand. He went from healthy to passing in just a couple of hours. I tried to treat him with what I could, but it went so fast.

We are all heartbroken about it, as he brought us joy and happyness, and I hope we did to him as well for his short time.

We all talked last night and decided that we liked this type of animal. Although another deer is out of the question, we were thinking possibly somthing like a Nigerian Dwarf. We are used to large pets, so it is not a big deal. Our Golden Retriever is 133lbs! We are looking for something that will be gentle enough, but playful with the family and dogs. And will be allowed to come in and outside as it pleases.

All our pets are family members, not just locked up in cages. Even the rabbit has the run of the house almost every night for a while.

So, I am just looking for a little insight from current owners. I have done some research, but getting it dirrect is best. Any input would be appreciated.


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## happybleats

First I'm very sorry for the loss of the little deer. That is sad. Second, welcome to the goat forum.
Many people keep goats as a house pet. They even house train them to potty out side. I'm sure some one will chime in on that. As for best options, a doe or wether pet is best. But you don't want a wether that has been banded too young as they are less likely to pass stones if they build. Not usually a good outcome. Look up Urinary Calculi. So if you decide a male is best suited for you .plan on banding him when he's between 4 and 6 months old or older if you can stand it lol. A doe would come into heat every 21 days. Some are mouthy, other will act like a male but over all less likely to have Urinary calculi crisis.
I will say while some keep a single pet goat, they tend to be happier with a buddy of their own kind. And two bouncing balls of joy are so much fun to watch. If you get two...and one is male the other female....keep in mind brother can and will try to breed her and capable of doing so as young as 2 months old. Or sooner. Two wethers are fun and two does are great. Makes things a little easier. Nigerian dwarfs are so so cute and Hardy little beings. Ask all your questions here and read through everything, and when you think you have made a decision..let us know!! There is a medicine thread in Health and Wellness and you will need to have some stuff in hand in case if emergency. 
Best wishes and again..welcome


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## Calistar

Goats are fantastic pets but you should never be considering _a _pet goat. Always at least two. That is the very first thing you will learn if you start researching goats 

Aside from that, goats are very deer-like and if you enjoyed your little fawn, a goat is the next closest thing!


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## mrrcflying

happybleats said:


> First I'm very sorry for the loss of the little deer. That is sad. Second, welcome to the goat forum.
> Many people keep goats as a house pet. They even house train them to potty out side. I'm sure some one will chime in on that. As for best options, a doe or wether pet is best. But you don't want a wether that has been banded too young as they are less likely to pass stones if they build. Not usually a good outcome. Look up Urinary Calculi. So if you decide a male is best suited for you .plan on banding him when he's between 4 and 6 months old or older if you can stand it lol. A doe would come into heat every 21 days. Some are mouthy, other will act like a male but over all less likely to have Urinary calculi crisis.
> I will say while some keep a single pet goat, they tend to be happier with a buddy of their own kind. And two bouncing balls of joy are so much fun to watch. If you get two...and one is male the other female....keep in mind brother can and will try to breed her and capable of doing so as young as 2 months old. Or sooner. Two wethers are fun and two does are great. Makes things a little easier. Nigerian dwarfs are so so cute and Hardy little beings. Ask all your questions here and read through everything, and when you think you have made a decision..let us know!! There is a medicine thread in Health and Wellness and you will need to have some stuff in hand in case if emergency.
> Best wishes and again..welcome


Thank you so much for the kind welcome, and words of wisdom!

We had planned on banding the deer so he would not grow antlers, and potentally be shot by hunters, as he would not fear them. I have a farmer friend who can do that. I did not know about the Urinary Calculi issue however, so I will look into that. I think probably a wether would be best as a pet for us to avoid the doe heat issue.

I will also keep in mind the pair vs single, as I have heard that before. I can assure you though, there is plenty of friends here, the dogs, boys, rabbit, and us all played with the deer. No lack of friends or companionship here. I work from home, and my wife is a stay at home mother. So we are here most of the time. All our fur babies get a lot of attention.

I will for sure look at the medicine thread. I have a lot already, as I was treating the deer for several issues. Tylan, LA-200, FusoGard, vetericyn, probiotics, B complex, other topical antibiotics, etc. I did as much for that little guy as I could, and still failed. I feel so bad about it.

We found a possibility that we like, about 2 hours drive from us. He was born on June 29th. I am trying to contact the seller now to ask some questions. According to his breeding, he may be polled, which would be good for a house pet. Asing price is $175, which I thought was reasonable. 

A picture from Craigslist, assuming it is not some fake ad:


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## mrrcflying

Calistar said:


> Goats are fantastic pets but you should never be considering _a _pet goat. Always at least two. That is the very first thing you will learn if you start researching goats
> 
> Aside from that, goats are very deer-like and if you enjoyed your little fawn, a goat is the next closest thing!


Thank you! I will for sure take that into consideration.


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## happybleats

mrrcflying said:


> did as much for that little guy as I could, and still failed.


You did not fail. Animals like deer and goats can be tricky. We can try our best and still loose them in the end. In all my years I still cry like a baby with each loss. I have alot of know how under my many years of keeping goats belt and still loose some. Goats, like deer don't show weakness or illness usually until its advance. To do so sooner can mean easy target in nature. So cut yourself some slack. You have an arsenal of meds showing you were prepared. He just had a tough start and sometimes we don't see what's happening inside. 

The little goat in the picture looks like possibly a boer cross? Not a nigierian. At least not full blood?? 
Additional advice for starting out is buy from a trusted breeder. Even if you never plan on breeding..you don't want to get a new fur baby from a herd that may have disease. As a pet you can certainly buy a less then good quality goat. Like maybe had extra teat or just not show quality. But you want to be sure the herd is in the least tested for CAE. Stay away from sale barns for sure..they will break your heart and baby will be exposed to who knows what. 

Don't get in too big a hurry. Find the perfect fit for your family


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## MadHouse

So sorry you lost your little fawn!
I think you did all you could, but it didn’t have the best chance to start with.

Good luck with finding your pet goat(s)!
I also think 2 would be better. Goats have a way of playing with each other that other animals might not do. They need each other to head butt in play.


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## daisymay

what state are you in?
Nigerians make excellent pets. I have just under 30. yup i know a bit too many but you know they are small... 
Feel free to ask any questions we are all here because we love goats and other animals!


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## Boer Mama

Welcome to TGS and good luck on your search for just the right (pair) of pets to add to your family 💕


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## Goats2Greedy

Welcome to TGS!


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## toth boer goats

All great advice and suggestions.

Welcome, glad you are here.


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## Calistar

mrrcflying said:


> I will also keep in mind the pair vs single, as I have heard that before. I can assure you though, there is plenty of friends here, the dogs, boys, rabbit, and us all played with the deer. No lack of friends or companionship here. I work from home, and my wife is a stay at home mother. So we are here most of the time. All our fur babies get a lot of attention.


It really does have to be a goat companion. A boy and a rabbit are all well and good but they do need their own species, and around-the-clock companionship. A dog is a predator species, so even a gentle dog may not necessarily be well-received. 

I tried to keep my first doe, a Nigerian dwarf, with a few small shetland sheep for companions. Doesn't get much closer than goats and sheep, right? Well, I went out looking for another goat a week later because she was so miserable and loud as an only goat. She and the sheep just did their own thing, they didn't talk to each other and she was lonely for her own kind. I bought a second doe and all was well. That was seven years and quite a few goats ago, now she has more company than she knows what to do with lol.

You mentioned house pet, but you're not planning on actually keeping the goat IN the house, right?

Definitely ask a lot of questions when deciding who to buy from, even just a pet. At minimum you want to make sure you buy from a herd that is negative for CAE, CL, and Johne's.


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## GoofyGoat

Welcome to TGS!
Im one of the folks who have house TRAINED goats, that said it’s not going to be as easy and trouble free as you hope for. My goats are outdoors most of the time because that’s where THEY are happiest. Like potato chips, you can’t have just one. They are herd animals, this really isn’t negotiable, a dog, rabbit or child will not give them what they need for stability or emotionally. You need two.

now that I burst your bubble, There are a lot of up sides to house trained goats. Mine are potty box trained, they ring a bell by the back door when they need or want to go out. And, they’re a blast to have come in for a visit or to snuggle up with to watch TV. They’re smart and adorable and will steal your heart.

To train them, they need to be very young so you’re looking at bottle feeding or early weaned (not good for baby) you have to have an area where they are in the center of things like a Great Dane crate in the tv room or wherever y’all spend the most time. They’ll jump where they’re not supposed to and get the zoomies through the house and everything within their reach will be taste tested and nibbled. Their favorite game will be pull-it-down and watch it crash. Nothing is sacred or out of bounds. As they get older you can start setting boundaries but in the beginning they will wreak havoc.

Their crate will need water, hay, hanging food bowl and a potty box. I use a towel on the bottom and an extra large cat litter box when they’re small and load it with pine shavings. You can teach them to pee in the box but the pellets won’t necessarily be aimed in the box so expect to clean the crate twice daily or more. Goats have some control over their pooping when they’re older but not when they’re young. It’s easily cleaned with a room and dust pan though, I have an electric cordless sweeper that makes quick work of accidents.

Please consider their happiness first, this is the most important thing, for their happiness and yours. Here’s a few pictures of a couple of my house goats so you can see it’s possible but remember they really need to be outside more than in. In My herd of 31 all but one, can /do, come in for visits on a regular basis. so it’s possible.


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## GoofyGoat

Oh yea, one more thing, Does are much easier to house train than bucks or wethers. They can “aim” better in their potty boxes and generally prefer to be neater/cleaner. I do have wethers who I’ve trained and once they learned the ropes they were ok and more consistant you need a much larger potty area because boys tend to stretch out to pee rather than straddle over a box. So for them, I recommend making their whole crate their potty box and covering the bottom with shavings. You can wrap a tarp around the bottom and sides to somewhat keep the shavings in their house but be prepared to do A LOT of hoovering daily with house goats 😉


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## mrrcflying

Wow!!! Gone for a few hours and the thread exploded! I did not expect this kind of great reception! Thank you all!

Thanks for the words of advice! It looks like I will be looking for two when the time comes. I still have a lot of research to do yet.

The one in the listing I showed has been sold. The lady is a breeder and only sells registered goats. I talked with her at length about things, and she gave me some good insight, even if we don't purchase from her. The price was low on the bottle baby as she needed to make a quick sale. Normally she dam raises, and sells for $275.

Anyway, a couple of questions for right now. Doe vs wether? For a pet, is going into heat a big issue? It is not something I want to deal with all the time if it is going to be a problem.

Messes, zoomies,and getting into things we can handle. Accidents on carpets can be cleaned. We were already dealing with this with the deer. 

Bottle baby vs weaned? Having experienced the bottle baby with the deer, I think it made the bond between him and us very strong. Would the bond, as a pet, be there with a dam raised baby that has been weaned? Or would the bond be less with humans, and more towards goats.

I know these are questions around goats as pets, and most of you raise in heards. I am sorry if it is kind of off topic for the forums.

Thank you so much everyone!


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## mrrcflying

daisymay said:


> what state are you in?
> Nigerians make excellent pets. I have just under 30. yup i know a bit too many but you know they are small...
> Feel free to ask any questions we are all here because we love goats and other animals!


Upstate NY. Kind of mid state, near the PA border. Outside of Corning NY. We live quite rural, and have 5.1 acres, some wooded, some swamp, but a little over 2 acres is mowed lawn.


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> Welcome to TGS!
> Im one of the folks who have house TRAINED goats, that said it’s not going to be as easy and trouble free as you hope for. My goats are outdoors most of the time because that’s where THEY are happiest. Like potato chips, you can’t have just one. They are herd animals, this really isn’t negotiable, a dog, rabbit or child will not give them what they need for stability or emotionally. You need two.
> 
> now that I burst your bubble, There are a lot of up sides to house trained goats. Mine are potty box trained, they ring a bell by the back door when they need or want to go out. And, they’re a blast to have come in for a visit or to snuggle up with to watch TV. They’re smart and adorable and will steal your heart.
> 
> To train them, they need to be very young so you’re looking at bottle feeding or early weaned (not good for baby) you have to have an area where they are in the center of things like a Great Dane crate in the tv room or wherever y’all spend the most time. They’ll jump where they’re not supposed to and get the zoomies through the house and everything within their reach will be taste tested and nibbled. Their favorite game will be pull-it-down and watch it crash. Nothing is sacred or out of bounds. As they get older you can start setting boundaries but in the beginning they will wreak havoc.
> 
> Their crate will need water, hay, hanging food bowl and a potty box. I use a towel on the bottom and an extra large cat litter box when they’re small and load it with pine shavings. You can teach them to pee in the box but the pellets won’t necessarily be aimed in the box so expect to clean the crate twice daily or more. Goats have some control over their pooping when they’re older but not when they’re young. It’s easily cleaned with a room and dust pan though, I have an electric cordless sweeper that makes quick work of accidents.
> 
> Please consider their happiness first, this is the most important thing, for their happiness and yours. Here’s a few pictures of a couple of my house goats so you can see it’s possible but remember they really need to be outside more than in. In My herd of 31 all but one, can /do, come in for visits on a regular basis. so it’s possible.
> View attachment 233125
> 
> View attachment 233126
> 
> View attachment 233124


Thank you so much! Thank you for the pictures as well!


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## mrrcflying

One last thing. Here is a video we did of the fawn. I wanted to keep my info off the Youtube page, so I created a page for "her". At the time we thought it was a female, only to find out later that it was a "he". Oops.

Now that he is gone, I feel I can safely share it more.


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> Anyway, a couple of questions for right now. Doe vs wether? For a pet, is going into heat a big issue? It is not something I want to deal with all the time if it is going to be a problem.


For me, having a doe going into heat every 21 days or so during rut season would have been a problem. A wether makes a wonderful pet and has a steady temperament that isn't hormonally influenced like a reproductive capable goat. If the goats here weren't all wethered, the herd dynamics would be out of balanced. Even though a wether can't impregnant, some of them are very good at detecting heat cycles, so having both sexes together doesn't always work out well when the wether wants to harass a cycling female or vice versa.


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## GoofyGoat

I have both does and wethers and some does do get more vocal when they are in heat but it’s not an issue for me. I also have bucks so mine do let their boyfriends that they’d like a date lol but we hand breed so they’re not near each other. Wethers are just great, no hormones and full of love. If you have no desire to breed then I suggest wethers. There are so many wethers who need homes because most folks are looking for breeding stock you could find a pair of bonded brothers and it would be perfect for a pet home. Another plus is they’re usually less expensive especially when bought in pairs because folks who breed nigies like myself love it when their boys find good and loving homes.

You can house train a dam raised goat if you get them young enough (by about three months old) it is harder but the bond you develop is just as strong as if you bottle feed if they’re raised inside. Potty box training is a bit harder though because they learned to potty outside first.

just a couple of things to consider.
Also, if you’re on a well, get your water tested to see what minerals are heavy or present because it will effect the way you’ll need to feed your goats.

yes, I have a herd…but they’re more like working pets around here. Every goat has been raised in the house and is completely spoiled. So, they’re more pets than livestock.


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> Also, if you’re on a well, get your water tested to see what minerals are heavy or present because it will effect the way you’ll need to feed your goats.


Wow, never thought of that. Iron, lots of iron in our well water. I suspect sulfer as well. We drink it, but use a filter. I could hook up a larger carbon filter no problem. Thanks for the reccomendation, I never would have even thought about that.


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## GoofyGoat

Too much iron stops copper d other minerals goats need. Also too much calcium can expedite goats getting urinary calculi. There’s a lot of things you have to think about with goats they have a big learning curve. It’s totally worth it though.

we are here to help. Glad you found this forum, it has the best most caring folks to help you on your journey.


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## Boer Mama

@GoofyGoat wow- 30 goats coming in and out to visit. How do you ever keep the visitation rotation straight? Can’t play favorites now 😉 

that’s amazing… I usually can’t wait till it’s time for the bottle baby to go out on the deck! Then they kick at the front door wanting to come back in 🤣

@mrrcflying goats are fun- I tend to think bottle babies are just a tad more bonded to you than other babies. But maybe that’s because I didn’t take time to house train and let my entire herd of kids come in to visit 😅


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## GoofyGoat

I don’t know how truthfully, they kind of do it themselves. When one is feeling like they need a visit they just sort of get glued to our sides till we take them in for some extra spoiling. Lol. 
Luna, the black horned in the bottom picture thinks every day is spoil Luna day so she’ll just walk out with us and walk up to the back door whereas Tonks will stand by the gate till we ask her if she wants to come in. If she does she’ll go to the door or walk back into the run if she doesn’t. I think it comes down to know each goats signals and personality… They run the household very efficiently 😉🤣😂


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> Too much iron stops copper d other minerals goats need. Also too much calcium can expedite goats getting urinary calculi. There’s a lot of things you have to think about with goats they have a big learning curve. It’s totally worth it though.
> 
> we are here to help. Glad you found this forum, it has the best most caring folks to help you on your journey.


Thank you so much! I will be around for a bit, learning what I can, asking some questions. I am up late, could not sleep tonight.


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## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> @mrrcflying goats are fun- I tend to think bottle babies are just a tad more bonded to you than other babies. But maybe that’s because I didn’t take time to house train and let my entire herd of kids come in to visit 😅


Thank you! One of the options the breeder gave to us was that she will has a couple of does that are bred and are due in October. She offered to sell us a couple of bottle babies at that time if we wanted. We are still talking it over, and I have a lot of research to do, but it is an option.


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## GoofyGoat

October is great, it gives you time to get all your ducks in a row.
Read the mineral thread, and print the bottle baby conversion chart. Get a good digital scale with sling for weighing the babies. Establish a good vet client relationship (Make sure they’re goat savvy.) Get a crate, hay bag (nylon not string) feeders buckets and read, read and read some more.









Excellent Minerals (You know how I love me those...


I don't know how many of you have a Stockdales nearby. My Stockdales is an hour and a quarter away That is where I get my favorite goat minerals (when I can!!!!) Here is my favorite, like you don't know by now! Yeah, this one...




www.thegoatspot.net


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## mrrcflying

Thank you GoofyGoat. That chart looks very much like what we were doing with the fawn. Although we did not have a printed chart like this, the basic information was the same. We were feeding a mix of whole cow, and goats milk. Some added pumpkin to keep the scours at bay, and added some oat/barley baby cereal as he stated eating greens. Not a lot, though. Shedule of 5-6 times a day, then to 4, then he was down to 3 bottles a day at the 38 day mark or so. Lost him on the 42nd day.

So, ya, about the same as what we were doing. So at least we have some experience with that.

With the fawn you needed to stimulate them to use the bathroom. Wipe the butt and genitals to get them to urinate and deficate, like the mother would lick them. We would take him outside as soon as he was done eating to do this, trying to get him used to doing it ouside. Maybe make it easier to house train him.

Is this the same with goats?


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## FizzyGoats

I’ve had Nigerian dwarf goats for only a bit over a year so I don’t possess the expertise to answer a lot of your questions but so many here do. Goats are fantastic. My small herd of six are not pets. They are just well loved, maybe a little spoiled working farm animals. If I was getting one for a pet, I’d personally choose a wether. I prefer dam raised but for your situation, a bottle baby makes sense. So I would get two bucklings and castrate them when they’re old enough. I’m glad you will be getting two. I’m excited for you to start this journey! I am betting you and your family will absolutely love these comical, social, and unique creatures. 

On a side note, your Golden Retriever is huge! I’ve never seen one that big. That’s the size of my livestock guardian dog, and he’s part Great Pyrenees and Komondor. 

And if you ever feel like sharing pics of your pets, we love to see them.


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## daisymay

- the few bottle babies i had started to learn to urinate outside. as soon as they wake up take them out on the grass, as soon as they are done drinking take them out on the grass. preety soon ..... they felt grass they urinated. I dont like bottle babies personally or house goats, they are livestock and like it outside better. Well when they are kids they probably dont care since there are so many fun things to jump on. you can also teach them litter box by using shavings or grass in the pen they are in, then slowly the area gets smaller.


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## mrrcflying

Thank you all again! We are missing our baby very much, and are still sad to have seen him go so quickly. Rather than make a quick decision on a goat or goats as pets, we are going to do some more research. Give things some time so that we are not just trying to jump into a "replacement". 

I will still be around, and probably ask some qustions from time to time.

As requested, I will try to get some pictures of my "monster" Golden Retriever, and other fur babies. He is packing on a few pounds lately, last time he was at the vet he was 133lbs. He always has been huge however. He was 120lbs. at 8 months and stayed there for years. Not fat, just large. Our vet says he has a huge block head. lol Kindest dog in the world though.


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## ksalvagno

I have to see a picture of a 133 pound Golden Retriever!


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## Boer Mama

That’s huge! My Great Pyrenees is 4 and only 120#… but she’s a female so that’s a difference. Lol 
Sorry you are missing your little house guest 💔


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## mrrcflying

Here you are! I just took these. Murry is the Golden. The Husky is Oreo. Oreo is about 70lbs. for comparison. He is a numbskull, 5 years old and thinks he is still a puppy. Very kind and gentle, but loves to jump on people. He thinks everyone that comes to the house is here to pay attention to him. It is his season for blowing out the undercoat, but is a huge baby when it comes to grooming. He hates it.

Murry loves to be groomed on the other hand. A big softie that loves everyone.

They often wrestle in the living room, kitchen, at our feet, wherever. Get 200+lbs. of dog rough housing around, you need to watch out!

My son is 5'7" tall, so you can see how tall Murry is, when he is hugging him. Murry will hug, he is not pulled up into this position for the picture. You ask for a hug and he will stand up and wrap his paws around you, just be prepared he kind of will put all of his weight into you.


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## Boer Mama

Big fluffies ❤
I have a 60# Sheprador who loves to run and gets zoomies when I’m doing chores and she can play with the GP. She’ll take my knee out if I’m not paying attention 😅
So I can imagine your bigger dogs rough housing 😂


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## FizzyGoats

Aww, they’re adorable!


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## mrrcflying

Can someone give a quick synopsis of the Urinary Caluli problem? I am talking with a more local breader with a 9 week old buckling, he also has a 6 month old wether. He said the buckling still gets grain in the morning, but not the wether to prevent urinary calculi.

I am assuming it is something like bladder stones, due to being "fixed". It sounds like certain grains can make it worse, am I correct in this?


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## ksalvagno

It is all about the right balance of 2-3:1 calcium to phosphorus. That would includes the entire diet.


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## happybleats

UC is like us having bladder stones..yes. Bucks design can prevent stones from passing. If you look up the anatomy you will see a "Z" shape coming from his bladder on down (sigmoid flexure) That Z is a tight turn. By allowing bucks to grow 4 to 6 months before wethering, you allow width there which does help him pass the if stones develop. 
Proper nutrition is important as a preventive measure. Keeping Calcium and Phosphorus at a 2-3:1 ratio. Most wethers in good flesh and pretty much done growing do well on a no feed diet. Quality hay and some alfalfa. Water is also somthing to keep in consideration. High calcium in well water may negate the need for added calcium in the diet. It can get complicated if we allow it to lol. When checking ratios, consider all foods best you can, feed, hay, alfalfa source, loose mineral and approx graze. 

Hope this helps

Best wishes


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## mrrcflying

Thank you so much! That was the quick explination I was looking for. I will dig into the topic more deeply as time allows, and if and when we decide.

*ksalvagno, thank you as well!*

I also have to say, you have all been so kind and generous here. When looking for information on the fawn, it was very dificult. I spent a lot of hours of research. I only found one forum dealing with deer farming and joined. I posted several times. It seems that if you were not one of the "old crew" of a dozen or so larger farms, they would just ignore you. They would converse with each other, but any newcomers were ignored, I saw other newcomers ignored as well.
Maybe it was the fact that I had an abandon, injured fawn, and not farming, I don't know.
However, here it is completely different, you have all made me feel so welcome! I appreciate that. I feel if we do get a goat or goats, I will have a place to come for answers and to share things. 

Thank you all so much!


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## The Goat

Sorry for your loss and welcome to TGS
I see tons of great info so I think they covered all but make sure two get more then 1 and also this is a Obviously one don’t keep them near your plants/gardens 

And also you can get Dam raised goats they are usually more skittish but if socialized at a young age will be friendly.

And than the bottle baby’s they love humans like LOVE humans so they might chew on your Close but since you want a indoor/ outdoor goat you Might want one of the bootle baby’s 

But let me make it clear do tons of research are advice Is not the final decision i hope you can get goats they are amazing


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## mrrcflying

Looking at this little guy as one possibility. Not sure about the second yet, as he is the only buckling available from this breeder. He is young yet, so that is a big plus to help with the bonding I think.


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## toth boer goats

How cute.


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## The Goat

Awww


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## Goats2Greedy

Adorable!


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## FizzyGoats

Aw, he’s so stinking cute!


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## Boer Mama

That would be so hard to say no to 🥰


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## mrrcflying

I just got off the phone with the seller. We are going to drive about 2 hours and 45 minutes to go have a look at him tomorrow. She has another yonger buckling that will be ready in a couple of weeks. We may end up with both. We will see how things go tomorrow.


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## ksalvagno

Good luck!


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## The Goat

Prayer


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## goathiker

Are you sure you want horns in the house? They can cause a lot of damage without trying and once they learn to pry with them nothing is safe. I would get a disbudded or polled baby.


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## GoofyGoat

He’s a cutie. Best of luck.


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## mrrcflying

goathiker said:


> Are you sure you want horns in the house? They can cause a lot of damage without trying and once they learn to pry with them nothing is safe. I would get a disbudded or polled baby.


No. He is disbudded. I have been looking for polled or disbudded because of this very reason. Nothing wrong with horns, but for us I think we would be better off without.  

Up early and getting ready to head out. A long day trip ahead. I will take pictures.


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## NigerianNewbie

@mrrcflying Safe travels to and from.


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## The Goat

Have a safe trip and keep us posted


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## happybleats

Enjoy the drive!! Can't wait to see pix. I would wait to bring the one home until the other is ready. Bring them at the same time is so much easier. 

Best wishes


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## Goats2Greedy

Hope everything works out good.


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## toth boer goats

Safe travels. 🙏


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## FizzyGoats

I can’t wait to see pictures and hear how your visit went.


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## mrrcflying

Just got back home. Here are the first pictures from home. I am beat, so I will upload some more tomorrow.
He is just over 5 weeks now, and has been with his mother, as well as some on the bottle. He is super sweet. We discussed getting the second one in a few weeks. I want to see for a couple of weeks how things work out, and how bonding goes with him first. There is a good likelyhood we will end up with the second, but it all depends on how things go.


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## The Goat

Awww. if you do not get the other one make sure that soon you get him a Friend because Evan tho they have human friends and dog friends it does not mean they are ok they love having a herd partner they let dogs be by the herd but they are not the same as another 
Goat. you got this! he’s a cute little one good job


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## GoofyGoat

He’s cute! I hope that’s a breakaway collar instead of a buckle, it adds in a measure of safety. Young goats can and will try to squeeze through things and collars can get hung up causing choking or worse. It happened to us many years ago a doe we were going to buy got hung up at the breeders and died. It was so sad.
have lots of fun with your new friend 😁


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## The Goat

He’s a cute little one. Oh and if I seem like I’m telling you what to do I’m not trying to tell you what to do I’m just trying to help you do not have to listen 

To me. Ok no hurt
Feelings right


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## FizzyGoats

He is so adorable. Congratulations on getting your first goat!


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## ksalvagno

Very cute!


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## The Whimsical Palace

I’m sifting thru these answers like a dog on a trail! You at least had the forethought to ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE you purchased your friends. I decided I wanted goats, decided on N. Dwarf and bought 4 😵‍💫 
I seriously thought they were hardy farm animal!!!
My doe’s will stay in the enclosure, we’ve just learned the buck won’t leave the property, because he’s protective of the girls, so he just does his own thing 🤷🏼‍♀️ Sometimes he comes over for a treat, but aside from keeping him on a cord, we can’t keep him contained. We call him Billy but Houdini would be more fitting!!!
My advise keep asking questions and take notes…lots of notes. I could write a book on what to expect when your doe is expecting…did I mention all 3 of my doe’s were bred!!! We have the babies inside drinking Mommy’s milk from a bottle. They’re not friendly goats at all and I heard that after 3 or 4 days of Mama’s colostrum to pull the babies or they will take on her skittish personality. Idk if that’s true but we didn’t want to take any chances. You’ll love having goats! Idk how they so much fun but they’re seriously awesome!


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## Goatastic43

What a cutie!  Congratulations!


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## MellonFriend

He's so cute! Gorgeous coloration. Do you have a name picked out for him yet?


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## goathiker

I love reading about goats that are supposed to be house pets. It's pretty funny when they eat random keys off the computer and learn how to open the refrigerator 🤣🤣


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## mrrcflying

Well, what a first night. 😆

This guy is a riot. We named him Ash, because of the gray and speckles in his coat.

Let me say, the buck fawn was like a gentleman with a tophat and cane, Ash is like an ADHD teenager on speed! LOL (All 3 of my boys have ADHD, but as far as I know none are on speed. LOL)

He is a little lover, loves people. The seller has 3 childern, and you can tell they spent a lot of time with him. He loves the attention, and seeks it out. Loves to be held, and will just sit in your lap, when he is not doing zoomies.

He was running all over with the kids last night. He thought the couch was a trampoline, so funny to watch the way he was jumping on it. Yes, he was getting into things, but it is all good. The only thing is we need to try to teach him where to use the bathroom, that may take a while, and good use of the steam cleaner.

So I am about to utter a sentence I never thought I would say in my life. Last night, I slept with a goat...

We tried to get him to settle in several different places, but he wanted to be with my wife and I. He would not stay off the bed no matter how many times I put him down. He finaly curled up next to my wife and fell asleep. After a few minutes I put him back down, and he curled up on the floor next to the Golden, and fell asleep.

All was good until 2:30AM, when we felt him jump back up. He then peed on the bed, so we had to change blankets and sheets. Again, he would not settle, unless he was between us. So we let him stay there. He slept between us all night, no problems. Not ideal, and something we need to work on, but it was his first night away, so I guess it gave hime the extra comfort.

I know that all this must seem strange to all you farmers, but we treat all our animals as family members. We will see how things with training and bonding for a couple of weeks. We are prepared to spend the time, and clean the messes.


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> He’s cute! I hope that’s a breakaway collar instead of a buckle


Yes, it is.


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## mrrcflying

The Goat said:


> He’s a cute little one. Oh and if I seem like I’m telling you what to do I’m not trying to tell you what to do I’m just trying to help you do not have to listen
> 
> To me. Ok no hurt
> Feelings right


All good!  
I like the feedback, and respect everyones opinion, you all have a lot more experience. A second one is not out of the question, we just want to give it a couple of weeks, and see how things go.


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## GoofyGoat

I suggest that you use a crate at night, even if you don’t during the day. Use a heating pad on low so he feels like he’s snuggling. It will get worse not better him wanting on the bed. Sorry but it’s true. (Another reason you need two)
All our animals are family too so I understand. Kids need rules,so do goat kids 😉


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## mrrcflying

goathiker said:


> I love reading about goats that are supposed to be house pets. It's pretty funny when they eat random keys off the computer and learn how to open the refrigerator 🤣🤣


I am fully expecting it. Hey, I have an ADHD child that chewed the buttons off a brand new TV remote once. Now at 16, he never lets the refrigerator door close, so nothing new. LOL


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> I suggest that you use a crate at night, even if you don’t during the day. Use a heating pad on low so he feels like he’s snuggling. It will get worse not better him wanting on the bed. Sorry but it’s true.
> All our animals are family too so I understand. Kids need rules,so do goat kids 😉


Thank you! I will look into getting one this week.


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## FizzyGoats

Ash sounds like a character. Love it! It really doesn’t seem strange to me to treat animals like family. Though most of us don’t bring them inside, there’s probably more members than not who have slept in the barn a time or two. I’ve been tempted to bring my goats inside but mine would destroy my little cabin. Lol. So I spend an insane amount of time out with them. Even farmers get very attached to these wonderful little souls and want the very best for them, the definition of very best differs from person to person, but it’s still a common goal that unites us. I think Ash is lucky to be surrounded by love. I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying him and the slight insanity that comes with owning goats.


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## GoofyGoat

mrrcflying said:


> Thank you! I will look into getting one this week.


I like the pressure heating pads. They’re only on when there’s weight on it. Look in the dog section of amazon or a pet website. They’re sometimes hard to find but worth every penny 😊


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## mrrcflying

A couple more pictures from the farm, and then a couple after we got home.


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## mrrcflying

Now for some feed questions if you don't mind.

I have done some search, and it seems feed is like motor oil, everyone has thier favorite. I also know that Urinary Calculi can be an issue once he is wethered. I am looking at waiting till about 12 weeks to do that.

I had previously purchased a 50lb bag of Purina Grower Goat Feed, which met the reccomendations for the fawn once I got him weaned. I also bought a bag of MannaPro Calf Manna, which I heard was a good starter, and had a lot of good amounts of vitamins and minerals in it.

Right now he is getting a little hay with his bottle, but nothing else, other than some greens he gets when outside.

Pelletized food would make things easier, plus I would know exactly what he is getting for nutrition.

Are the Purina Grower, and Calf Mana good, or should I scrap them for something else? I feed the rabbit pellets, but I think they are just plain compressed alfalfa hay, maybe timmothy mix. If the grain is not good, what about something like that if it has the protien needed? I need to keep the Calcium to phosphorus at 2-3:1, correct?

I know it is at least a couple weeks away from introduction yet, but wanted to get a head start.


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## GoofyGoat

The grower and calf manna are good choices 😁 good call. I would put a 1/4 cup grower out with a tablespoon of calf manna mixed in so he can nibble at his pleasure (creep feed) just refresh as needed. He should have hay available all the time. Since you are supplementing with a bottle just watch that his sides stay smooth not bulgy or puckered in. Start leaving a good loose mineral out for him to nibble as he wants as well. At five weeks he should be transitioning to solids. Fresh browse is very important as well. Leaves, vines and pine boughs are all good.


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## The Goat

Make sure you 
Leave Minerals out here’s a good resource for that Goats & Minerals: What You Need To Know


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## toth boer goats

Adorable 😊


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## mrrcflying

The Goat said:


> Make sure you
> Leave Minerals out here’s a good resource for that Goats & Minerals: What You Need To Know


The seller sent us home with some minerals and hay. I will pick up some more minerals when I get to Tractor Supply. They are the only place around that carries stuff like that.


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## The Goat

That’s good


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## mrrcflying

Question. Ash, the little guy has itchy ears. I have looked at them, and they are clean, no signs of mites or infections. I cleaned them out with some ear cleaner we use on the dogs anyway, but he is still at them. Scratching them with his hind hoof, and shaking his head. Any ideas?


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## GoofyGoat

mrrcflying said:


> The seller sent us home with some minerals and hay. I will pick up some more minerals when I get to Tractor Supply. They are the only place around that carries stuff like that.


May I suggest you get the purina goat minerals or the wind rain and storm cattle minerals instead of the manna pro small bag. The manna pro are not good minerals and can lead to Ash not getting what he needs. It’s a common problem folks will get them and wind up with problems.


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> May I suggest you get the purina goat minerals or the wind rain and storm cattle minerals instead of the manna pro small bag. The manna pro are not good minerals and can lead to Ash not getting what he needs. It’s a common problem folks will get them and wind up with problems.


OK, thank you! I was using the minerals the seller had given me. I am not sure what he was using. If it will help, I will get the Purina, I don't think Tractor Supply carries the Wind Raind and Storm brand, but I can check.


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## GoofyGoat

mrrcflying said:


> OK, thank you! I was using the minerals the seller had given me. I am not sure what he was using. If it will help, I will get the Purina, I don't think Tractor Supply carries the Wind Raind and Storm brand, but I can check.


Purina makes wind rain and storm so TSC should carry it. I was giving you an option if they didn’t have the purina goat on hand.


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## Boer Mama

mrrcflying said:


> Question. Ash, the little guy has itchy ears. I have looked at them, and they are clean, no signs of mites or infections. I cleaned them out with some ear cleaner we use on the dogs anyway, but he is still at them. Scratching them with his hind hoof, and shaking his head. Any ideas?


I don’t think you can see mites, just lice. But they usually would cause scratchy legs and back rather than ears… maybe @happybleats can help solve that question.


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## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> I don’t think you can see mites, just lice. But they usually would cause scratchy legs and back rather than ears… maybe @happybleats can help solve that question.


He has been a little itchy on his back and legs too, but mostly his ears. So I guess it could be mites.


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## GoofyGoat

You can see lice not mites. Mites present usually as crusty pustules and raw skin. Lice is more bite marks and looks like red grains of a small rice That move close to the skin. If he’s going outside it’s probably bug bites more than anything. Though do check for lice.


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> You can see lice not mites. Mites present usually as crusty pustules and raw skin. Lice is more bite marks and looks like red grains of a small rice That move close to the skin. If he’s going outside it’s probably bug bites more than anything. Though do check for lice.


No lice, his fur is nice and clean. Nothing crusty. Skin looks good. I guess I will just keep an eye on it for now, and change up the minerals.


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## happybleats

You can give him some Benadryl to see if that helps. Sometimes they have allergic reaction to new hay or the grass ect. Maybe 3 to 5 cc.


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## mrrcflying

happybleats said:


> You can give him some Benadryl to see if that helps. Sometimes they have allergic reaction to new hay or the grass ect. Maybe 3 to 5 cc.


Will do!
I used Frontline Plus on the fawn to protect her/him from fleas and ticks, I see that it also kills lice and mites. The deer farmers often use it on fawn without any problems. I did a google search and did find a few refrences to use on goats without issues. Has anyone used it?


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## The Goat

I have not but you will get your answer soon all be praying for him


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## ksalvagno

Use up the mineral you have first.


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## toth boer goats

I agree ☝


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## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> Looking at this little guy as one possibility. Not sure about the second yet, as he is the only buckling available from this breeder. He is young yet, so that is a big plus to help with the bonding I think.
> 
> View attachment 233264


He’s a cutie! I’m one of those crazy people that have a house goat 😂 My goat is a doe that’s two years old. I got her on accident. When she was born she couldn’t stand up or walk. I’m almost positive she was premature and mineral deficient. Everyone thought she was going to die but I bottle fed her and showered her with love. After about two weeks I figured out that I could put baby diapers on her. So I went with that. She’s a pure Nigerian Dwarf goat and I did get her disbudded but she has little scurs. 
At 10 months old she started getting sick and I took her to so many different vets. No one knew what was wrong. I eventually took her to a different vet by Sacramento which is 5 hours away from me and she had surgery. She had eaten something that was stuck in her rumen. The surgery helped a lot. She stopped having diarrhea and losing so much weight. She’s still very small and I can’t seem to get her to gain much weight. She’s only 31.4 pounds. 
She’s never shown signs of going into heat.I’ve taken her by other goats and she doesn’t care about them. We are extremely bonded to each other. She sleeps on my bed and cuddle all the time. As I’m writing this she’s on my lap chewing her cud. Like I said getting her was an accident. If I had left her where she was born she would have died two years ago. She’s very sweet and cuddly. When she was at the vet the vet techs said, “I think she only likes you.” 😂 I’m ok with that.


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## Rosiethebabygoat

Rosie loves being wrapped in her baby blankie before bedtime 💕


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## The Goat

Awww thank you for saving her


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## mrrcflying

What a great story and beaautiful baby! Thank you for sharing. I love the picture of her wrapped up in the blanket.

Were you able to get her house trained, or litter trained, or did you continue with the diapers? Training is the number one issue right now for us. His getting into things, jumping on stuff, that is all no problem. Peeing on the couch is getting old, but we are making some progress. Still he likes to do it in the morning, even after he has gone out a couple of times.


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## happybleats

Puppy pee pads. EVERYWHERE lol.


----------



## mrrcflying

happybleats said:


> Puppy pee pads. EVERYWHERE lol.


It is just the couch. I think it is becuse the rabbit has done it before on the couch, and even though it has been cleaned and we can't smell it, he can, so he thinks it is OK to go there. 

He only pooped in the house twice, after that it has been all outside. So far, it has been easier than with a puppy. Our Husky was so hard to break it was rediculous. I think he is going to be way easier than that.

So far he has been great, loves everyone, and just wants to cuddle when not doing zoomies with the kids around the house. I think my oldest son has done some youtube videos, I will link them up after I talk to him.


----------



## toth boer goats

Bless you and that precious goat. 🤗


----------



## The Goat

Can’t wait hope he does good


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## mrrcflying

Here are a couple of shorts that my son has done.









Time to Feed the baby Goat!!😍😍


Fact: Goats love Goats milk. To help your goat strong and healthy.




www.youtube.com













Still hungry for plants "Ash"? 🤔


hungry goat




www.youtube.com













"Ash" Thinks he can sit at the Dinner table.😁


sitting at the table




www.youtube.com










- YouTube


Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.




www.youtube.com





I am out in my work shed right now, I work from home. I sell my own products for RC cars, boats, airplanes, as well as some stuff on Ebay, so I have it converted over to a workshop with all my equipment, and computers. Ash is sitting right next to me, between the chair and my computer, right now, and the Golden is on the other side. LOL


----------



## The Goat

That’s so cool I love Rca and I love goats you found a perfect combination!!!


----------



## The Goat

I love the shorts and he is growing


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## mrrcflying

It looks liike Ash is becoming a bit of a Youtube star. LOL I can't help but laugh about it. My oldest is doing these videos just for fun, but he has gotten 11,600 views in the last 48 hours. I had no idea, until I was talking to him about it. He said viewers are eating them up. LOL 😆 😆 😅🤣🤣

He wanted me to put the link up to the channel, so here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLaAF5wVTkC4Cqb5o8AHk5g


----------



## The Goat

Wow I’ve been on YouTube for a while and my top vid is only 9,109 tell him he’s amazing!!


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## Rosiethebabygoat

The Goat said:


> Awww thank you for saving her


You’re welcome! I had to try and save her or I would have hated myself 😣 Plus, now I have a newfound love for goats 💕 She’s amazing. She’s so sweet and affectionate. I sometimes wonder if I just got lucky with a special goat 😂


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> What a great story and beaautiful baby! Thank you for sharing. I love the picture of her wrapped up in the blanket.
> 
> Were you able to get her house trained, or litter trained, or did you continue with the diapers? Training is the number one issue right now for us. His getting into things, jumping on stuff, that is all no problem. Peeing on the couch is getting old, but we are making some progress. Still he likes to do it in the morning, even after he has gone out a couple of times.


My Rosie still wears baby diapers. It works best for us. She’s very good about getting changed but she only likes it when I do her diaper 😂. Otherwise, she’s like no that’s private 🤣 My Rosie doesn’t jump on stuff much at all because she couldn’t walk properly for a month when she was a baby. So she eats and cuddles. Be very careful about watching your baby and make sure he doesn’t eat anything bad too!


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> What a great story and beaautiful baby! Thank you for sharing. I love the picture of her wrapped up in the blanket.
> 
> Were you able to get her house trained, or litter trained, or did you continue with the diapers? Training is the number one issue right now for us. His getting into things, jumping on stuff, that is all no problem. Peeing on the couch is getting old, but we are making some progress. Still he likes to do it in the morning, even after he has gone out a couple of times.


You should see the dresses that I have for her 😂 she’s a princess. She hates walking in water so when it rains I carry her 🤣 Where does Ash sleep?


----------



## KY Goat Girl

mrrcflying said:


> It looks liike Ash is becoming a bit of a Youtube star. LOL I can't help but laugh about it. My oldest is doing these videos just for fun, but he has gotten 11,600 views in the last 48 hours. I had no idea, until I was talking to him about it. He said viewers are eating them up. LOL
> 
> He wanted me to put the link up to the channel, so here it is.
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLaAF5wVTkC4Cqb5o8AHk5g


I saw the video of _I think_ your son head butting with him. That needs to stop. That’s bad behavior. You don’t want him butting you. He will get bigger and think it’s ok to do that and hurt someone. Including y’all.


----------



## KY Goat Girl

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> You should see the dresses that I have for her  she’s a princess. She hates walking in water so when it rains I carry her  Where does Ash sleep?


You should start a thread with pictures of Rosie! I’d love to see more of her!


----------



## GoofyGoat

KY Goat Girl said:


> I saw the video of _I think_ your son head butting with him. That needs to stop. That’s bad behavior. You don’t want him butting you. He will get bigger and think it’s ok to do that and hurt someone. Including y’all.


She’s so right! Just remember he’s a buck and you do not want him to have any aggressive behaviors reinforced. Even if you band him he’s going to have that behavior learned, he’s not going to stay small for long and when he has 60+ pounds behind him he’ll be able to really hurt someone. Goats are smart as dogs but they don’t play like dogs. They’re prey animals but will get pushy and demanding and can be dangerous if they get bad habits.


----------



## mrrcflying

KY Goat Girl said:


> I saw the video of _I think_ your son head butting with him. That needs to stop. That’s bad behavior. You don’t want him butting you. He will get bigger and think it’s ok to do that and hurt someone. Including y’all.


Thank you so much. I will talk with my son about this. It did not even cross my mind that this might be a bad behavior and habiit, rather than just play. Makes sense.


----------



## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> She’s so right! Just remember he’s a buck and you do not want him to have any aggressive behaviors reinforced. Even if you band him he’s going to have that behavior learned, he’s not going to stay small for long and when he has 60+ pounds behind him he’ll be able to really hurt someone. Goats are smart as dogs but they don’t play like dogs. They’re prey animals but will get pushy and demanding and can be dangerous if they get bad habits.


Thank you. As I said, I did not even think about it that way, but it makes sense. I figured it was just harmless play, but it makes sense that it could become a bad habbit, and become a problem when he gets bigger. I will have a talk with my son about it.


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

KY Goat Girl said:


> You should start a thread with pictures of Rosie! I’d love to see more of her!


I need to take more pictures of her. She’s so darn cute! She just stares at me with her blue eyes and her little ears that go sideways 💕 She’s so sweet. I found a lady that makes dog clothes so I have her make goat clothes 😁 Rosie is also super small. I can’t put weight on her no matter what I do it’s frustrating. We just got up and she’s eating now. She will eat for awhile but she doesn’t get past 32 pounds. I’ve taken her to school with me before and all the kids and teachers love her!


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

KY Goat Girl said:


> I saw the video of _I think_ your son head butting with him. That needs to stop. That’s bad behavior. You don’t want him butting you. He will get bigger and think it’s ok to do that and hurt someone. Including y’all.


I just give my goat thousands of kisses on her head. She hardly ever head butts me. The only time she does is when she’s very mad. Like when she had to have surgery and couldn’t eat for over 24 hours. She never goes without food so she was very upset. I made sure not to encourage head butting though just kisses and snuggles. She will act like she’s going to head butt my blue heeler dog and it’s funny. My dog will try and sneak in a kiss and Rosie is like No! She just has to act like she’s going to head butt and my dog is like oh no I’m so sorry! Rosie on the other hand loves it when a kitty will give her kisses 😂 one of my cats will lick her a lot and she loves it! She will just stand there with her head low frozen in hopes that she will get kitty kisses 💕


----------



## The Goat

Aww


----------



## GoofyGoat

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> I just give my goat thousands of kisses on her head. She hardly ever head butts me. The only time she does is when she’s very mad. Like when she had to have surgery and couldn’t eat for over 24 hours. She never goes without food so she was very upset. I made sure not to encourage head butting though just kisses and snuggles. She will act like she’s going to head butt my blue heeler dog and it’s funny. My dog will try and sneak in a kiss and Rosie is like No! She just has to act like she’s going to head butt and my dog is like oh no I’m so sorry! Rosie on the other hand loves it when a kitty will give her kisses 😂 one of my cats will lick her a lot and she loves it! She will just stand there with her head low frozen in hopes that she will get kitty kisses 💕


The difference is she’s a doe, whereas the OP has a buckling….they’re totally different. Touching a bucks heads invites confrontation and aggressive behavior. Once the behavior is learned it is very hard to break.

on another subject, you really should start your own thread about your sweet girl so the OP can get his answers without having to weed through the other posts.


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> It is just the couch. I think it is becuse the rabbit has done it before on the couch, and even though it has been cleaned and we can't smell it, he can, so he thinks it is OK to go there.
> 
> He only pooped in the house twice, after that it has been all outside. So far, it has been easier than with a puppy. Our Husky was so hard to break it was rediculous. I think he is going to be way easier than that.
> 
> So far he has been great, loves everyone, and just wants to cuddle when not doing zoomies with the kids around the house. I think my oldest son has done some youtube videos, I will link them up after I talk to him.


Do you give him a treat when he goes to the bathroom in the right area? There are so many food items that goats love that you can use for treats. My goat loves berries. She also loves being brushed. Not with an animal brush with a human bristle brush 😂


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

GoofyGoat said:


> The difference is she’s a doe, whereas the OP has a buckling….they’re totally different. Touching a bucks heads invites confrontation and aggressive behavior. Once the behavior is learned it is very hard to break.
> 
> on another subject, you really should start your own thread about your sweet girl so the OP can get his answers without having to weed through the other posts.


I’m sure you can give him scratches on his neck. Are they getting him castrated?


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## mrrcflying

GoofyGoat said:


> The difference is she’s a doe, whereas the OP has a buckling….they’re totally different. Touching a bucks heads invites confrontation and aggressive behavior. Once the behavior is learned it is very hard to break.
> 
> on another subject, you really should start your own thread about your sweet girl so the OP can get his answers without having to weed through the other posts.


It's fine, really. I love to see her posts, pictures and info. Weeding through is not an issue, anything I can learn is all the better.


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## mrrcflying

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> Do you give him a treat when he goes to the bathroom in the right area? There are so many food items that goats love that you can use for treats. My goat loves berries. She also loves being brushed. Not with an animal brush with a human bristle brush 😂


Not giving treats, but lots of positive reinforcement. I say the word peepee about 20 times when he is going, and telling him he is a good boy. Trying to get him to recognize the word with the action. Then give him some good scratches and reinforcment when he is done. 

He is getting better. When we go outside now, and I tell him to go peepee, he will almost immediately stop and go. So he has a handle on it, but still has not grasped that he is not supposed to go inside as well. Doing it less though. It has only been a few days, but progress is being made.


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## mrrcflying

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> I’m sure you can give him scratches on his neck. Are they getting him castrated?


Yes, he will be banded around 12 weeks or so. I don't want to do it too early.


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## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> Yes, he will be banded around 12 weeks or so. I don't want to do it too early.


Oh good! I’m glad that you know to wait to get him banded. 😁 Are you going to get him a friend? My goat is actually extremely jealous. I took her to go see her half sister and she stood in front of me and wouldn’t let me pet anyone but her 😂 I think Rosie is the exception to most rules. We are currently on the couch having cuddle time.


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## The Goat

Are you going to do it your self for or with a vet


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## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> Not giving treats, but lots of positive reinforcement. I say the word peepee about 20 times when he is going, and telling him he is a good boy. Trying to get him to recognize the word with the action. Then give him some good scratches and reinforcment when he is done.
> 
> He is getting better. When we go outside now, and I tell him to go peepee, he will almost immediately stop and go. So he has a handle on it, but still has not grasped that he is not supposed to go inside as well. Doing it less though. It has only been a few days, but progress is being made.


Positive reinforcement is great! Goats live for scratches. They love their neck scratched and their legs. Rosie will stand there and turn to her leg or lift it up and that means that she needs scratches 😂 I also give her a billion kisses on her head and neck but maybe you are not supposed to do that with the boys. She also loves being pet under her eyes.


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## The Goat

Lol


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## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> It's fine, really. I love to see her posts, pictures and info. Weeding through is not an issue, anything I can learn is all the better.


Thank you! I still feel like I’m learning about goats too. I’ve only had Rosie for two years. They are fragile little animals. People usually think they are not but they need a lot of supplements and care. I was so scared that she was going to get pneumonia from inhaling her bottle when she was a baby. Plus, she was very sick and weak when I got her so I was worried she was going to die all the time. It didn’t help that she would sleep with her eyes open so I would think she was dead and have to wake her up 😂 I had to feed her about every hour because she would only drink a tiny amount. Granted I got her at a day old so maybe newborns are different. When she was your goats size I would feed her more less often throughout the day.


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## mrrcflying

The Goat said:


> Are you going to do it your self for or with a vet


I have a farmer friend that has done a lot of animals, so he is going to do it for me.


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## The Goat

That’s good


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## toth boer goats

Adorable 😊


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## happybleats

What I remind my kids is everything we teach a goat when little he will do when big lol. So no jumping on us, no head playing, no pushing ect. It's hard when they are small and so adorable. We had large bucks. Our saanen Amos was 300+ pounds so he definitely needed to know manners. But even our nigie bucks have respect for our space when in with them. I realize this guy is a house pet and so some things are going to be different...but teaching him good manners now will help him understand his boundaries later when he's a grown. 
Scratch his neck, his chin(mine love a good chin /jaw scratch) scratch his butt, oh they love that..just avoid the top of the head and any behavior that will be unwelcome at 60 to 80 pounds...enjoy!! He's adorable


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## toth boer goats

I agree ☝


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## artzkat

I have had goats for 17 years and they have been smart, funny, challenging, expensive ( housing needs, vet and feed and medicine) but worth every penny....first things first...find out if you have a vet in your area that treats livestock (what goats are classified as) and goats in particular! 
2. read up on what goats require, ie vaccinations, feed requirements, housing, etc. Have medications you will need on hand before you get the goat...because crisis always strikes at 2:00 am
3. goats and dogs are not a good mix...I had to shoot my neighbor's "friendly dog" while it was killing one of my goats. Goats flee, dogs chase...Yes, there are circumstances where it works, but those are exceptional. Dogs can be stressful to a goat because dog "play" behavior is the same as hunting behavior and can look threatening to a goat. Stress is hard on goats and makes them prone to illnesses
4. Boy goats, unless you are breeding, do need to be castrated (what is called, "wethered") if you are thinking pet/companion animal...Buck goats are prone to pee on everything even themselves (their faces especially) to attract does and the smell is fierce. They have specific dietary needs once wethered to prevent urinary calculi buildup that can be deadly. They can (although most aren't ) be aggressive.
5. Last, but not least, goats are ruminants which means their digestive system is kin to cows and sheep. You will need to have some specific probiotics and dietary supplements on hand with this in mind.
6. But the really cool thing about goats is they (well, most anyway) are wicked smart, funny and most are friendly and enjoy human companionship.....I think they find us amusing and useful!!!


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## mrrcflying

Thought I would share an update after a week and a half.

Ash is great! He has bonded with all of us so well. The only one he is still not sure of is the Husky bucause he wants to run and play, and Ash is not to sure of that. Although this morning they were together and the Husky licked Ash on the head, and Ash did not freak out. So things are getting better between them. Him and the Golden are buds, they will walk outside together.

Someone here, I forgot who, suggested a kenel for sleeping at night. We got a cage type, it is more open than the regular dog kenels. The first night he complained for about a half hour, then went to sleep and slept the whole night. Since then it has been no problem. Now at bed time he goes in by himself, he has even gone in a couple of times for a nap, although he prefers to cuddle with one of the kids on the couch for his nap. Not once has he had a single accident in the kennel.

House training is progressing, but still not all the way there. He will now immediatly stop and urinate when told to go peepee. He also deficates outside most of the time, but has had a couple of accidents inside. Lucily they are easy to sweep up. 😆 I read that you can house train for urination, but not for defication becuase of the way a goats digestive system works. I am not so sure of that, because he seems to be waiting until he goes outside and does it after he urinates. Time will tell, but I think goats may have more control than what they are given credit for.

He much prefers to be inside with the family than outside. If we are outside, then he will be out with us, and graze on stuff. If it is only one of us out with him, he will do his business, graze a little and then go the porch and asked to be let back in. I am trying to get him used to being outside a little more. Be on his own to graze.

Currently he is at 3 bottles a day, but will be stepping that down to 2 bottles a day in another week or so. He get's so excited when I get his bottle ready. He is eating hay, and grain as well as a lot of stuff outside. He especcially likes raspberry and straberry leaves.

He can get wild and crazy at times, but for the most part he is kind, gentle, and seeks out attention and being petted and cuddled. He sometimes gets into things he shouldn't, but we are trying to goatproof the best we can when we find that he is getting into something.

Here is a video of him doing some parkour on the couch:


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## Boer Mama

He likes that end of the couch 😂
Sounds like he’s getting along great. Plans for a 2nd goat or have you changed your mind on that?
I bet if you had 2, he’d be happier to be outside grazing on his own (with his goat friend) for a bit. But I understand it would be more difficult with the house training. Lol


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## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> He likes that end of the couch 😂
> Sounds like he’s getting along great. Plans for a 2nd goat or have you changed your mind on that?
> I bet if you had 2, he’d be happier to be outside grazing on his own (with his goat friend) for a bit. But I understand it would be more difficult with the house training. Lol


We have not made a decision on a second one yet. It is still an option. So far he has adjusted very well. Having a second one running around the house would be a full time job. lol It is still up in the air, but we want to give it some more time to see how things work out with the house training and stuff first. If he starts showing that he is not adapting well, and acting lonely or depressed, then for sure we will, and we will make plans to keep them outside more.


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## The Goat

That sounds great just keep what [mention]Boar mama [/mention] said in mind goats are herd animals and he will need another goat. and boy he loves that couch lol


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## FizzyGoats

That video is so funny! He has his jumping on/off the couch protocol down pat. I love the little sideways spins and kicks too. I always enjoy when my goats get the zoomies. I know they are happy and healthy and letting all the “feel good” energy bubble over.


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## toth boer goats

So cute, glad all is ok.


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## ksalvagno

Glad things are going well.


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## svgoats

Be wary of scams. They are rampant in the "goat world" now. It is common to ask for a deposit to hold a goat, but it is not common to refuse personalized videos of the animal (having them say the date or your name). If they do not allow you to see the animal ahead of time, run. Run far away. Lol

Familiarize yourself with what a healthy goat looks like. Avoid goats with rough, dull coats, dirty rear ends (sign of a VERY sick goat), poor body condition, and pale eyelids (look up "famancha score"). 

The cheap goats are cheap for a reason. You might be getting a hateful fence jumper that will die within the month from pneumonia. 

Be patient and picky. There are lots of goats out there. Research the breeds and how hardy and healthy they tend to be. I always recommend kikos to first time owners because they are really easy keepers.


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## toth boer goats

I agree ☝


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## mrrcflying

Hey all! I was going to start a new thread, but then figured I would just continue this one.

I was not planning to wether Ash until about 12 weeks, however the past couple of days he has shown some signs of going into rut. They are directed at me. lol  He is doing the "talking", tounge wagging, trying to mount my leg or arm. I am using a spray bottle and telling him no, but at times he can be insistent. I want to stop the behavior before it gets too ingrained, and he becomes agressive. So far he is not aggressive, still very sweet, but there are moments that he is, shall we say... horny as a goat? 

He is 8 weeks old this week. I have read up on the urinary calculi problem, and it seems there are mixed messages. Some feel it is diet alone, and the age of wethering has no effect, others say wethering too young can further the calculi problem because the urinary tract has not develped enough yet.

What is everyones thoughts on this? Is say next week, 9 weeks old too young? Should I wait until 12 like I was planning? What are your experiences?

Many thanks!


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## Rosiethebabygoat

That’s surprising that he’s acting like that so young. 😅I had a buck that I bottle fed and he never acted like that but I watch some goat channels on YouTube and I think it just depends on the buck. I waited until he was 12 weeks to wether for the same reason that you are waiting. The buck behavior might just stop after he is wethered. Idk I would still lean towards waiting. Maybe give him a time out when he does the buck stuff to you? 😄


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## Boer Mama

In my opinion, I think it’s best to wait. Let his urethra grow better… but I don’t have a house goat either. Lol


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## Rosiethebabygoat

Boer Mama said:


> In my opinion, I think it’s best to wait. Let his urethra grow better… but I don’t have a house goat either. Lol


I have a house goat but she’s a doe and she doesn’t go into heat or anything. Which is nice. She just eats and cuddles 🥰


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## mrrcflying

Thank you all! I will wait till 12 weeks then. I just hope his actions don't get too bad. I am just surpised that he is doing thigs like that this young. I guess they just mature fast. Realy fast. lol


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## mrrcflying

One last question for now.

He is still not drinking any water. I assume he is getting all the fluids he needs from milk still. We have had a couple of very hot days, so on those days I did give him a couple of ounces of electolyte in the afternoon, just to make sure he did not get dehydrated between bottles.

Is this normal for babys still on milk? I assume that he will start drinking on his own, when he gets thirsty, and the bottles are cut back. He knows where the water is, and it is always fresh. I have dipped my finger in it and put it to his mouth, but he wants nothing to do with it right now.


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## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> One last question for now.
> 
> He is still not drinking any water. I assume he is getting all the fluids he needs from milk still. We have had a couple of very hot days, so on those days I did give him a couple of ounces of electolyte in the afternoon, just to make sure he did not get dehydrated between bottles.
> 
> Is this normal for babys still on milk? I assume that he will start drinking on his own, when he gets thirsty, and the bottles are cut back. He knows where the water is, and it is always fresh. I have dipped my finger in it and put it to his mouth, but he wants nothing to do with it right now.


My goat didn’t drink out of her water bowl for 7 months so I gave her a bottle every evening because I was worried she wasn’t getting enough liquids 😂 So I think that’s a thing. I may have bottle fed her a bit longer than other people 🤣


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> One last question for now.
> 
> He is still not drinking any water. I assume he is getting all the fluids he needs from milk still. We have had a couple of very hot days, so on those days I did give him a couple of ounces of electolyte in the afternoon, just to make sure he did not get dehydrated between bottles.
> 
> Is this normal for babys still on milk? I assume that he will start drinking on his own, when he gets thirsty, and the bottles are cut back. He knows where the water is, and it is always fresh. I have dipped my finger in it and put it to his mouth, but he wants nothing to do with it right now.


Baby goats learn from watching and replicating what other members of the herd and mama doe are doing. Since humans are the herd for him, it is possible to somewhat mimic goat behavior. Pretend to drink from the water bucket often throughout the day. Get down on all fours, put your head towards the rim of the bucket and mimic drinking. With browse, grab up a few pieces of whatever it is and pretend to lift it to your mouth and chew.


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## Boer Mama

You want to be careful about feeding bottles of water… he really needs to watch and learn to drink water without the bottle.


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## MellonFriend

Do not feed water in bottles. That's a big no-no.


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## The Goat

They do mature really fast as in 7 weeks!!!


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## mrrcflying

Got it on the water bottle.  I have not been giving him any water via bottle at all. There was one or two days that was really hot, so I mixed up some electrolyte, and gave him about 3oz. between his noon and 8:30PM feeding. Just because it was so hot out those days, and he was running around outside with the boys a lot.

I will work with him on the water thing. I assume he is just not there yet. He sees the dogs drinking out of the water dish inside, and the pan on the porch, so he knows it is there. I will be going down to 2 bottles a day soon, so he may start to go for water then.


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> He is doing the "talking", tounge wagging, trying to mount my leg or arm. I am using a spray bottle and telling him no, but at times he can be insistent. I want to stop the behavior before it gets too ingrained, and he becomes agressive. So far he is not aggressive, still very sweet, but there are moments that he is, shall we say... horny as a goat?


Is he starting to extend his penis, peeing on his face and getting smelly? I have a wether herd and sometimes those boys will display similar behavior towards each other, and they are all over 4 (four) years old. With them, it's all about dominance and restructuring the pecking order at this point. At no time whatsoever have I become the object of such unallowable behavior. If either one of them attempted to mount me, the consequences would have been so dramatic it would be unlikely to ever happen again.

Crank up the way you are discouraging the behavior. If a squirt of water isn't helping to curtail that behavior, add stomping your foot, loudly clapping your hands, use a more hateful tone with your voice, walk completely out of his sight and go into another room behind a closed door, take on a threatening posture to show you are bigger and stronger than he is, put him in a time out for a little while, etc.

Two of my males were 15 and 16 weeks old before they were surgically castrated and one of them had started to reach sexual maturity. Extending, scenting himself, mounting herd mates.....


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## 21goaties

mrrcflying said:


> I guess they just mature fast. Realy fast. lol


Yep


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## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> Is he starting to extend his penis, peeing on his face and getting smelly? I have a wether herd and sometimes those boys will display similar behavior towards each other, and they are all over 4 (four) years old. With them, it's all about dominance and restructuring the pecking order at this point. At no time whatsoever have I become the object of such unallowable behavior. If either one of them attempted to mount me, the consequences would have been so dramatic it would be unlikely to ever happen again.
> 
> Crank up the way you are discouraging the behavior. If a squirt of water isn't helping to curtail that behavior, add stomping your foot, loudly clapping your hands, use a more hateful tone with your voice, walk completely out of his sight and go into another room behind a closed door, take on a threatening posture to show you are bigger and stronger than he is, put him in a time out for a little while, etc.
> 
> Two of my males were 15 and 16 weeks old before they were surgically castrated and one of them had started to reach sexual maturity. Extending, scenting himself, mounting herd mates.....


Just the other day he started extending his penis. Kind of unexpected and strange sight for such a small baby. I did not realize how they did this. He has not peed on his face yet, thank goodness.

I have begun cranking up the use of my voice in the "no" command, and pushing him down a little more forcefully. He hates the water spray, and is beginning to associate it with the word no, so it may work as well. Things have been better today.

Maybe I need to be a little more firm with him. We had adopted a husky, previous to the one we have now. He was probably about a year old when we got him. The one time he showed food aggession toward me, I swept his legs out from under him, slammed him on to his side, held him down, and put my mouth to his neck. He never, ever, was food aggressive with any of us again, he had learned his lesson. I could take a steak out of his mouth, and he would let me.

So maybe I am just being too gentle with him, thinking he is still a baby, and need to ramp things up a little bit, to let him know who is boss.


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> So maybe I am just being to gentle with him, thinking he is still a baby, and need to ramp things up a little bit, to let him know who is boss.


Yep, though I realize it might be one of those tough love situations. Just remember, goats that are taught how to behave when they are younger more than likely grow up knowing what the limits are and won't test the boundaries very often. 

On another note, when they are young it's a good time to get them accustomed to standing still while picking up their hooves, being groomed, getting a checkup and those type of things. Hoof trimming, checking eye membranes, giving a drench or a shot is so much easier with a goat that is not trying to fight against you. tooth and nail. Praise the little guy for being cooperative, gently scold him for being resistant. Once he is comfortable and accustomed to being handled, the scolding can ramp up if he is only being contrary and stubborn. When you first begin to use hoof trimmers, a drench gun and such in real life, realize he may be a little frightened or anxious and go slowly but confidently with your mannerism.


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> He is still not drinking any water. I assume he is getting all the fluids he needs from milk still. We have had a couple of very hot days, so on those days I did give him a couple of ounces of electolyte in the afternoon, just to make sure he did not get dehydrated between bottles.


Since he is familiar with the taste of electrolyte water, try offering it in his water bucket instead of the bottle. Then over a period of time, cut the solution with more amounts of water until only plain water is being offered.


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> I was not planning to wether Ash until about 12 weeks,


Has he had any type of vaccination against tetanus yet? A CDT vaccine would need a follow up booster and having received both rounds would give the protection needed before being wethered. The tetanus antitoxin that would provide immediate antibodies is sometimes not available and from reading other posts, appears to be in short supply in most areas. The tetanus antitoxin vaccine would need to be followed up with 2 (two) CDT vaccines.


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## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> Has he had any type of vaccination against tetanus yet? A CDT vaccine would need a follow up booster and having received both rounds would give the protection needed before being wethered. The tetanus antitoxin that would provide immediate antibodies is sometimes not available and from reading other posts, appears to be in short supply in most areas. The tetanus antitoxin vaccine would need to be followed up with 2 (two) CDT vaccines.


I will try to answer all in one post.
He is used to being handled on a daily basis. He is carried regularly by all of us and loves it. Snuggles his head against your shoulder when he is in your arms. He has no problem with his hooves touched and manipulated. I have been doing that regularly as well, as I know that I will have to trim at some point. So far his hooves are good. We have been taking him on walks with the dogs, on a leash. He behaves better on the leash than the dogs do. 😆 I think the pavement is keeping the hooves warn down some, so it may be a bit yet before they need a trim, but I check them regularly.

I have not had to give him a shot or drench him yet, but I know how. I had to with the fawn. It may be a little bit of a fight, we will see. He is pretty good overall. He just seems to find bits of plastic wrappers the boys leave around. I get after them, but they are worse than the goat about listening. So far I have gotten them all out of his mouth before he swollowed them.

That is a great idea about the water! I will give that a try. Start with some electrolyte, and keep diluting it until it is strait water. Never thought about that! Thank you!

He was up to date on his CDT when we got him, that was 4 weeks ago now I guess. Time flies. I was going to boost him about the time or maybe a week before we band him. I am not sure where around here I can get antitoxin, so probably best to boost him, it will be about time anyway. He is inside most of the time, and not in a dirty environment, so the chances of tetanus are slim I would think anyway, but better safe than sorry. I am trying to get him more outside time though. He is not liking it much, but doing better. When the weather is not too hot or cold we keep the doors open so the dogs can come in and out, and he is beginning to do the same. Potty training is going well actually.


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## Boer Mama

As far as being time for a booster anyway, if he’s had his initial 2 shots 3 weeks apart, then he really doesn’t need another booster except for annually. Not every 3 months 😉
I’ve never had to trim my baby goats hooves. Not until closer to 9-10 months. But they do have tons of rocks to jump around on so that could play a part.
Good luck with the water bowl! 😊


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## mrrcflying

So speaking of checking his eyes, I have not done that yet. I noticed a little bit of a pouchyness under his jaw yesterday and this morning. I did not give it any thought until now. Might be a bit of bottle jaw, but I am not sure. Maybe just baby fat. I checked his eyes, as much as I could with him squirming, and they are a medium pink. Not a dark pink or almost red like I see in the pictures, then again it was hard to get a look. I will try to look again. (Edit: I looked again, and it was a pretty good pink, not red, but a fairly deep pink.) Think he could be a bit anemic, or am I overreacting?

He was dewormed before we got him, but I am not sure when. So I am going to give him a dose of Safeguard, and follow up with another in 10 days.

Do you think I should give him a shot of irorn and B-12. Maybe oral instead of shot? Maybe some Selenium? I know he has not had Selenium yet. Maybe just Nutri-Drench for a few days?

I will have to run down to Tractor Supply to get them, but that is not a big deal.


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## toth boer goats

Aww 😊


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## MellonFriend

Sounds like if he's pretty deep pink, he's probably not anemic. You could get a fecal done to be sure. Safeguard isn't very affective in some places. Are you sure that it is actually skin causing his chin distention? My three-month-old buckling looks like that and it's just his beard coming in.


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## mrrcflying

MellonFriend said:


> Sounds like if he's pretty deep pink, he's probably not anemic. You could get a fecal done to be sure. Safeguard isn't very affective in some places. Are you sure that it is actually skin causing his chin distention? My three-month-old buckling looks like that and it's just his beard coming in.


I am probably over worrying about nothing honestly. Just afer the bad experience with the fawn and all...

It is not hair, the hair is all about the same length. It does seem to be kind of floppy skin, but I am not sure how much is normal. It could just be his normal look as he is getting older. He is up to 21lbs. from 15lbs. when we got him, so he is putting on weight. 

I am not even sure where to get a fecal done. I could check with our vet, she may do it.

I did not know that about Safeguard. Interesting, I will look into that more. I thought it was one of the better ones.


----------



## MellonFriend

mrrcflying said:


> I am probably over worrying about nothing honestly. Just afer the bad experience with the fawn and all...
> 
> It is not hair, the hair is all about the same length. It does seem to be kind of floppy skin, but I am not sure how much is normal. It could just be his normal look as he is getting older. He is up to 21lbs. from 15lbs. when we got him, so he is putting on weight.
> 
> I am not even sure where to get a fecal done. I could check with our vet, she may do it.
> 
> I did not know that about Safeguard. Interesting, I will look into that more. I thought it was one of the better ones.


If your vet sees goats, she should be able to run it for you. If not, you can send a sample to Meadow Mist Labs . They have very reasonable prices.


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## mrrcflying

MellonFriend said:


> If your vet sees goats, she should be able to run it for you. If not, you can send a sample to Meadow Mist Labs . They have very reasonable prices.


Wow! Thank you so much! That will come in handy! I am not sure if my vet will see a goat or not. She sees our rabit and chinchilla, but I think her prices would be much higher than what I am seeing on the Medown Mist website!


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## MellonFriend

You are very welcome. 😊


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## NigerianNewbie

Another possibility for the little bulge under the chin would be a milk goiter. A milk goiter is harmless and will dissolve as he ages. It has nothing to do with how much milk a goat is receiving, so no worries there. A milk goiter is usually a sign the goat comes from heavy milking lines.


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## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> Another possibility for the little bulge under the chin would be a milk goiter. A milk goiter is harmless and will dissolve as he ages. It has nothing to do with how much milk a goat is receiving, so no worries there. A milk goiter is usually a sign the goat comes from heavy milking lines.


Intersting! Thank you. I tried checking it out some more tonight. There may be more hair there than I thought. It could possibly be the start of the beard, and I am just freaking myself out. Getting too paranoid I guess. lol

I gave him a dose of Safeguard tonight anyway, as I am not sure when he was last dewormed. 

How often do you all deworm, and what products do use? Ivermectin? Safeguard? Something else?

Thanks for all the insight everyone!


----------



## Boer Mama

It’s generally not advised to deworm on a schedule. It can cause resistance to medication and then it won’t work when it is needed.
The fecal should be checked first. Just catch some fresh berries in a baggie and date them then send it in or take to vets office.
I haven’t dewormed my goats for 4 years.


----------



## MellonFriend

You don't want to deworm on a schedule. It's fine that you dosed the safeguard, but in the future, it's best to identify what the parasites are or if they are there before taking chemical action. Ivermectin works for a lot of people (not for me), Valbazen, Quest, and Prohibit are other options. What you want to do is work through them in order of potency. So for you since you are using Safeguard, you'll want to at some point check whether that's working for you by doing a fecal before dosing and then do another fecal 10-14 days afterwards to see if it took care of the problem. If Safeguard isn't working for you, then I would recommend moving on to ivermectin, as that's the next in line of potency.

Another option you have is to treat for worms herbally if that's something you are interested in. For me I have a lot of trouble with chemical dewormer resistance, so I use herbal dewormers as a preventative and use chemicals if their worm loads become overwhelming. Many people though use herbal dewormers exclusively without the need for chemicals at all. Both Fir Meadows and Land of Havilah sell very good mixes. If you need more info on that, I would be happy to help with that. 🙂


----------



## mrrcflying

Thank you both so much. I will send a sample in about 10 days after the second dose of Safeguard, see what things look like. I will also looke into the herbal dewormers, I like the sound of that vs chemicals.


----------



## mrrcflying

OK another dumb question. Actually, questions. You guys are going to get tired of me. 🤣

I went to TS today to pick up a few things. I picked up some Standlee Timothy Grass pellets. I am just forward thinking toward winter time, and to make things a little easier I would like to do a mix of hay and hay pellets. I know he needs the hay to chew on to keep the rumen working, so no plans to go all to pellets. I had him try some today, and his little mouth is too small to eat the larger pellet size.

He likes the rabbit food that we feed to both the rabbit and chinchilla, although he has only had a couple small handfulls as a treat up to this point. It is Manna Pro brand. Looking at the ingredients, and nutrition it seems pretty good. Mostly alfalfa, wheat millings, oatmeal, soybean, a little molasses. The calcium to phosphorus is 2:1, in fact it is exactly the same as the Calf Mana/Purina Grower that he is getting in the creep feed grain mix I do for him now. Overall the nutrition, vitimamins and minerals seem to be very similar between the Manna Pro rabbit feed and the Purina Grower goat feed (grain).

So would the Manna Pro rabbit feed be OK to mix with the hay or not, and as he gets a little bigger introduce the larger timmothy pellets with the hay?

Which brings up another question. Grain. I have 50lbs. of the Purina Grower still, barely have touched the bag. He is still getting this with some Calf Mana. Once he has been wethered do I need to stop completly on the grain? Or is it still OK to give him the better grain with the 2:1 ratio? I am still a little confused on that.


----------



## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> Or is it still OK to give him the better grain with the 2:1 ratio?


All of what he eats needs to be a part of the calculation in order to come up with the ratio. Feed, hay, hay pellets, calf mana, browse, etc


mrrcflying said:


> Once he has been wethered do I need to stop completly on the grain?


Growing kids need the protein, extra nutrition supplied by the vitamins and minerals, and fats in feed/grain to support their dietary needs.

Do you have any loose minerals for him, they are very beneficial for goats of all ages.


----------



## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> All of what he eats needs to be a part of the calculation in order to come up with the ratio. Feed, hay, hay pellets, calf mana, browse, etc
> 
> Growing kids need the protein, extra nutrition supplied by the vitamins and minerals, and fats in feed/grain to support their dietary needs.
> 
> Do you have any loose minerals for him, they are very beneficial for goats of all ages.


Thanks!
Yes, I do have loose minerals for him. I was given some by the breeder, and I also bought a bag of the Manna Pro brand. I always have a small cup of it out for him to take what he wants.

I understand the calculation is needed for feed, manna, pellets, etc. but how do you calulate it for cut hay, and browse? I have no idea of the nutitional value of the plants he is eating outside.


----------



## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> I understand the calculation is needed for feed, manna, pellets, etc. but how do you calulate it for cut hay, and browse? I have no idea of the nutitional value of the plants he is eating outside.


There are charts for the nutritional value of most hay types which would give you a rough estimate to go by. The only true way to be positive about the ratio of the hay you are using is if it was tested. Depending on the graze, if it is grass of a certain type, the nutritional value can be found by searching for the information. If the browse is saplings, vines, briars, etc., the values for those are more of a balance between calcium and phosphorus in the spring and lessens as the season progresses and towards summer, typically, more often than not, higher in phosphorus.

As a few examples for hay values: Alfalfa hay is approximately 4:1 (high in calcium), Orchard grass is approximately 1:1 (neutral), Timothy hay is approximately 2:1 (balanced), Bermuda grass is approximately 3:1 (slightly more calcium), and so forth.


----------



## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> Overall the nutrition, vitimamins and minerals seem to be very similar between the Manna Pro rabbit feed and the Purina Grower goat feed (grain).


Rabbit Food | Show Rabbit Food | Best Rabbit Food (mannapro.com) 
Purina® Goat Grower 16 Complete Goat Feed | Purina (purinamills.com) 

The Purina is more specifically formulated to the dietary needs of goats in regard to the levels of selenium and copper to name just 2 (two) of the nutritional requirements.


----------



## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> Rabbit Food | Show Rabbit Food | Best Rabbit Food (mannapro.com)
> Purina® Goat Grower 16 Complete Goat Feed | Purina (purinamills.com)
> 
> The Purina is more specifically formulated to the dietary needs of goats in regard to the levels of selenium and copper to name just 2 (two) of the nutritional requirements.


It is the Pro Feed I give the rabbit, the red bag. The fat and fiber are a little different by the looks.

No plans on stopping the Purina Grower/Calf Manna combo. I was just looking at adding some of the rabbit pellits in with his hay, and as he gets bigger replace it with the timmothy grass pellets, with hay combo. The timmothy grass pellets are too large for him to eat right now.

The whole point was just to mix pelleted hay with loose hay, to make storage and feeding easier as I don't have a barn for large amounts of hay. The thought of the rabbit feed mixed with hay was just to get him used to it, and then transition to the timmothy pellet hay mix.


----------



## The Goat

Hey how’s things going


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> The timmothy grass pellets are too large for him to eat right now.


Could the timothy pellets be broken in half to make them smaller in size?


----------



## mrrcflying




----------



## The Goat

Awww. 
Your dog looks like a bear compared to him lol


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## KY Goat Girl

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> I have a house goat but she’s a doe and she doesn’t go into heat or anything. Which is nice. She just eats and cuddles


How does Rosie not go into heat?


----------



## mrrcflying

The Goat said:


> Awww.
> Your dog looks like a bear compared to him lol


He is. We usually set up a couple of chairs and stools in the kitchen during the day for Ash to play on. The other day Ash was running and playing. Murry (the golden) walks into the kitchen. Ash jumps down off the stool and runs right underneath him, and had to just barely duck his head. Murry looked up at me like "what just happened?". It was so funny.
They pal around a lot, walk around the yard together and stuff. This morning we were talking in the kitchen, I looked down under the table and they were there kind of cuddling together, so I just had to get a picture.

Ash tolerates Oreo the husky, but is not great buds with him. Oreo still wants to play chase and run, and Ash, although he will do it with the kids and I, is just not into it with the husky. Inside, they are fine with each other. Outside, Ash is kind of on the lookout.


----------



## The Goat

Aww that’s to cute. 

I’m sure Ash and Oreo will become best buds in no time.


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## NigerianNewbie

mrrcflying said:


> Ash tolerates Oreo the husky, but is not great buds with him. Oreo still wants to play chase and run, and Ash, although he will do it with the kids and I, is just not into it with the husky.


Oreo = dog = predator
Ash = goat = prey

Ash is being a wise young goat to be wary of playing chase with Oreo.


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## toth boer goats

How cute.


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## Rosiethebabygoat

KY Goat Girl said:


> How does Rosie not go into heat?


I’m not sure. It might be because she’s too thin. She’s never acted differently and she turned two in May. She’s had health problems and her growth is pretty stunted so maybe she is just too small and thin. I have zero plans to breed her. She’s a spoiled pet. I wish that I could put at least 5 pounds on her but she doesn’t gain weight no matter what I do. She’s a very picky eater so she either won’t eat the other grains and supplements I buy or they give her diarrhea. She gets free choice alfalfa hay, organic dairy goat grain, black oil sunflower seeds, loose minerals, skin and coat supplement, copper bolus, red cell, vitamin e and strawberries 🍓 for treats. I’ve tried other types of grain and it give’s her diarrhea. Other types of hay like orchard grass gives her diarrhea too. It’s very frustrating 😅


----------



## mrrcflying

Hello all! It has been a little while. A new question.

We banded Ash last night. It seems like it is not too comfortable for him, which I expected. He is refusing his morning bottle and food. Having some trouble getting into a comfortable position when laying down and sometimes letting out a yell. He was also doing some teeth grinding during the night.

I checked the band and it is in the proper place, all looks good with it.

I also gave him his CDT booster and some oral Selenium and B Complex yesterday as well.

I just wanted to make sure this is all normal. I figured he would be in some discomfort today, but it would subside as time goes on. I just wanted to check in, and get the expert advice.

Thanks all!


----------



## NigerianNewbie

Had Ash been given any banamine for pain control prior to being banded or since the procedure?


----------



## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> Had Ash been given any banamine for pain control prior to being banded or since the procedure?


I could not get any. My vet does not deal with goats and was not willing to give me any because of her uncertainty about dosage and such. I need to find a goat vet, but the closest one is probably up around the lakes 30-40 miles away. I have searched online, and although there are goats and goat farms around, finding a vet that takes care of goats in the area is about non existant.

I did give him some Aspirin last night right after banding, but none yet this morning.


----------



## happybleats

You can give another aspirin. He maybe uncomfortable a few days until everything dies off a bit. It can be harder on some then others. We just make sure no hair or teat is trapped. Keep close eye on it for infection. He will be ok. Just needs a few days.


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## mrrcflying

happybleats said:


> You can give another aspirin. He maybe uncomfortable a few days until everything dies off a bit. It can be harder on some then others. We just make sure no hair or teat is trapped. Keep close eye on it for infection. He will be ok. Just needs a few days.


Will do. I have LA 200 and Tylan on hand if it looks like any kind of infection. No teat is trapped, I made sure of that. He did take 6oz. of milk, and is picking at the grain a little now. I will give him another dose of aspirin and try to keep him comfortable. He just wants one of us by him to comfort him right now.

Thanks!


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## mrrcflying

Hey all! No questions today, just dropping in to say hi, catch up on some interesting theads, and say all is going well with Ash. He is up to 30lbs. already. Growing fast! He has become such a love bug! Getting so smart and responsive to commands now.

I hope everyone is well, and all the goats are happy and healthy!


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## Boer Mama

You should at least give an updated picture of the little man 😉


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## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> You should at least give an updated picture of the little man 😉


OK, let me go take one.


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## mrrcflying

I just took these. He has such beautiful markings and colors now. He has these identical markings on his front legs that make him look like he is wearing banded socks. 😆


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## BloomfieldM

Oh he’s a handsome boy! Jealous your goat gets to live in the house 😂😂


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## mrrcflying

BloomfieldM said:


> Oh he’s a handsome boy! Jealous your goat gets to live in the house 😂😂


It has not been an easy road, that is for sure. Having a house goat is a lot different than having a farm with goats. Every article I read says "Don't do it". I even posted a long reply on a blog about our experience so far and was met with a snotty "expert" response of basically "you will learn, it won't work in the long run, all kinds of problems, blah, blah, blah...". 
Not that I totally disagree. For most people it would not be an option, it takes time, patients, and dedication. One goat in the house is probably harder than 6 in the barn. lol However, I can't imagine the house without him now. He is SOOO worth the work and trouble.


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## Moers kiko boars

Ive had 3 in the house, all bottle babies & diapers. They were fun. I had mixed emotions when they went out to stay in the herd..
I believe we each have our ways, needs and raise them with love! I enjoyed reading about your little man Ash. Hes beautiful. Im glad he is part of your family. I have 32 goats, and none in the house...now. who knows when the next kidding.comes along. 😂🤣🤪


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## Boer Mama

@Moers kiko boars it seems like kidding time always provides me with one house goat for a cpl of weeks 😂
Then he graduates to deck/yard goat and eventually out with the herd. The transition isn’t so bad… until you’re trying to wean off the bottle entirely and they act like you’re forgetting all about them 🤣

@mrrcflying is Ash weaned yet? I’m trying to think how old he is now. Lol


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## mrrcflying

Moers kiko boars said:


> Ive had 3 in the house, all bottle babies & diapers. They were fun. I had mixed emotions when they went out to stay in the herd..
> I believe we each have our ways, needs and raise them with love! I enjoyed reading about your little man Ash. Hes beautiful. Im glad he is part of your family. I have 32 goats, and none in the house...now. who knows when the next kidding.comes along. 😂🤣🤪


I thought about diapers, but decided against it. Training him to go outside has been one of the bigger chalenges. He is nearly 100% trained for outside, for urination. When it comes to dropping blueberries, not quite as good. Getting better, and he will do it outside on command. Mornings are the worst, as he just can't hold them anymore. Most of the day he is good though, he will hold them until he goes outside.

When it is raining out though, all bets are off. 🤣 He would rather be scolded for messing on the floor than have a single rain drop touch him. lol


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## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> @Moers kiko boars it seems like kidding time always provides me with one house goat for a cpl of weeks 😂
> Then he graduates to deck/yard goat and eventually out with the herd. The transition isn’t so bad… until you’re trying to wean off the bottle entirely and they act like you’re forgetting all about them 🤣
> 
> @mrrcflying is Ash weaned yet? I’m trying to think how old he is now. Lol


Well.... He should be weaned. We are kind of putting it off, letting him enjoy his morning bottle for a little longer. He is 16 weeks this week I think. Might be 17 now, I would have to count. He enjoys his morning bottle so much, and we all enjoy taking turns giving it to him we are holding out on it. So he still gets 12oz. of milk in the morning.


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## Boer Mama

One bottle a day isn’t too bad… maybe just start reducing it tho. Eventually after 8oz, then 4oz then 2… he won’t be too upset at having it cut out. Lol 
How’s the training collar working out? That’s what he has on, right? What behaviors have been corrected with it? 
he was probably a bit surprised the first time!


----------



## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> One bottle a day isn’t too bad… maybe just start reducing it tho. Eventually after 8oz, then 4oz then 2… he won’t be too upset at having it cut out. Lol
> How’s the training collar working out? That’s what he has on, right? What behaviors have been corrected with it?
> he was probably a bit surprised the first time!


The training collar works! Spray bottle stopped working pretty quick, so I tried the training collar. It has both shock and vibrate with different settings. I hate to use the shock, but have had to sometimes.

On a setting of 5-6 it is enough for him to jump a little and stop what he is doing, but not yell out. Up higher and he will yell, so I keep it lower.

He no longer jumps on the table, counters or kitchen island. He now associates it with the "NO"command, so just saying "NO" he will usually stop the bad behavior. If he grabs somthing he is not supposed to and starts chewing it and will not drop it, a "NO" with a single zap will make him drop it.

Overall his behavior is getting better, but he still gets into things.

The vibrate mode I use for other commands such as "come", or "down" if he is just getting nosey with things. It is enough to get his attention on me. Overall I am using voice commands more and more, and the collar less and less.

He also calmed down quite a bit after having his boy parts banded. 😆


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## Boer Mama

Glad he is turning into a well mannered young man. Lol


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## BloomfieldM

mrrcflying said:


> One goat in the house is probably harder than 6 in the barn. lol


I believe it! I follow a gal on YouTube and Instagram who lives in a gypsy wagon with her goat. She gets flack from “experts” too, but as far as I can tell her goat loves her life! I say do what works. I know I couldn’t handle the extra work of having them in the house, but it’s adorable.


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## FizzyGoats

Sounds like training is going great. He’s such a handsome little fellow. I love these updates.


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## mrrcflying

BloomfieldM said:


> I believe it! I follow a gal on YouTube and Instagram who lives in a gypsy wagon with her goat. She gets flack from “experts” too, but as far as I can tell her goat loves her life! I say do what works. I know I couldn’t handle the extra work of having them in the house, but it’s adorable.


I can't imagine living in such a small space all alone, let alone sharing it with a goat. lol


----------



## mrrcflying

FizzyGoats said:


> Sounds like training is going great. He’s such a handsome little fellow. I love these updates.


I will stop by from time to time and give updates. Sometimes I stop in just to read others threads, to see what all is going on, pick up some more knowledge if I can.


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## Rosiethebabygoat

I never thought to use a shock collar on my house goat. With all she’s gone through I don’t think I could do it. I tell my goat, “No, No, Rosie!” all the time but she doesn’t listen so well 😂 She’s more than spoiled. My goat also wears a diaper. I didn’t really try to potty train her. Diapers work well for us. She only likes it when I do her diaper. 
Ash already weighs more than my Rosie. I’m jealous that you have put weight on him. I wish I could get her to gain 5 more pounds or so. She’s only 29.6 pounds 😣
Goat cuddles are just the best though. My Rosie loves bedtime. She’s so sweet and loves her blankie. I think if I put her outside she would die of a broken heart.


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

Are you going to get another goat?


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

My house goat Rosie never jumped on counters. She was never good at jumping so I think she’s perfect for the house. She will jump on the couch but that’s it 😂 she won’t even jump on the bed. She used to but we have gotten into a routine where she will put her hooves on the bed and I will boost her up 🤣 At one time when she was very sick before her surgery she couldn’t jump on the couch anymore it was so sad. She was just getting weaker and weaker. Now I think she’s just spoiled 💕


----------



## toth boer goats

He is handsome.


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## mrrcflying

Ash's winter coat came in. 😆


----------



## MellonFriend

What an amazing orange he's turned! 😋


----------



## ksalvagno

Cute!


----------



## mrrcflying

MellonFriend said:


> What an amazing orange he's turned! 😋


Quite striking isn't it? It came in fast too, about 3-5 days. 🤣


----------



## BloomfieldM

Very handsome. Good color on him


----------



## mrrcflying

Here is the fleece that he got too.

On a bit more serious note, here in upstate NY it gets very cold in the winter. Since he is not outside all the time, he will not be acclimatized to the weather, so I thought it would be best to give him some extra warmth for the times he is out in the cold. Right now he spends most afternoons outside (when he does not sneak back in), as it gets colder, probably a couple of hours at a time, with breaks in between.

I know there are differing opinions on putting coats on your goats as well.

I looked at the goat coats, those things are expensive, $40-$60!

I looked around and found this two set, a fiber filled coat, and the fleece, both for $17.99 plus $5 shipping. They are supposed to be for dogs, but the measurements fit, and when I got them, they are about perfect.

I have no affiliation with the company or anything, no paid advertisment or free products, just want to pass along a good deal if anyone is interested. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than the coats made for goats. I don't know the rules about posting links to things like this, so I will wait until I get the OK. If it is OK, and anyone is interested I will post it.


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## Moers kiko boars

He looks grear,and its a smart.idea to help him out in the cold weather. 
All mygoats are outside. I live in Oklahoma. In Feb, we can drop as low as -10°. I buy clearance dog sweaters for my new born kids. I think they are adorable and I feel they need them. Its better than pneumonia! 
I like the coats in him. Thanks for shareing and the pics. He is ADORABLE💕


----------



## BloomfieldM

Sounds like good logic to me. Plus his little lumber Jack look is pretty adorable 🥰


----------



## Boer Mama

I think you’re right. Since he is an inside goat who occasions outside, he won’t grow his winter coat the way he normally would.
Good find- and he sure knows how to rock them 💕


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

My house goat doesn’t grow a winter coat at all either. I live in California but in the winter it can get into the 20s. She stays inside and we turn the heater on a lot. She also wears dresses and sweaters when it’s cold or when we leave the house. I’m going to have to buy her some new ones for the winter. At night she gets wrapped in her fuzzy baby blankie and snuggles with me on the bed. 💕


----------



## mrrcflying

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> My house goat doesn’t grow a winter coat at all either. I live in California but in the winter it can get into the 20s. She stays inside and we turn the heater on a lot. She also wears dresses and sweaters when it’s cold or when we leave the house. I’m going to have to buy her some new ones for the winter. At night she gets wrapped in her fuzzy baby blankie and snuggles with me on the bed. 💕


A couple of winters ago, it must have been at least 3 since it was before Covid, we had a very cold winter. We had an artic blast that moved in and lingered over us for a week. It never reached -10F during the day. One night I had a real temp on my outside thermomiter of -22F, and the local forcast was saying with the wind chill the feel was below -40F.

That was the coldest I have ever remember seeing, and it lasted for a long time, at least a week of well below 0. Hopefully we don't have a winter like that again. I would have tor wrap him in blankets to go out. 😆


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> A couple of winters ago, it must have been at least 3 since it was before Covid, we had a very cold winter. We had an artic blast that moved in and lingered over us for a week. It never reached -10F during the day. One night I had a real temp on my outside thermomiter of -22F, and the local forcast was saying with the wind chill the feel was below -40F.
> 
> That was the coldest I have ever remember seeing, and it lasted for a long time, at least a week of well below 0. Hopefully we don't have a winter like that again. I would have tor wrap him in blankets to go out. 😆


I wouldn’t take Rosie outside in weather like that. She’s too much of a princess. She doesn’t walk outside if it’s raining. I have to carry her 😂 She hates getting wet and cold. After she gets a bath she’s so mad for a bit that she won’t cuddle and she tries to get into stuff. She will even go into her “baby jail” as a protest and an I’m mad at you Mommy! Her baby jail is her X-Large crate that she goes into when I have to go to work.


----------



## mrrcflying

Just a normal evening of sitting on the couch, watching TV.... and a goat sleeping on your lap. 🤣 









Sorry about the image quality, the light was low, and I think the image qality was set to low as well.


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> Just a normal evening of sitting on the couch, watching TV.... and a goat sleeping on your lap. 🤣
> 
> View attachment 238919
> 
> Sorry about the image quality, the light was low, and I think the image qality was set to low as well.


Ash looks like he’s gotten really big! Have you weighed him recently? I love sitting on the couch with my house goat. Goats are the best cuddlers 💕


----------



## mrrcflying

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> Ash looks like he’s gotten really big! Have you weighed him recently? I love sitting on the couch with my house goat. Goats are the best cuddlers 💕


I weighed him a few nights ago. He is up to 37lbs. I could not believe it.

During the evenings he cuddles up close to me, either on the couch or the bed, before he gets put in the kennel. My sons are jealous. "why does he like you more?" Well, I treat him kind, tend to him more, etc. They want to run and play which he likes, but don't show him the careing and tenderness that my wife and I do. So he comes to us for the love, and them for they play.


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> I weighed him a few nights ago. He is up to 37lbs. I could not believe it.
> 
> During the evenings he cuddles up close to me, either on the couch or the bed, before he gets put in the kennel. My sons are jealous. "why does he like you more?" Well, I treat him kind, tend to him more, etc. They want to run and play which he likes, but don't show him the careing and tenderness that my wife and I do. So he comes to us for the love, and them for they play.


He already weighs more than My Rosie 😂 That’s really sweet that he goes to you and your wife for love. My Rosie goes to me for everything. She’s definitely a Mama’s girl. She will allow people to brush her and scratch her but she really only likes me 💕 Goats really are the best. How is he doing with potty training?


----------



## mrrcflying

Rosiethebabygoat said:


> He already weighs more than My Rosie 😂 That’s really sweet that he goes to you and your wife for love. My Rosie goes to me for everything. She’s definitely a Mama’s girl. She will allow people to brush her and scratch her but she really only likes me 💕 Goats really are the best. How is he doing with potty training?


Potty training has been a chore. His almost 100% for urination. Rarely has any accidents anymore.
Dropping the berries has been more dificult, but we have made progress. He can't seem to hold it in the morning. Many times he has already gone in his kennel, which is not a big deal. We put a towel over the bed, so we take it out, shake out the berries, and put it in the laundry. Use a hand held vacuum to get the rest. Wash the bed once a week unless it is real bad.
I try to get him right outside as soon as I get up, but he ususally drops some on the way to the door. A broom and dustpan work.
During the day he is pretty good, if we get him outside right after eating. If we are outside with him, before coming in he will stop and go both ways, which is good. He will go both ways on command about 80% of the time. So mornings are about the only challenge.
Then there are rainy days. That is another story. He hates the rain so much, he will just hold it until he gets inside.


----------



## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> Potty training has been a chore. His almost 100% for urination. Rarely has any accidents anymore.
> Dropping the berries has been more dificult, but we have made progress. He can't seem to hold it in the morning. Many times he has already gone in his kennel, which is not a big deal. We put a towel over the bed, so we take it out, shake out the berries, and put it in the laundry. Use a hand held vacuum to get the rest. Wash the bed once a week unless it is real bad.
> I try to get him right outside as soon as I get up, but he ususally drops some on the way to the door. A broom and dustpan work.
> During the day he is pretty good, if we get him outside right after eating. If we are outside with him, before coming in he will stop and go both ways, which is good. He will go both ways on command about 80% of the time. So mornings are about the only challenge.
> Then there are rainy days. That is another story. He hates the rain so much, he will just hold it until he gets inside.


That’s awesome progress though. I think all goats hate the rain. My goat hates the rain so much. It’s funny. She won’t go outside either.


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## NigerianNewbie

My outdoor goats will spend the entire time in their stalls when it is raining and use them like indoor toilets at free will. They rarely soil their stalls unless the weather is inclement.


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## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> My outdoor goats will spend the entire time in their stalls when it is raining and use them like indoor toilets at free will. They rarely soil their stalls unless the weather is inclement.


I wonder what it is in their genetics that makes them hate the rain so much. I tried looking it up, but did not find any real answers, just that goats hate rain. What do wild goats do when it rains?


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## NigerianNewbie

I suspect they have a tiny bit of aversion towards flowing water in general. There is a brook the goats refuse adamantly to cross over to get to the other side. They know their browse area is there, have crossed over a foot bridge for years, but no way, no how, will they just walk through what is usually shallow water.


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## Rosiethebabygoat

mrrcflying said:


> I wonder what it is in their genetics that makes them hate the rain so much. I tried looking it up, but did not find any real answers, just that goats hate rain. What do wild goats do when it rains?


It’s kinda funny. I gave My Rosie a bath yesterday and she always stomps her feet and poops in the bath tub. It’s like she’s throwing a fit. The water is warm too and she goes in front of the heater afterwards. She still throws a fit while she’s in the bath and a bit afterward. She will even refuse to cuddle me for a few hours. 😂


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## Rosiethebabygoat

NigerianNewbie said:


> My outdoor goats will spend the entire time in their stalls when it is raining and use them like indoor toilets at free will. They rarely soil their stalls unless the weather is inclement.


Goats are just funny creatures 😂 They really do hate getting wet so much.


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## toth boer goats

How cute.


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## mrrcflying

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and will have a great Christmas Season. Here is Ash joining us at the Thanksgiving table. 😆
He is doing well, up to 50lbs. now. For the most part everything is going well with him.
Unfortinatly I do have some sad news. We had to put our beloved Golden, Murry (pictures on the second page), down yesterday. A few weeks ago he started not eating well and drinking a lot. Initially the vet thought maybe diabitetes, but that came back OK. He was then tested for Addisons disease because of the symptoms, but again, it came back OK. After X-rays and ultrasound it was found that he had a massive tumor on his liver, and smaller tumors in other organs, it had already spread. He went downhill fast. In less than 2 weeks he went from failry normal with just a few symtoms to barley being able to walk, refusing all food, and just wasting away.
He will be missed.


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## toth boer goats

Truly sad. 😢 
I am so very sorry.

He was beautiful. 🤗


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## KY Goat Girl

Ash looks great! Love the pic! 

I’m sorry about Murry  I know he lived a good life with you and your family.


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## mrrcflying

I think he wants to eat the paper plate, not the meal. 😁


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## BloomfieldM

Ash is adorable and I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I can relate!


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## mrrcflying

Thank you all. This is the third dog we have lost to cancer since we have lived here. 25 years now. I hope it is not something in the water. Of course I guess some dogs are just more prone to cancers, especially pure breeds, which all of them were.
My wife is taking it so hard, she has been crying today. He was her shadow. A true velcro dog. Wherever she would go, you could count on him to be right beside her. Probably most caring, loving dog we have ever had.


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## BloomfieldM

mrrcflying said:


> Thank you all. This is the third dog we have lost to cancer since we have lived here. 25 years now. I hope it is not something in the water. Of course I guess some dogs are just more prone to cancers, especially pure breeds, which all of them were.
> My wife is taking it so hard, she has been crying today. He was her shadow. A true velcro dog. Wherever she would go, you could count on him to be right beside her. Probably most caring, loving dog we have ever had.


Reminds me of my Willow. Almost 2 years since we lost her to bladder cancer and we are still sad about it,


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## Boer Mama

Ash looks like he’s stolen everyone’s Hearts 💕
Very sorry to hear about Murray. That is heart breaking. 😓


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## toth boer goats

🤗


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## mrrcflying

Ash has a bit of a goat health issue this morning, I don't think it is an emergency yet as it has happened before. I can put this over in the health forum if it does not belong here, I can move it over to the health and wellness forum.

We have a rhododendron bush. Ash got into it once before when it was really young. He vommited for about 2 hours. I talked with and online vet. I was able to get some activated charcoal in him and he was fine the next day. It was aweful though, I never knew any animal could vomit so much.

I cut the bush way back, higher than he could reach, and it has not been a problem.

Yesterday I saw him around it and chased him off. Appratently he is now large enough that he can reach, or heavy enough to push the branches over to reach the leaves.

Last night he came in acting a bit strange. He was after the basket of washed cloths, which is normal, he nibbles on them, but no harm. I went to see what he was doing and thought I saw something in his mouth. Tried to get it but no luck. Originally I thought that he had gotten one of my wives knee high nilons. Reflecting on it now I think it was just his tounge. I don't believe he ate anything, I think he was just licking, as later I saw him doing the same thing. He was making licking and chewing faces, but not the normal cud chewing.

We could tell he was not feeling well, I began to suspect that he might have gotten into the rhododendron. I decided to give him a couple of charcoal capsules. Trying to do so he vomited once. Sure enough I found a piece of rhododendron leaf in it.

He has been pretty miserable all night. Teeth grinding, just not acting well. He is not to the point of being out of it or seizures or anything. He is refusing to eat and drink this morning. I am going to give him more charcoal this morning. I think he will be fine, he is just having some major stomach issues because of it. 

Is there anything I can give him to help out the stomach upset while the charcol does it's thing? Like I said, he is not in major distress, he is up and about, responding, but his ears are down, grinding teeth still, and just generally looks like he does not feel well.

Thanks all!


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## NigerianNewbie

Milk of Magnesia at a rate of 15cc per 60 lb. This will flush the digestive tract of the toxins if the culprit is a plant. Grinding teeth is a sign of distress in goat language.


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## mrrcflying

NigerianNewbie said:


> Milk of Magnesia at a rate of 15cc per 60 lb. This will flush the digestive tract of the toxins if the culprit is a plant. Grinding teeth is a sign of distress in goat language.


Got it! Thank you.
He seems to be doing better now that he is up and around. He is drinking, and starting to eat a little. Acting pretty normal, but not quite his spry self yet. The teeth grinding has slowed, and he is even chewing on his cud now.


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## Boer Mama

Poor Ash… is there a place that the bush could be transplanted to out of his area? I wouldn’t want him to forget all about his pains and keep going right back to it…


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## mrrcflying

Boer Mama said:


> Poor Ash… is there a place that the bush could be transplanted to out of his area? I wouldn’t want him to forget all about his pains and keep going right back to it…


Not really any chance of transplanting it. It is about 10ft. tall, and 20ft. across. I cut it way back so there was only the top part. It sits in front of the deck and would look strange without it. I may be able to fence it off, the ground is frozen right now though. We had snow the other day, I think maybe the snow weight might have pulled the branches down within reach too. I will have to see what I can do. 
If he is like my husky, he will not learn. 2 rounds with a porcupine, he lost both times. After hundreds of quills the first time, I would have thought he would have learned. 🤣

He seems much better now. He would not eat his food this morning, but did eat several "milk bones". I know, they are not goat food, but he loves them. He would ask for them when the dogs would get one, so we gave him one, one day. He has been addicted since. He does not get them often, just one of the small ones every other day or so, as a treat. I gave him 5 this morning, as it was the only thing he wanted to eat. He put his nose up at everything else. LOL. I wanted to make sure he had something in his stomach to keep his gut working, and push stuff out.

He is now sleeping in my work shed with me. I don't think he got much sleep last night. He was chewing his cud for the past hour or so, and just fell asleep. He has finally stopped grinding his teeth.

So I think we are all good now. After some rest today, I expect he will be back to his normal self tonight, eating hay and grains.


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## BloomfieldM

I has a baby get some bites of rhododendron and I didn’t have activated charcoal on hand and the vet said to to MOM. She actually was fine because she had probably didn’t get that much. Hopefully he recovers quickly. Maybe some rumen support for good measure with probiotics and vit B


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## KY Goat Girl

Could you put up a panel around the bush? Like a hog goat panel bent into a circle around the bush or something?


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## mrrcflying

KY Goat Girl said:


> Could you put up a panel around the bush? Like a hog goat panel bent into a circle around the bush or something?


It might be possible, I will have to check it out. It is up against the deck, and he can get under the deck, so whatever I do will have to go all the way around it. I will still have to keep it cut high. I might just decide to take it out completely, I will see. It has been there since before we moved in 25 years ago. I hate to remove it, but I would rather not have Ash get into it again.


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## MellonFriend

I have a rhododendron that my goats can get to if they ever get out on rare occasion. I just like to keep the activated charcoal gel on hand if it happens and give that proactively before they show signs. Never had a goat get sick even though they ate some, so I would recommend getting charcoal gel on hand if you decide to keep the bush around. There were a few rhodies in my pasture when I first came here and we took those out, but they were a bugger to get to stop sprouting out of the stumps. Eventually I just took an axe to the stump, chopped it all up and that seemed to have done the trick. So if you decide to cut them down be sure to keep an eye on the stumps for sprouts. 

I hope your sweet little guy feels better soon!


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## mrrcflying

MellonFriend said:


> I have a rhododendron that my goats can get to if they ever get out on rare occasion. I just like to keep the activated charcoal gel on hand if it happens and give that proactively before they show signs. Never had a goat get sick even though they ate some, so I would recommend getting charcoal gel on hand if you decide to keep the bush around. There were a few rhodies in my pasture when I first came here and we took those out, but they were a bugger to get to stop sprouting out of the stumps. Eventually I just took an axe to the stump, chopped it all up and that seemed to have done the trick. So if you decide to cut them down be sure to keep an eye on the stumps for sprouts.
> 
> I hope your sweet little guy feels better soon!


Thanks for the advice! I have charcoal pills on hand just in case. That is what I gave him. It seems to have worked. He is about back to normal now. Still a little tired, but is now eating and drinking well. Acting like his old self again, so I think we are past the worst of it. He is here with me in the shed, looking out the window right now. He wants to be in here with me instead of outside today. A comfort thing I think.


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