# HELP!! My goats are LOUD!!



## Cheerful

I've already posted about my noisy goats.... I got them a month ago when they were 3 months. Two pygmy/angora mix doelings, sisters. At first they were loud and I thought they missed their home/mother, though mainly the noise was when we were around. It got slightly better, in that they stopped the SCREAMING, though they still were quite noisy when they saw us, it was getting so that they would stop after a little big when we left them. They were not bottle fed, by the way, so it isn't that. They have a lovely big space with lots of varied things to eat, shade and sun, clean water, rock piles....everything I could think of. Now they are getting suddenly worse and yelling at us all the time. If I am with them they are quite content but obviously, I can't do that all the time. I've also been trying not to go to them when they are being noisy, so as not to cement that behaviour.
Any reason why it would be getting worse? Any advice/help! My husband was already really bothered by the noise, and this turn for the worse is not helping. I'm also confused as to what they could want. On occasion we have wondered if two is not a herd enough for them and that maybe with a third...but that's a VERY risky road to go down if we could just be adding to our problem.
One is the main problem - she will yell a lot, and then her sister will join in. 
I feel very discouraged about this. I thought our breed was meant to be a quiet one.  My husband has ordered no-bark dog collars for them. Not something I'm happy about but when you are desperate to find a solution...
Please help! Let me know if there is any more info I should be sharing let me know.


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## J.O.Y. Farm

I really don't think the no bark collars are a good idea....


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## sweetgoats

Were they just taken from mo and gone to your place? If that is the case they are missing their mom. It will stop. It is going to take time for them to adjust to their now home. When I am weining my babies, it is loud at my place and I am sure the neighbors hate me, but it does not last forever. All teh goats ajust at different rates. 
Mine is harder ecasue the mom's will yell then the babies do, when thay are taken away like totally away they tend to get over it sooner. 

NO do not use a shock collar. They just miss their mommy


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## J.O.Y. Farm

Sweetgoats has a good point! Mine have been away from mom for over a month and still yell, as the do the same as Lori's, yell back and forth. Sorry just thought of that when I read her post.


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## meluvgoats

Do they yell even when separated at birth immediatley? Sorry just thought of that.

I wouldnt recommend a no bark dog collar


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## J.O.Y. Farm

They do when feeding time comes, or when weaning.... just you are their ''mom' not their goat momma...


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## mrs. lam

I feel you. My nubbie, Ben is VERY loud. He screams bloody murder when he sees or hears me. :sigh: He was a bottle baby and would even get in the shower with me. He's about 3 years old now and we are planning on having him wethered as soon as we move out to the barn. 
My other goaties aren't as bad. My sheep Moose will holler if someone takes his food away from him. He will go to my bathroom window and tell on them til I go out and run them off. I am then expected to stand guard over him. :doh: Baa Baa (sheep) will call to me when he thinks it's feeding time. Otherwise he's very good. Better than the goats.
I find if I feed them free choice hay, they are much calmer. Ben will still yell with his mouth full, but it isn't as loud. hahaha It has a muffler effect.
I try to put something new in the pen when I can to keep them occupied. Wooden spools, milk jugs, large balls a swimming pool with goldfish in it. They stood and watched the fish for the longest. It was so funny.
Maybe they are board. Even re-arranging their play yard may help.

Good luck,
Gina


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## J.O.Y. Farm

I find bottle babies are louder then dam raised....


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## Cheerful

They have been here with us for a month, and there was some improvement, but things are bad again....that is my worry. You know, I can handle it if I think they are getting better but having them get worse again does not give me confidence! I would think they miss their mother....though it has been a pretty long time, and as I say, they aren't loud ALL the time, just when they see us, and when we leave. (which doesn't sound like a lot, but if you are in and out a lot it amounts to a lot of noise.) Does anybody have suggestions for something we could do?? (willing to put in time or work!) I will try to make their pen more interesting, though it is big and full of stuff and I doubt they've even explored the whole thing. 
I was going to work with them to train them to walk on a leash, but I'm nervous of doing that since I worry that if I spend lots and lots of time with them they will just think even more that I am supposed to be with the herd, and when I'm not there they get upset.


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## Cheerful

Also.....random idea....anybody have success with a friendly cat helping their goats? Grasping at straws here.... (or chickens?? ....we just got ten chicks)


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## Mandara Farm

My Apple Kuchen was a sceamin' Mimi when I first brought her home. Good grief! She's a tiny Nigerian, but that VOICE! It was like she had a freakin' megaphone in her throat! The second she saw me, it would start and be relentless. My goats are all grass-fed, so when I gave her some grain, she shut up and was content. I think she was used to that and I took her off too soon/too fast. Anyway, after I started to give her some grain every day, she calmed right down and doesn't scream now, even though she is now grass-fed like the others.


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## Skyz84

Some goats are just vocal by nature. A hungry goat is a VERY noisy goat. Make sure they have plenty of fresh, free choice hay. A good quality hay will really help keep them content. Mine really like Sudan.

Babies are the worst. They are missing there "herd" or previous family. Maybe looking for a lost "herd mate." Some settle in faster then others. I found once they reach around a year old they seem to mellow out a bit. 

Goats love a routine so try to keep things constant. If you keep switching things up they will be confused. 

They also like attention and they are impatient. Mine get loud around milking time. They know food is coming and they want it NOW! 

I think the no bark collars are a VERY bad idea. Goats need to make sounds to communicate with each other. It's there natural instinct. I haven't met a "quiet" goat, especially around feeding time. I'm sure they exist but not mine. If mine are penned up they scream every time they seem me. They just want out. Or attention. Or food. My goats like to follow me around like a dog. Now that they free range on 6 acres they are quieter but they still come running whenever they see me. 

I'm sure if you give them time to settle into a nice routine things will get better but it could take a few months for them to settle down. Plus goats just like to make noise. If I have to pen mine up I just ignore them if they make noise. Eventually they get the hint.


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## bheila

Mine are vocal when they want food, attention or they're bored. Maybe they need something more to do to keep their minds occupied.


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## Cheerful

Any ideas of something to occupy them? They have things to jump on....do they like some kind of toy?
I don't think it's a food issue - they have LOTS of food out there, and instead of eating will just yell at us. I'm pretty sure they think we are part of the herd and have strayed and are upset by this. 
Thanks for the suggestion about routine - I've been trying that. Regular feeding and visiting time, attention when they are not loud.... I really like to hope that it will just take more time but when I initial posted about this everybody said "they'll quiet down in a week" and the fact that it actually got worse again does not make me confident. But maybe more time, and maybe when they mature a little. I don't like that they seem so distressed...must be stressful for them. But I don't want to spend lots and lots of time with them because though that will make them happy, it won't help the problem. 
Thanks for your thoughts.


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## sweetgoats

Ok. you said there is pleant out ther to eat. Are you talking about in the pasture or do you have Hay out there for them also?

No matter what people say goats do NOT eat everything, they are really pretty picky and if they do not like the pasture you have them on they are going to want something else.

Are they eatings, drinking and gaining weight? 

I think it is something you are going to have to get use to. It does get better.


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## Cheerful

No, they don't have hay outside. I could try that. They seem to enjoy what there is to eat out there, and when we are inside they munch happily away, so I'm not sure that is the problem. To be honest, they don't drink a lot, though we give them fresh water often, good well water that we are drinking, and make sure the buckets and containers are clear. But could they be unhappy with that in some way?


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## J.O.Y. Farm

How big of a bucket do you have? When we first got our 2 goats we had a 9qt bucket.... it didn't seem like they drank alot to me either.... My babies don't drink large amounts....


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## diklxik

I have a momma goat and her now 2yr old baby that's a pigmy , momma is full size with big Greek looking ears I don't know breeds.

But I've had em now 6 months and with plenty of space to free roam and weeds they hardly made a sound.

And actually could have escaped plenty of times open gate out back increased food range to freedom, but never go far.
And if I caught them a little past the agreed on area they ran back in like busted!

Now this week its getting more thin with weeds to eat but even sometimes when I give em alfalfa they still end up being lazy and don't eat everything

And now going into my first week of the momma getting nothing and loud, her passageway sounds broken and intentionally directed at me.

I hit her with the hose water a couple times they can't stand getting wet!

And it seem to work, IT NO DOUBT WORKED!
But its colder now and I know they can get sick, but she's real close to being on the menu but can't really do that so the bark collar I'm getting!

I don't want to hear my neighbors dogs and feel firm about my own animals noise especially after hours .

Whatever I do I won't do them both at the same time, water and electric shock collar, but may be tempting?

If only the momma granny was as sweet as the baby nanny everything would be excellent?

somethings going to change and just as it seems intentional that momma granny best figure out my intentions or its getting cooked like a pig in a pit Hawaii an style!


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## ThreeHavens

Free-choice hay may help give them something to do. I had some kids who were loud for a long time after weaning. They were insecure and wanted an adult there to protect them. They did grow out of it. What helped in the meantime, was giving them lots of new toys to distract them, and rotating toys. Try not to go out while they are screaming.


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## AvyNatFarm

I agree that free choice hay seems to keep them occupied. I got my goats an old used kids play set where they could get up high and slide down. They love to play on it and I think they feel safe and hidden on it. You may could ask around for old play sets people don't want anymore. But I did have a doe one time that screamed all the time and I finally had to sell her to someone with a bigger herd and a pasture without neighbors. Good luck! They can be obnoxious!


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## caromann

There's no shame in using a shock collar on a goat; it isn't the torture it sounds like. I tried everything else and would have had to get rid of my precious goat whom I dearly love - WITHIN AN HOUR she learned to use her voice properly. We gave her several days to get used to it so she wouldn't revert and haven't had a problem since. Hardly any suffering and win win! I get to keep my sweetie without cruelty to neighbors.


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