# Stubborn Goat



## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

So I got a goat and she is NOT pregnant I am milking her and I can not get her on the stand she is to big to pick up and even with 3 people a halter and feed no luck. So I am milking her and I have to sit on the ground she then kicks me and the milk bucket. She requires 2 people just to hold her to milk and she keeps "kicking" or pawing my aunt. She is a good 130lbs and will bit. I have only had her about 4 months but the other goats have come around and are letting us do what ever. She will let us pet her she fallows us around and when it comes to milk time she is the biggest pain to deal with some one help. Also if anyone smokes around her she will almost climb in you lap to smell the smoke ?????????? So I can not have company over that smokes she will flip them in the chairs trying to get the cigs and only wants them when lite will not touch a pack or lone cig that has not been lite. Any suggestions of her I need help or will have to get rid of her:tear:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Put a butt rope on her and NEVER again let her get away with not getting on the stand. If it takes an hour, it takes an hour. She must understand that she IS going to get up there. 

Give your smoking friends a spray bottle or water gun and have them spray her right in face when she gets too close to them.


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## fernlily (May 19, 2016)

I know i am young but i have a way with animals. I found out right away that goats like routine. I agree she must not win over you. She must get on stand. I have a ramp that can be placed on my stand. The benefit of the ramp is for training them to get up. Once there treat her wirh a handful of goat treat. When secure stroke her give goodies. Touch the teat and give goodies. Not just grain. But make herbstand time about getting rewarded with something she can only get there. A finger flick to the nose if she bites. 
You cannot let a single moment go where she is the Victor


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

This goat would be culled if she was in my herd...


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

This goat sounds like she needs to learn who's boss - you!  

I would tie up her feet when you milk her so she can't kick. Eventually she should get used to it and stop kicking all together.


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## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

See Also when I milk she will sit down on the bucket and even shift all her weight so that she is leaning on me and if I move she falls over.


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## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

Also she has taken my aunt who was holding on the her halter and threw her over me when I was milking her and knocks her down and we can even push her back to make her move a couple steps


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

She sounds like a hand full!

Do you have a milking stand? They make milking a goat much easier! If you don't want to buy or make a milking stand, I would try putting a halter on her and tying her to a fence post or a tree. If she's sitting on the bucket, I would tie a rope under her belly in front of her back legs and suspend that on something overhead so she can't sit. It will probably be a lot of work in the beginning, but once she learns kicking and squirming doesn't get her anything, she should become more cooperative.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Goats love tobacco, no surprise she wants the cigarettes. Put her away in her barn or pen when you have guests over.


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## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

Thank you for the good advice I'm going to see how it fares the next week


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Pick up her front end and get it onto the stand, and then the back end. Have one person push from the back and one person guide her head into the stand and the lock it. 

On squatting and pushing against you... once you get her locked in the stand, squat next to the stand and milk from there, let her squat and lean all she likes. You'll lose milk for a few days, but she'll learn.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

When I have a doe who squats, I take a stick that is the exact length from her belly to the milk stand floor. I wedge the stick between her belly and the milk stand and leave it there while I milk. If she starts to squat, the stick jabs her. Most learn very quickly not to squat. If they lean against me, I let them and then suddenly move. They fall. They soon learn to stop doing it, especially after they fall off the milk stand.

For kicking, I tie the feet to the milk stand legs using baling twine as hobbles. She can lift her legs a bit but can't kick the bucket or put her feet in it.

If she bites while I milk, I tie her head up very tightly so she can't turn her head enough to reach me. If she bites any other time I smack her really hard and yell "NO".

If she continues to act out, I throw her down by grabbing her rear legs and pulling them towards me. She goes down on the milk stand and I hold her there until she stops fighting. I let her up and milk. If she acts out again, down she goes...again.


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## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

I just dont want her to get injured when i move and she falls. Last night was a night mare going to give in another try this morning. even with a rope around her tummy and her head tied in a halter and my husband holding her back tindends she still sat and kick but with her front legs  but she is got so bad i have to go inside and dump the milk in to a jug after the other goats before i touch her because i lose about half of what is in the bucket every night so i lose about a half gallon a day to her. And we just got two new does wednesday and so she is acting out extra bad now. Is there any magic powder i can get and just sprinkle it on her and problem solved? onder:


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## LucyLoo (May 21, 2015)

I bought a nubian doe... She was not a FF and I milked her before buying..... That said...... It was WWIII getting her to the stanchion, and I do not mean 'kinda' ..... Now, she outweighed me by about 40 pounds... And I was raised with NEVER letting them win.... I didn't, and once at the stand she milked pretty well ( and had great milk) BUT.......... It took me at LEAST 30 minutes of 'digging in my heels', wrapping the lead around a post, and letting her do her impression of a kite at times to get her to the stand..(a whole 100' max).. Two weeks in, the blood vessels in my hand busted.... I sold her to a goat dairy.... (she did NOT want to be touched outside of milking)

Her milk too good for 'me' to ruin her and thankfully I found a good fit for her (nice guys) 

I wish you the best, and feel your pain.....


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I forgot another thing I used to do.. when we had first started milking, we put cotton balls with lavender eo around the barn. Calmed everyone down


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## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

*Update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

UPDATE!!!!!!! 
Thank Yall I was able to put her on the stand and milk her with no kicks last night we are still a work in progress but things are moving in the right way.. Still can not get her to jump up there herself but we can milk with out kicks for the most part now. I think she will work out :leap:


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

That's awesome! Great job


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## TheNewGoat (Jul 6, 2016)

I dont like my goat any more I dont want her anymore I have tried everything and she did not kick all night tonight until I was done then when i moved the bucket away from her she kicked it over and there went the 1/2 gallon of milk all over the milk stand. I sell this milk 10 a gallon and there went 5 dollars what is wrong with this goat. What am i doing wrong


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

We have had stubborn goats...we do the rope around the rump Idea goathiker shared..we lift her front legs on the table while putting pressure on the rope..they jump right up as for kicking and dumping milk and laying down..we put a bucket upside down under the chest area so she cant lay down...we keep a large bucket handy and milk into a small bucket, dumping the milk in the other bucket often..so if she did kick, we dont loose the whole batch..if you have the help..you can have one person hold up her left front leg, and another hold up the back right leg while you milk her out...we often can do just once back leg but some times you need that front leg up. play soft music and start by singing to her and brushing her out...to train to jump on the table herself...bring her up a few times a day just to brush her and talk to her..a little grain, then let her go...
..hang in there!!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

It's hard to want to be nice to a goat that you don't like! The more she acts up, the madder you get and then she acts up more. If you are truly at your wits end, maybe selling her would be better for you and her. 

There are some goats that you just won't like, just like you don't care to be around certain people. Someone else may love this goat. There are other does out there that you will have a better time with. Anyone that has ever had a number of goats will have run across that "one" that just needs to be out of that person's life!


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## camooweal (Jun 27, 2015)

I'll stick my neck out here! What thoughts/pictures do you have in your mind while handling this goat? Images of her refusing to get on the stand, of her kicking and striking etc? Misbehaving in general? Animals are good mind-readers and if you have an image in your mind of her refusing to get on the stand she may well be 'seeing' that so behaving accordingly. Instead, get an image in your mind of her stepping up on the stand, then of her standing quietly when there and then of not kicking while being miked.

I have an interest in animal communication and we had a young Jersey (first lactation) about five years ago who would kick and kick, leg-roped, bailed-up etc. I said to my husband that he should get an image in his mind of this cow NOT kicking but standing while being milked. He had a laugh at the idea but tried it anyway and said that she had kicked a whole lot less!

We have a yearling Nubian, Dusty, who doesn't like close contact but last summer while topping up their water trough, she came and obviously wanted a drink there and then but I was there at the water too. One of us had a problem!!! While looking at her I got a picture in my mind of her walking up and getting a drink while I stood there. I talked quietly to her at the same time and I don't know who was most surprised ... me that she came for a drink or her that she'd come close enough to get a drink! About three weeks ago I noticed her looking at me from about five feet away so I got a picture in my mind of her coming to me to sniff my hand and after a couple of minutes, young Dusty did just that! 

camooweal


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Just like human kids, this goat needs consequences every single time she misbehaves. I like spray bottles because I think it's more effective than hitting them & doesn't feed my angry feelings the way hitting would. Just holding the spray bottle now creates the "instant halo" effect on my buck! I rarely need to actually spray him anymore. He just has to see the bottle. Goats are smart & they really really hate water. If she doesn't hate water enough you can use half vinegar. Keep spray bottles handy at all times so that you can correct her immediately so she knows what she did wrong. & always say NO sharply & firmly when spraying her. Really special treats in the milk stand are very important. Try using a deeper bowl or bucket to hold them so that she can only get her head in there if her whole body is up on the stand. Ours would try to cheat & get them without getting on the stand all the way.

Good luck--& if things stay bad then I agree with the others-replace her.


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