# Young boer buck being aggressive



## LuckyJFarm (Feb 27, 2013)

I have recently gotten into goats. My young boer buck has gotten really aggressive lately. He's just now turning a year old. How can I curb this behavior before he gets any bigger.


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

Can you give us a little more information about him? Is he alone in a pen? How is he being aggressive? Like, head butting pushing, biting etc.? I think that there is a difference between a spoiled buck who is used to being loved on and a frustrated buck who is alone in a pen. How you deal with them is similar but it would help to know more about him.  I'm glad you are here and I'm sure we can give you some ideas.


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## LuckyJFarm (Feb 27, 2013)

He is with my doe at the moment. He has started charging me and pushing me around. At first he was just rearing in the air challenging me. I have always stood my ground with him and we never played with him in a rough manner. He has been pretty friendly up until a couple of weeks ago when he started to get a little more pushy. Its only escalated from there.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hormones are kicking in. He is protecting his girl.

If you could separate them and give them buddies, that would be ideal.

You can use a water gun and squirt him.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

All I have to say about it with out getting into too much detail is, "Stand your ground and win, no matter what it takes." Grabbing ahold of him and taking him to the ground or pinning him to the fence and holding him there for a while can show him who is in charge. Honestly, I don't walk in a pen or feild with a buck more than 7 or 8 months old with out carrying some sort of protection with me. I am not strong enough to take down even 150 lb buck, certainly not a 250 or 300 lb buck. Don't let them win. Chase him down and you win before you walk away. He will think twice the next time. And there may be a next time. Don't turn your back on your bucks. Don't let your children play around them. They can be all sweet one minute and raging piles of testosterone the next minute. That is what they are for after all. 
Good luck and stay safe.


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## LuckyJFarm (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks for all the info. I have put him on the ground several times. Just gonna have to take more precautions around him. I now have better insight into what it's gonna take. I'm excited to have a really good resource for all the questions I'm sure I'm gonna have. 

Thanks for all your time. 
Lucky J Farm


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Pull his ear in an upward position, until he screams, tell him quite or what ever command word you want to. Do this anytime he gets out of hand or attempts to challenge you. 
After you let him go, from pulling his ear and he yells out, start after him, holding your hand out as if to grab his ear and say quit or what ever you want to say.. He will start to run from you.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

If all else fails try a cattle prod that has a good zap. I know someone who uses them and their goats know when that cattle prod comes out, they better show some respect. I was told they only had to use it 1x but just the sight of it got their attention.

We had a buck that tried that once with me, rearing and acted like he was going to horn me.
I grabbed a huge tree limb and smacked him over the head a good one and yelled 'BACK OFF' stomped my feet at him, and raised the limb in a demanding way <lol> needless to say that ended that behavior. He wasn't always mean though, it was hormones. And I didn't do it to be mean, but it was either he was going to hurt me, or I was going to put him in his place and us both walk away. If a buck ever physically harmed me by aggression....he'll end up on someone's dinner plate lol
Again, he was a good boy, and most days he was my shadow and just wanted attention.
I started carrying a big stick with me when we'd turn the goats out to graze and that's when he sometimes got testy. He'd see the stick, or I'd stomp my foot and tell him 'back off' and he learned pretty quickly that he needed to chill and go another direction.
I miss that boy, wish we had a bigger place he'd never have been sold.

Definitely put your foot down, but don't get in a position that he can hurt you. Raising your voice, showing you are ANGRY <not afraid, or slighty upset> VERY ANGRY when they act like that, sometimes just the change in your voice and the loudness will make them take a step back lol


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