# Skittish semi-tame goats..



## BlueEyedFainters (Aug 18, 2012)

My 2 goat kids, now about 8mo old, are still skittish but will eat out of your hand and follow you around at will. Sudden movements and petting are not accepted.

I've done the whole sitting with them quietly, working on their pen while they're still in it and letting their curiosity take over.. but they're still not kosher on the petting or comfortable being within a couple feet of people.

If I were to add a hand-raised tame goatling to the mix, who was used to people and being handled, would this maybe help the 2 wild ones 'come around' seeing that it's 'ok' and the other goat is not scared?

I love my goaties to death.. just wish they were a bit more handleable. This mornings hoof and horn trimming session was a loud one at best.


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

It just might help to have a "tamer" goat in the mix. That helped one of my does, who is now super duper sweet and asks for attention.


----------



## KarmakeeFarm (Jun 3, 2012)

I have never met any fainter that are totally tame-maybe someone else with fainters could answer better


----------



## BlueEyedFainters (Aug 18, 2012)

these two are only half fainters. the two adults that I had were full fainters and allowed pets and affection.
these guys are the kids of the adult doe that I had, who was bred to I have no idea but those who have seen them/pictures say probably a nigerian. their little back legs do lock up when they run quickly but they don't full faint.

they'll happily waddle over to you if you have food.. but will feverishly run away if you move too fast and spook them.


----------



## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

We have had and do have one or two that end up like this. They just are going to be skitterish and it can be frustrating when you know they are not afraid of you but have this wildness in them. Goats are so strange at times tho because we had one like that.. and then one day.. we hauled her in the trailer,, took her to the vet for a (vet intro meeting and a physical for this goat)....After that.. something switched in her brain.. she was our most loveable goat.. she loved us and followed us all over just to get us to pet her head. It was weird tho because is was right after that vet trip that something changed in her heart toward us..so who knows ... sometimes they snap out of it.


----------



## BlueEyedFainters (Aug 18, 2012)

thanks for the replies everyone.. glad I'm not the only one with skittish twits!
I think I'm gonna go ahead and add a tame goat to my terrible two-some. If it fails, oh well, they're all still manageable just with a little screaming.  But, atleast I'm trying something different. 

As I told my husband...what's one more? LOL


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

What's one more goat? Oh, that is a baaaad question to ask! Pretty soon, (when you have 8 or 10 or 30 goats) you'll look back and laugh (or cry) at that comment! I, too asked that same question yrs. ago and am fighting to only keep the number at 20 through the winter! I love goats, but have to keep reminding myself that too much of a good thing could be bad, or not!


----------



## PearcePastures (Oct 6, 2012)

Another ultra friendly goat may be the ticket. We had some not entirely tame goats before and they were much like yours-eat out of my hand, but no petting or affection at all. We did get them to be a bit more personable by putting them into a smaller enclosure and spending lots of time just sitting with them and letting them get used to being close to us. We also, not that this is the best way, touched them and brushed them a lot in the pen, to get them over it and let them realize that us touching them was nice and we were not going to hurt them. That said, they were never as lovey as our current goats.

We just added a dam raised wether to our doe herd and for the first three weeks, he was quarantined in a pen and we spent a lot of time just sitting in the pen with him to let him get familiar with us. A few days after being out of the pen now, and seeing how friendly the other goats are with us, he is coming over for scratches just like the rest. There is definitely something to having a behavior model for those shy guys.


----------



## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I have a mixed bag. My boer buck thinks he's a dog, the two girls only slightly skittish, big momma is a whole different story. I've had her since June, I had to catch/almost rope to transport her, she's is still really squirrely no matter what we do. My little guys the two does are very sweet, the buckling and doeling (siblings) were parent raised with lots of interference from me . DiNozzo is very sweet and little Bella is still really shy. For her having the tame does doesn't help because she's still so little they will push her away for any attention. The other little buckling and his wether brother, dam raised, the wether is as sweet as can be, Domino is totally skittish. Until you catch him, then he'll go to sleep in your arms.


----------

