# Anyone Have Tips on Keeping a Kid Indoors?



## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

Long time no see Goat Spot! :wave:

I have an 8 week old bottle baby who I'm having to keep inside at the moment. The squares in my fencing are large enough for him to crawl through and my other two goats still aren't very fond of him. What would be the best kind of bedding to use while keeping him inside? When he was smaller I kept him in a large dog exercise pen with puppy pads lining the bottom. That worked great but not he knows how to jump out of that pen and all he does is try to eat the puppy pads so I don't use those anymore.
The last few days I've been keeping him in a medium sized dog crate with hay lining the bottom, but this is making a huge mess in the house and when I take him out in the morning he is always covered in pee as the hay doesn't absorb it well. Another concern I had with the hay was him bloating from constantly eating it, is that something I should be worried about? It seems like he is always chewing it when he is in the crate. 

I feel bad leaving him locked up all the time, but it's just not safe to put him with my other goats yet. 

Any ideas? :whatgoat:


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## Axykatt (Feb 1, 2013)

I would love to help, but all my experience is with keeping goats in the house permanently. Maybe straw over wood chips? Would be more absorbent at least.


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

Axykatt said:


> I would love to help, but all my experience is with keeping goats in the house permanently. Maybe straw over wood chips? Would be more absorbent at least.


I've thought about that, but I was concerned about him eating the wood chips. What do you keep your goats on since they are in the house?


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## Axykatt (Feb 1, 2013)

They pee on puppy pads or towels, but they have free run of a large tiled room so they don't feel tempted to chew the pads. When I'm awake and not busy they have run of most of the public part of the house.


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

The puppy pads were working great for me for awhile and I had him basically potty trained to pee on them. He used to not mess with them, but now even when he is a large area with just one out on the floor he goes to it immediately and rips it up,

He's got my stumped on what to do! :shrug:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I keep mine on his mountain. If they are locked in a small space all the time they will get Pneumonia. Night times he is put in a very large dog crate with puppy pads and then an entire roll of paper towels over them. He has enough room to pee on one side and lay on the other. He's been in the house for a couple weeks now though and is getting pretty well housebroken.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You could try a low sided storage box with wood pellets.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

I would be introducing him to the herd. As long as he has enough space he will learn to get out of the way. 

Last year i got.my buck kid at three weeks and at four weeks he was out in the paddock with the adult does learning to be a goat. 

Imo keeping him confined, here he is also getting wet and dirty and eating contaminated hay os a recipe for disaster. He needs to be out with plenty of space to run and play, clean food to eat and needs tp learn herd skills from the other goats.


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## serenityfarmnm (Jan 6, 2013)

Our BB is about 5 weeks (nubian) & he started in a large tote with straw in the bottom. Once he started jumpin out he just started sleeping on couch. We let him outside most of the day & he has literally house trained himself.... He mouths things but won't even eat grain...


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

My main reason I'm worried about putting him outside is because of my neighbors horrid dogs. He is a Pygmy kid so he's very tiny and can still fit through my fence. If he were to get on the neighbors side those dogs would rip him to shreds before he would be able to get back through. 

He's doing well with my other two goats and spends lots of time around them during the day when I'm outside. I'm sure he would be fine with them if it wasn't for those dang dogs. They nearly killed one of my dogs just a few weeks ago.

I am worried about him getting sick though. I think I'm going to move him into a large dog crate inside, still with hay in it but enough room so he doesn't have to be in his waste. 

I just wish he never would have learned to jump out of his old pen in the first place! Lol


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## Tayet (Feb 9, 2012)

have you talked to the dogs owner about containing them better? If you have and they are still coming by your goats, I would be sitting there waiting for them with a gun... JMO.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

run some chicken mesh along the bottom of the fence so he cant slip out?


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

can you get hin a small little area (kinda like a creep feed type thing) that if he gets bullied he can run in to?


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## Tayet (Feb 9, 2012)

Tayet said:


> have you talked to the dogs owner about containing them better? If you have and they are still coming by your goats, I would be sitting there waiting for them with a gun... JMO.


Just went back and read that post again.. maybe I should have read it better the first time  Can the dogs get on your property? If not, I agree with the chicken wire. Just make sure it's all the way to the ground, maybe even bury it a few inches.


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

The dogs don't come on to my property, they stay on their side of the fence so their owner isn't doing anything wrong. They are just extremely aggressive when an animal gets near the fence, my other goats just avoid going near them but the baby wouldn't know any better.

When my 60lb dog got near the fence they grabbed his collar somehow and got his head through one of the squares in the fencing, they started attacking him and he nearly choked to death because of the fence. 

I really hate them but there isn't much I can do about them, I've started tossing the occasional rock at them when they growl and bark if the neighbor isn't home. They seem to be starting to learn to stay away. 

The chicken wire is a good idea, but the fence that borders is pretty long so it would take a good amount of money so I wouldn't be able to do that just yet. 

I think within 2 weeks he won't be able to fit anymore and will move outside permanently.


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## RU_anthrogirl (Mar 25, 2018)

goathiker said:


> I keep mine on his mountain. If they are locked in a small space all the time they will get Pneumonia. Night times he is put in a very large dog crate with puppy pads and then an entire roll of paper towels over them. He has enough room to pee on one side and lay on the other. He's been in the house for a couple weeks now though and is getting pretty well housebroken.


Is that a Luvs diaper on him?


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## Maureen Harmon (Jul 19, 2017)

Our house goats sleep in extra large kennels with towels. They go out during the day but the pygmy leader can get out of any type of fencing! When they come in in the evening they have free run. They use puppy pads. We also have about 3 shop vacs that are on high alert constantly. My books and my couch are pretty much non existent, but it’s worth it!


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## Altergoatmom (Mar 20, 2018)

HaleyD said:


> The dogs don't come on to my property, they stay on their side of the fence so their owner isn't doing anything wrong. They are just extremely aggressive when an animal gets near the fence,
> 
> I really hate them but there isn't much I can do about them, I've started tossing the occasional rock at them when they growl and bark if the neighbor isn't home. They seem to be starting to learn to stay


 Wow aren't you a nasty piece of work. Throwing rocks at animals that are on their own property. And getting mad because you failed to properly contain your animals. Pony up the money quick for extra fencing or get rid of your goats. While I wouldn't have dogs like your neighbor there is no reason to blame them for your failures. And of your neighbor catches you throwing rocks you could likely end up in legal trouble. Sheesh.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First and only warning. Keep it friendly, keep it fun. Any personal attacks and you will be banned for a week.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

@Altergoatmom The person you are so upset with hasn't been here for almost 4 years. They won't see your anger. Perhaps a caution to the rest of us about legal issues is appropriate, but tone and wording is important.


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## Treu Shutz (Feb 27, 2018)

I keep Chilli and Pepper inside in a dog gazebo which is really just a octagon excerise pen with a top. I put a tarp down then a bunch of straw on top and it works perfectly for my does I have a 8 quart bucket for water on 1 side a 8 quart bucket on the other side with alfalfa hay and a small mineral dish that attaches to the sides and it holds their loose minerals and grain feed. My LGD pup is in a X-Large wire crate with straw bedding right next to the goats' pen so they can see each other and touch each other without the puppy possibly hurting them while I'm not watching.


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## Altergoatmom (Mar 20, 2018)

ksalvagno said:


> First and only warning. Keep it friendly, keep it fun. Any personal attacks and you will be banned for a week.





mariarose said:


> @Altergoatmom The person you are so upset with hasn't been here for almost 4 years. They won't see your anger. Perhaps a caution to the rest of us about legal issues is appropriate, but tone and wording is important.


Sorry I did not see the post was old and that someone apparently bumped it from the dead. But really why did no one call them out on throwing rocks at the neighbor dogs years ago? I would rather be banned than be a member of a group that is okay with that sort of behavior from a member. Hopefully I never need advice again if this forum is so PC about no hurt feelings if an animal is being unfairly punished.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

@Altergoatmom I have allowed my temper too much leeway in the past. I have also, rightly, been cautioned. A few questions...

Can you see the value of saying, "You are throwing rocks at animals on their own land. Do you think that is right, and have you considered the legal ramifications?"

Will that reach more of us "PC" people, than calling any of us a "nasty piece of work" when we may only have been considering the importance of guarding our own flocks and herds?

I sincerely hope, for your herd's sake, you never need advice again. Perhaps you can teach us flawed people a thing or two, even.

But not by hurling insults at us first thing. Be observant, be polite. It is important.


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## Treu Shutz (Feb 27, 2018)

@Altergoatmom I've thrown rocks at the neighbors kids and poked my neighbors kids with sticks. When I was still in the city the kids thought it was fun to throw rocks at the big Rottweilers on the other side and if they seen one of my dogs was close to the fence they'd grab a stick and jab them which isn't wise anyone who's owned a rottie knows they can carry a grudge and first chance they can get their revenge they'll take it. I tried telling the kids to stop and their parents no one cared so I gave them a taste of their own medicine and they finally got I wasn't playing and felt what the dogs did. In the other person's case yes the neighbors dogs on their own property and she shouldn't have thrown rocks at them but insulting people won't help or change anything. She wasn't really clear on her fencing situation I imagine if her dog can stick it's head through to their side then the neighbors dogs can stick their heads through to her side


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I have to say, it is illegal to throw rocks at someone else's dogs on someone else's property, you just can't do that.

For one, the dogs are on their own property, that is not illegal. They can growl, bark(on occasion if in city limits), and can be at the fence line.

The neighbors dog can do almost whatever he or she wants to on their side of the fence except to grab something from the other side of his or her fence and pull it into their side and attack or go through that fence to yours and attack.

If, that dog enters your property and threatening your animals, you can do what you can to protect your own. Call the authorities if you have too.

Another thing is, if a rock injuries the dog, it will be on the one who cast the first stone and also it may make the dog meaner towards humans, which can be a really bad thing.

If someone has weak area's in a fence, it is that owners responsibility to mend it some how, it doesn't have to be pretty, just secure, so nothing bad happens.

@Altergoatmom I do agree, your tone was a bit out there.
We are a friendly place and that was not friendly.

Don't worry though, we have warned others, of this kind of behavior as well, that it will not be tolerated.
They did get the hint and are still with us. 

If you can refrain from this behavior, we would love for you to stick around.


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