# Goats hold grudges?



## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

Do they? Hold grudges that is? Yesterday my husband and nephew banded my mini-Fainter and now he won't go NEAR them (he actually ran away from my husband) and he'll BARELY let me near him (I had nothing to do with the banding, mind you). Right now they're getting one bottle a day (we're weaning) at night (until I use up the milk replacer) and when my nephew was trying to help me feed last night the mini-Fainter just stood in a corner of the goat house and looked at me like "Make him go away".

This morning the mini-Fainter wouldn't even come out of the goat house with my nephew around, had to send the nephew back into the main house before he'd come out. I'm now worried that when it comes time to band my little Nigerian that I'll have to help with it and he'll hate me...and that idea breaks my heart because he's my baby. So I guess what I want to know is is this normal goat behavior and how long will the mini-fainter dislike my husband and nephew?


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Yes they do. Typically a week. But a lot of what you are seeing is a goat in pain. In a day or two he will most likely be back to more or less normal.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 21, 2016)

Try some treats! Mine love raisins and I give a few any time someone has had a shot, or any painful procedure. I do it every time I go out to see them for a week or so after the trauma and they remember the treats way more than the painful experience.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Oh gosh do they ever! One of my bottle babies is still ticked off at me 6 months after I had to cut her scur off but at least we are past the butting and biting part


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh yeah they do.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Yep, they remember all the bad things, but sure can't remember to behave! I agree with TDG about the pain, too.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

I have fortunately not had this issue when disbudding/banding my kids - and I think it's because I spend a lot of time making friends with them before I do anything that they see as 'mean'. Even with older kids that I have to re-burn, they don't seem to harbor any resentment - some of them even seem to think, "Thank you for saving me from that horrible scary disbudding box!" and like me more...  

I have purchased young goats and even adult goats that are not particularly well socialized and they will we wary of me after I give them a shot, etc. I think the key is to give them - a goat of any age - far more happy experiences with people than bad, so when the time comes that you have to do that 'bad' thing to them, they forget quickly as they remember all the good things (mostly petting and treats) that you've done for them.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I have never had a kid mad at me over disbudding. Maybe their attention span isn't that good at that age, I don't know. The one I mentioned about was disbudded, no hard feelings. She was my first bottle baby and let me tell you she was loved and she still is ticked off at me. I think it depends on the goat myself. I give shots to everyone, they get vaccines and some need antibiotics and so far I have only had 1 get mad at me over the shots and it went from being sweet to don't touch me to down right mean when she thought I was going to give her a shot. My kids also help me with the goats, when trying to move a stubborn one I even pull them and sometimes one of the kids will pull their tail or swat them on the butt. No one has ever been upset about that but one time my niece came over, totally clueless at the age of 2 and threw dirt at one of the goats who WAS my sons goat. It didn't get in her eyes but she was very offended over it and from then on she would go after kids even though for a whole year my two kids did nothing but love on her. I think some just take some things badly and really take it to heart and others are just more laid back.


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## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

ShireRidgeFarm said:


> I have fortunately not had this issue when disbudding/banding my kids - and I think it's because I spend a lot of time making friends with them before I do anything that they see as 'mean'. Even with older kids that I have to re-burn, they don't seem to harbor any resentment - some of them even seem to think, "Thank you for saving me from that horrible scary disbudding box!" and like me more...
> 
> I have purchased young goats and even adult goats that are not particularly well socialized and they will we wary of me after I give them a shot, etc. I think the key is to give them - a goat of any age - far more happy experiences with people than bad, so when the time comes that you have to do that 'bad' thing to them, they forget quickly as they remember all the good things (mostly petting and treats) that you've done for them.


I've spoiled the heck out of this goat but he still isn't liking me, and just to get him moving I had to chase him out of the goat house. I had nothing to do with the banding so I'm HOPING he's just cranky because of the pain and that he gets over it, at least with me, sooner rather than later. I already explained to my husband that I can't help band the Nigerian because I can't have the goats mad at me since I'm the primary care taker.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Anytime I mess with my girls they act mad at me for a few days. Lol. Hoof trimming day, bolus day, anything that requires that they be caught for anything other than scratches and treats! But they always get over it.

I actually gave my doeling a shot today, but I did it while DH gave her a bottle and she didn't even flinch. She isn't holding any grudges either!


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

PurpleToad said:


> I've spoiled the heck out of this goat but he still isn't liking me, and just to get him moving I had to chase him out of the goat house. I had nothing to do with the banding so I'm HOPING he's just cranky because of the pain and that he gets over it, at least with me, sooner rather than later. I already explained to my husband that I can't help band the Nigerian because I can't have the goats mad at me since I'm the primary care taker.


Aw!  Maybe he is just grouchy because of the pain. 
Do you think luring him out with food would work instead of chasing? It seems for me, anyway, that if I chase a goat trying to get them to do something it creates this cycle of me chasing and them running and it can make them afraid. If I see that a goat is starting to run in fear of me I'll adjust what I'm doing and sit down near them until they get curious and come over on their own,or bring out some food and feed them, to make them forget that they were getting scared of me, and then move on with what I need to do with them.


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## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

ShireRidgeFarm said:


> Aw!  Maybe he is just grouchy because of the pain.
> Do you think luring him out with food would work instead of chasing? It seems for me, anyway, that if I chase a goat trying to get them to do something it creates this cycle of me chasing and them running and it can make them afraid. If I see that a goat is starting to run in fear of me I'll adjust what I'm doing and sit down near them until they get curious and come over on their own,or bring out some food and feed them, to make them forget that they were getting scared of me, and then move on with what I need to do with them.


It wasn't really chasing it was more, "okay I'm going to walk behind you calmly now and steer you the direction I want you to go, which is out of the goat house..." he wasn't upset with me for making him go outside, I think he just didn't want to move because he hurt and outside is where the "bad thing" happened. He's GOT to get over it though since he needs to graze and if he doesn't leave the goat house my Nigerian won't leave the goat house then NEITHER of them are grazing. Once he was shoo'd out and got out a bit he seemed to do better. He even ended up walking around up to the front of the house with the Nigerian this afternoon. He's not really interested in treats (goat treats that are licorice flavored OR raisins) but he was letting me pet him and scratch his cheeks, neck and chin so he probably isn't TOO mad at me.

He even got close enough that my husband could touch him this afternoon so we're making progress again. Still. I can't help with the Nigerian unless someone else is willing to take over the feedings and scratchings.


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## keckka (Jan 17, 2015)

took my nigerian about 2 weeks before he would come near any of us... we disbudded and banded him the same day ...


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## PurpleToad (Feb 14, 2016)

keckka said:


> took my nigerian about 2 weeks before he would come near any of us... we disbudded and banded him the same day ...


My mini-fainter is much improved and on Tuesday I think it was he was back to trying to mount his brother so I think we're over the worst of it. Now we just need to do my Nigerian. He might hold a grudge a bit longer


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