Young Goat Headbutting my daughter

[aspenlucas]

Ok so we’ve had goats for years, and a small dairy goat herd for three years now. We’ve NEVER had a head butter. EVER. Tonight I was out in the barn with my daughter and I heard her yell behind me. She was holding her side and I figured out 2 year old nubian doe had jumped on her trying to see over the stall door (she always jumps up). But as I turned I watched said doe ram my daughter’s side! She was QUICKLY corrected. But then my daughter said “oh yes she was butting my friend the other week, over and over!”. Ok so daughter now knows A-don’t take friends into goat pen and B- report ANYTHING like this.

But I need tools for her to correct the young doe. We’ve never had a butter, so I haven’t a clue. Problem is this doe is lowest on the pecking order and likely seeking out the smallest child.

[Laurierace]

You must be the goat whisperer as I have never known one that didn’t head butt at least in play if not out of nastiness. Mine like to rear up like ballerinas and butt you on the way down. I just kept kids away from them as they are pygmies and don’t really pose a threat to an adult.

[aspenlucas]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;6151117]
You must be the goat whisperer [/QUOTE]

It’s funny you say that. My facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/117390531612735/ it’s called “The Goat Whisperer” and my motto has always been: “Sometimes you have to wrestle them before they can hear you whisper”.

Seriously our goats don’t head butt. Not even our bucks. We have Nubians and Oberhaslis and they are the most well mannered, sweet goats.

[didgery]

I have one determined old grandma who will butt anyone under the age of 12. It’s a dominance thing and she’s never let up for a second. She’s ten now and had a stroke last year—still, wobbly though she is, she can’t be trusted in the presence of small children.

May I take the liberty of quoting you in my signature? (See below.)

[aspenlucas]

[QUOTE=didgery;6151147]
May I take the liberty of quoting you in my signature? (See below.)[/QUOTE]

You sure may. The funny thing is I said that to some friends while trying to get my bottle wether back in the pen the one day. There was a “struggle”.

[Megaladon]

My goats favorite target is my grandmother. There can be a crowd of people there and she heads right for my grandmother, I think it’s because my grandma has very bad body language around animals…:lol:

[maunder]

None of my current five goats butts humans but my beloved big Saanen Toggenburg doe certainly did. She was teased by ONE person in her life and never forgave him or any member of his family. If he or any of his family came over to my house she had to be locked up because she’d give chase and be very serious about it too. I was tempted to just let her have at him because he never should have teased her in the first place.

It’s possible your young goat is now empowered by getting away with the butting of your daughter’s friend and she’ll need to learn she can’t do it. She may never be completely trustworthy around children though as goaties are pretty savvy.

My young sheep wether butted me a couple of times and I was able to correct him by turning and clapping my hands and sharply saying “NO”. It was enough for him but sometimes you do need to put them on the ground as a correction.

[ReSomething]

I only know sheep, and most of those were more interested in getting away than butting, but my neighbor decided to pick up two bummer lambs, male and female, and it got to be a real problem with the male.

It didn’t help he was intact, it didn’t help that neighbor’s young adult son would “play” with him out in the pasture, they never corrected him and he butted me, my DH, and finally butted the landlord from behind, knocking him down. The neighbors got a “three day notice to perform or quit” as soon as he got back on his feet so they had lambchops shortly thereafter.

So unfortunately I’m afraid I have no good answers, except that they are really hard to break of the habit and can injure the unsuspecting. The kids permitting the butting of the friend was a really bad move, too, it should have gotten a CTJ right then and there, because it may be unsafe around children permanently.

[SLW]

We had a 150# Saanen doe that started dong this to everyone except my oldest daughter and myself. Our youngest daughter was 5 years old at the time so this was a danger to her. We found a breeder who swapped out does with us, problem solved.

[Epona142]

None of my goats headbutt either. I don’t tolerate it. Nice to meet another Goat Whisperer!

Take a bucket or something and whack her across the head and chase her off. What a bad girl!

Their heads are made for impact. That’s what they understand. Once she realizes it’s no fun at all to get whacked for playing around, she’ll stop.

A less aggressive method is the squirt gun full of water to the face.

[aspenlucas]

[QUOTE=Epona142;6151539]
Take a bucket or something and whack her across the head and chase her off. What a bad girl![/QUOTE]
I think this may work. Daughter is 8 and very good around animals. She is gentle but can correct. I think if I send her in supervised with a tool we can get her over this. Doe just needs to know daughter is in charge. I don’t care about the other kids. No kids allowed in the pen anymore, problem solved. But daughter likes to help with the chores and when we move I will appreciate that.

Also doe is due to freshen march 24th with her first kid(s), someone said it may also be hormonal as she’s never done this before. Just in August, my daughter showed this goat and lead her all around the fair grounds after the show. So this is all very new. We’ve had the doe for a year now.

[Milocalwinnings]

I worked at a barn that raised goats. We had one that we took from someone who needed to rehome him. They didn’t tell us he had a headbutting problem but sure enough he did. It was really bad- he would head butt the BO’s kids through the fence (the youngest was 3 at the time), head butt us as we were leading horses in, etc. BO’s husband tried various recommended ways to stop the butting, but none worked. We called his former owner who then caved and admitted that yes, he did have a head butting problem and that’s why they were giving him away. We asked if they wanted him back or if they wanted us to take care of it and they refused to take him. Charlie the goat became dinner that week… it was delicious.

[Go_Fish]

Squirt gun…

Works on pot-bellied pigs, too.

I found whacking them on the head just makes the goat head-butt more. It’s like a challenge or something.

But take my advice with a grain of salt. My pygmies are adopted and I’m sort of like an alcoholic with them. I just take it one day at a time! :lol:

[CosMonster]

I think I’m the true goat whisperer here. My doe used to headbutt when I first got her. I got sick of it after about a week of trying to correct it, so once after she did it I just yelled, “Lucky, good goats DON’T HEADBUTT!” She’s never done it again.

So maybe I’m more of a goat shouter. I don’t think that advice is terribly helpful for the OP since she’s a bit far from me to have me go yell at her goat. :sigh:

More serious advice: I do think smacking them on the head is counterproductive. I noticed quickly that it only encouraged Lucky. She’ll still kind of do a fake headbutt if you pat her on the head. I think she thinks you’re trying to play with her.

[aspenlucas]

[QUOTE=CosMonster;6151728]
More serious advice: I do think smacking them on the head is counterproductive.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I was thinking more across the nose (the more tender part) the girls do NOT like being whacked! I’m actually thinking this may be hormonal as the doe was fine in the fall.

[Epona142]

Every goat is different of course. I don’t tolerate head butting aimed at me, and a couple good whacks and a kick in the bum lets new rude goats know that isn’t tolerated.

So I only have perfect angel goats now. LOL!