Wanted goats for YEARS. Got two Anglo Nubian castrated kids in spring, who were delightful, but it's not working out too well.
They are rubbish in the field, by which I mean they spent months standing by the gate calling for me, getting thin. If I'm with them they will tear into the weeds, trees and all the overgrown hawthorn, but otherwise are unhappy. They did reach a stage where they would wander a little way into the field to graze, but mostly just sat in the field shelter. I've never seen them 'play' like I thought they would. I tried tethering them (just to try to get them used to being away from me in a field, not as a proper grazing plan) and while I'm within eyesight they munch away nicely, but when I went out of sight they go mental. Will respect electric tape in the shed (along the top of the wall) but outside they go straight into it, once I'm out of sight.
Then one broke its leg Somehow and had vet to splint and sort it, so they've been in for a while. When I've tried to put them back in the field, it's the same thing as before, running up and down, calling, climbing the fences, standing about not eating.
I find their eating habits frustrating, they like me to cut leaves for them, which I have been doing all summer. After a meal of leaves, they want hay, not more leaves. (As well as hard feed). But won't eat two meals of leaves or hay in a row. I don't have leaves for the winter.
But the main problem is that One now goes for the dog, who was run over a few weeks ago and had a big hip operation and worse, He goes for my son (who is one and a bit), trying to head butt him (knocked him flying once!)
The other (larger one) is still lovely for my son to stroke, as they both used to be. But this means that I can no longer take them for walks with my son as we did in the summer time and was part of my plan for getting them. If I had a pony who was aggressive like this I'd get rid of it. But has anyone stopped a head butting goat once it's started doing it? The other is lovely as anything.
Both were disbudded, but it's still a very deliberate blow, and it aims for my sons head
?