The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Chris H on January 23, 2013, 05:56:24 pm

Title: Butting
Post by: Chris H on January 23, 2013, 05:56:24 pm
Whats the best way to stop my 9 month old Bagot castrated boy from butting me :thinking:  It is getting to be a real battle to look after the other animals as he is always looking for a chance to butt :rant: At first it was only when I had food but now he just seems to enjoy it anytime.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: colliewoman on January 23, 2013, 06:56:32 pm
Whats the best way to stop my 9 month old Bagot castrated boy from butting me :thinking:  It is getting to be a real battle to look after the other animals as he is always looking for a chance to butt :rant: At first it was only when I had food but now he just seems to enjoy it anytime.




 :yum: :yum: :yum:   ;D
I must admit that other than my own method (curry!) I don't know, but please do be careful :hug:
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: Chris H on January 23, 2013, 10:38:36 pm
I have thought of it, but we are all veggies...........even with him I can't make an exception, and the rest of the times he makes us laugh.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 23, 2013, 10:40:39 pm
My response to being butted is a sharp slap on the face.  It doesn't hurt but it makes them think and they usually learn not to pretty quickly.  It's my equivalent to butting back and shows I am their leader not the other way round.  I would add that I don't advocate training animals be hitting them but this was the only thing I found that worked.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: ScotsGirl on January 24, 2013, 08:31:17 am
Are there any female goats around? His hormones are probably kicking in and I know my ram likes to give me a "friendly" butt when he is in with the ewes. Although no malice it can still hurt if you don't see it coming.


Now he is away from them he is a big softy. I Agree with the slap if you can catch him quick as soon as he butts you. Unless your response to his is instantaneous he won't understand. Other than that you could always try the Parelli carrot stick method and see if it works with goats. You need to keep him out of your space and it works a treat with naughty young ponies!


Good luck
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: kja on January 24, 2013, 09:11:09 am
male goats entire or castrates need to know who's in charge from day 1 pet males are possibly the most unpredictable and will take liberties.

you have to put him in his place sooner rather than later it will only get worse.

does he have a beard ? if so when he goes to butt get a firm hold and pull it back to his chest it will take time but he will get the idea. this method works pretty much like a dog harness on a dog that pulls your putting their bad behaviour back onto them. he has to know his space and your space and he will only learn by training.

good luck.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: Chris H on January 24, 2013, 10:28:38 am
Not sure what the carrot method is? do I smack him with one!
He is with a female, but is castrated. Will try the beard pulling today and report back :goat:
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: ScotsGirl on January 24, 2013, 01:49:03 pm
Lol, no you don't hit him with it! It is about 4' long and you can improvise with a stick. The a carrier bag on the end and wave it at him when he comes within stick length from you. Don't let him get used to bag as it is a slight scare tactic. Make yourself look big and be very firm in making him move back. Once he has taken even the slightest step back, you stop so that he realises where the boundary is.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: fruitfarm on January 29, 2013, 08:44:21 am



A short sharp spray of cold water in the face is quite effective . Use one of those little bottles you get for spraying plants.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: jaykay on January 29, 2013, 10:03:35 am
I second either the water spray or we found by mistake that a slap on the nose with leather gloves (this was to a tup by a visitor) worked far more effectively than my usual bashing him on the head with the bucket.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: jinglejoys on January 29, 2013, 12:28:56 pm
Never tried it as non of my billies have ever butted but I'd go down the squirt in the face track.Bagots have horns and any "Butt back" has got to be pretty hard to work.The main thing is to find out what caused it on the first place.
   I bought a Bagot billy out of Glos market (when they had one)and he was more a swiper than a butter.I knew what caused this,too much horn grabbing and I stopped it.A year later he went to a new home but first I had to drop him off at a pick up place (remember ewhen you could still do that?)
    I went to ask him out of the trailer with his collor and lead,he hesitated,and the "helper" immediately grabbed his horns...one years training up the spout!....boy did I let rip ;)
 
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: feldar on January 29, 2013, 12:35:11 pm
I don't know much about goats,  but the water treatment worked on a ram lamb we had that used to be a real pain.
I had a bucket of water in my hand one day when he went for me so i tipped it over his head which made him disappear back up the field. After that we kept a small water pistol and aimed it at his face when he got butty with us, he soon thought better of doing again.
But i don't know wether a goat would be a bit sensitive to having this done to them, they always look a bit more intelligent than a sheep!
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: colliewoman on January 29, 2013, 03:21:39 pm
I would reckon on the water method being even more effective with a goat as goats appear to be water soluble. The only reason I can think of their huge dislike of the rain :D 
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: johnys on January 29, 2013, 06:30:11 pm
Our Billy was terrible for butting before he had the snip it took about 5 months for the hormones to work out of his system he still butts but not hard and most of the time he stops short its just a game, try an old washing up liquid bottle filled with water he will soon learn to back off when he sees it, smacking him could frighten him away from you and you will never gain his confidence
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 29, 2013, 10:39:58 pm
A quick slap never seemed to frighten my goats off but did do the trick when they realised that would be my immediate response.  It hasn't worked with Cloud though so I'll try the squirt of water. I have a small water pistol that \i could keep concealed in my hand.

The gate from the goatyard leads onto my fenced patio so when the goats get out (most days) they can't get any further but it used to be a job to get them back in.  Now I just shout "Hosepipe" as I head towards it and they usually go straight back in.  If they don't I turn in on with a jet just behind their heels.  Works every time.   ;D
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: jaykay on January 29, 2013, 11:45:03 pm
When these naughty little boys got onto the roof  :o  :o  :o the only way I could get them down was to train the hosepipe on them!
(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/KattensandKids008.jpg)

I knew they were up there because two little faces appeared at my first-floor bedroom window! They were larking around, pushing and shoving  :o
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: johnys on January 30, 2013, 02:29:58 pm
Goats are far more intelligent than people give them credit for, their paddock leads either up into the field which at times they share with the dogs, 4 Old English Sheepdogs who have a healthy respect for the goats even though the goats are half their size being pygmy or into the garden having put a new latch on the gate to the garden, the billy had watched me so closely he almost passed me the screw driver i closed the gate after,  as i walked up the path to go into the kitchen they were behind me, thinking the catch hadnt closed i put them back which is easy as they follow me everywhere and stood and watched billy lift the catch walk out and stand infront of me as though he deserved a prize, they often come into the garden and its quite amusing to see a 35 kg dog standing at the fence looking up the lane with a female pygmy goat by his site looking up at him with almost a my big brother look on her face,the locals think i'm a bit strange but as they are French they think that anyway 
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: Pedwardine on January 30, 2013, 09:41:15 pm
Fabulous picture! I want it bigger!
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 30, 2013, 10:01:01 pm
Jaykay, that's great picture.  How did they get up there?

Johnys, that is one smart goat you have there.  I reckon mine would upbolt their gate if they could reach it.
Title: Re: Butting
Post by: jaykay on January 30, 2013, 10:13:25 pm
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Jaykay, that's great picture.  How did they get up there?

That's what I wondered to start with! Then I decided that they had jumped up onto the edge of the catslide roof, which is about 7ft, from the yard wall, which is about 5 feet. The yard wall is a drystone wall that they use like a ladder. Certainly when I put stock wire round the end of the yard wall so even if they got up there they couldn't jump onto the roof, that fettled them and they didn't appear anymore at my window  :D

Quote
Fabulous picture! I want it bigger!
Ped, I don't know how to put photos on here apart from from Photobucket and that's the size it came. Do you know another way on an iPad?