[4-Hgoats]

Hi
I am having similar problems with the vocaliztion of my 4 week old baby alpines. One is noiser than the other and it actually screams after I leave the barn. They get let out everyday to run around than get put back in their pens. So I'm thinking theyre expecting me to let them out. They also go crazy and jump on the fences and doors after I leave causing a big commotion. I just leave and ignore them. But today I actually smacked one on the nose pretty hard and firmly because he was literally screaming! I bet the neighbors two house down could hear him. He's the dominant one and the hyper one, so he does not understand when I leave to go back in. I saw you tell people to squirt them, but doesn't that leave the goat afraid of you and not listen later on? I have heard that too much discipine can actually make a goat hate you and be abussive to it. I'm not sure how much discipline you would have to do or in what matter you do them though. Have you heard of this? I really hope me smacking my goat won't make him really mad at me. He did shut up after that though! So apparently it works!

 

[4-Hgoats]

Re: Barnyard behavior (jumping fences)

They also are getting on my nerves with jumping the fences. The same loud mouth goat also jumps the fences and we are trying to fix this problem with boards but for now he continues to jump and i am constantly putting him back in the pen. If he continues to learn to jump fences he will be a problem at the fair this august. The pens there are not very high. So is there a way to teach not to jump over fences? Or is just telling them no feet on the fence good enough to stop this?

 

[4-Hgoats]

Right. Right now they are in hog panels and a horse stall that is all enclosed with boards. The hog panel is only like 3 ft tall and there is a freezer we use for food storage right next to it. So they use the freezer to get out. But we put boards up so there should be no escape. Pretty soon they will be in the horse stall permanately with the horse that is coming next fall. The hog panel pen is just something extra so they have more room. When we get out piglet they won't be in it anymore so they won't even see the freezer! ya! But then we are builiding a pasture this summer which is the 4ft field fence like Rex has. Hopefully they will learn to not smash it. thanks for the responses!