Chat
11-23-2019, 09:53 AM
Welcome! Emmitt is beautiful!!! He looks like a buck. Is he still intact? If he is, you should get him wethered (neutered) unless you have plans to breed him. Buck goats are a real handful and need females to keep them occupied.
Emmitt definitely needs a companion. Another goat of similar size is always best. Goats like to butt heads and they can't do that with any other species, so having another goat for him to play with will give him an appropriate outlet for his behavior so he doesn't become aggressive toward people and other animals. Alpines are more prone to bullying than other breeds, but that's not always the case. If you get Emmitt another goat around his size, they won't be quite so capable of bullying each other. If you get a couple of kids, you'll have to be careful. Some older goats are awesome mentors and will take little ones under their wings, but others are holy terrors to any goat smaller than themselves. Sometimes you just have to try it to find out.
When it comes to bottle feeding for friendliness, avoid llamas and be careful about sheep. They don't imprint on people the same way as goats do. I think ewes are ok, but rams are more likely than male goats to become aggressive toward people if bottle raised. I'm not sure about wether sheep. Llamas are not good candidates for bottle raising! It causes them to become very aggressive toward people when they reach maturity. There's even a name for it: Berserk Llama Syndrome. Llamas are best raised by other llamas and not handled excessively when young.
Good luck with Emmitt! I hope you guys have many awesome adventures together.
Emmitt definitely needs a companion. Another goat of similar size is always best. Goats like to butt heads and they can't do that with any other species, so having another goat for him to play with will give him an appropriate outlet for his behavior so he doesn't become aggressive toward people and other animals. Alpines are more prone to bullying than other breeds, but that's not always the case. If you get Emmitt another goat around his size, they won't be quite so capable of bullying each other. If you get a couple of kids, you'll have to be careful. Some older goats are awesome mentors and will take little ones under their wings, but others are holy terrors to any goat smaller than themselves. Sometimes you just have to try it to find out.
When it comes to bottle feeding for friendliness, avoid llamas and be careful about sheep. They don't imprint on people the same way as goats do. I think ewes are ok, but rams are more likely than male goats to become aggressive toward people if bottle raised. I'm not sure about wether sheep. Llamas are not good candidates for bottle raising! It causes them to become very aggressive toward people when they reach maturity. There's even a name for it: Berserk Llama Syndrome. Llamas are best raised by other llamas and not handled excessively when young.
Good luck with Emmitt! I hope you guys have many awesome adventures together.