Chat
01-26-2015, 08:53 PM
I needed to grab 2 goats for a long walk today, and while I was getting Shelby and Woodstock, Bacchus made horn contact with my leg. I let it slide because I was busy, but wondered if he meant to do it. Three hours later, after the walk, I was putting the goats back. Bacchus nudged me with his horn again. I wondered if it was him wanting a pet. But then he did it again and I was getting pretty suspicious he was actually testing me a little.
I shot a hand out, grabbed his far front leg and very suddenly flipped him on his back. I quickly laid over him for half a minute and then sat straddling him while I controlled his front legs and head. The usual goat punishment. I wanted to nip it in the bud. He's a sweet goat but the only one with horns and thinks he's pretty awesome. Shelby saw us on the ground and laid down next to us as if we were on the trail taking a break. He was tired after all. After 5 minutes or so I let Bacchus up.
He got up slowly. Half-heartedly chased some of the other goats around, then jumped onto the roof of the goat house. He then jumped up to the second story, reared up and spun, and dove back down to the lower roof. He was all worked up and he did this dramatic pose and epic leap about a dozen times. Then he jumped back and forth on other parts of the goat house for a while. His nostrils were round and flared like a horse's would be, and he was starting to overheat (50 degrees in January). I touched his nose to let him know he's still awesome and went through the gate. He charged around on the goat house some more and then came down and hassled a few other goats a little. Then he tried to mount Shelby, which is a first. Then he went up on the dirt pile to strike an epic pose followed by running in circles around the hill and then to the top to pose again and again.
This was all very hilarious to me, but its also the first time I've ever seen one of my goats do this. I'm trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He for sure was humiliated and lost some self esteem when the human so easily dominated him. Mounting Shelby, who is bigger, was certainly him trying to reestablish his rank. Its just funny that it went on and on like that. Hopefully he wont try to test me again, but I'm guessing he will. I think today was just warm and everyone was overly peppy and high strung.
Anyhow I thought it was interesting and wondered if other people have had goats throw a tantrum like that.
I shot a hand out, grabbed his far front leg and very suddenly flipped him on his back. I quickly laid over him for half a minute and then sat straddling him while I controlled his front legs and head. The usual goat punishment. I wanted to nip it in the bud. He's a sweet goat but the only one with horns and thinks he's pretty awesome. Shelby saw us on the ground and laid down next to us as if we were on the trail taking a break. He was tired after all. After 5 minutes or so I let Bacchus up.
He got up slowly. Half-heartedly chased some of the other goats around, then jumped onto the roof of the goat house. He then jumped up to the second story, reared up and spun, and dove back down to the lower roof. He was all worked up and he did this dramatic pose and epic leap about a dozen times. Then he jumped back and forth on other parts of the goat house for a while. His nostrils were round and flared like a horse's would be, and he was starting to overheat (50 degrees in January). I touched his nose to let him know he's still awesome and went through the gate. He charged around on the goat house some more and then came down and hassled a few other goats a little. Then he tried to mount Shelby, which is a first. Then he went up on the dirt pile to strike an epic pose followed by running in circles around the hill and then to the top to pose again and again.
This was all very hilarious to me, but its also the first time I've ever seen one of my goats do this. I'm trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He for sure was humiliated and lost some self esteem when the human so easily dominated him. Mounting Shelby, who is bigger, was certainly him trying to reestablish his rank. Its just funny that it went on and on like that. Hopefully he wont try to test me again, but I'm guessing he will. I think today was just warm and everyone was overly peppy and high strung.
Anyhow I thought it was interesting and wondered if other people have had goats throw a tantrum like that.