I bought my first two Nigerian Dwarf goats back in May of 2011. It took me all of two seconds to fall head over heels in love with them. Since then, I have watched my goats for thousands of hours. Some of the information below provides general information on goat behaviors, and others are a synopsis of what I have observed in my own herd. Goats are friendly, smart and interesting creatures and it's important to know what to expect when you decide to keep goats.
The Flehmen Response
The Flehmen Response is evident when the goat curls his or her upper lip, stretches the neck and looks like he is sniffing the air with his lips. Both male and female goats of any age can exhibit this response. Also, many other animals exhibit the Flehmen Response including horses, giraffe, donkeys, cats, yak, cows, sheep and even rhinos.
The response is triggered when the goat smells something and must investigate further. Goats, and all animals who show the Flehmen, have an olfactory sensory organ on the roof of their mouths, called the Jacobson's organ, where they can "smell" and sense pheromones. The reason for the Flehmen Response is simply self-communication. Goats will use the Flehmen when they smell something they are interested in and use it to gather information about the smell. Urine, feces and birthing fluids are often investigated with the Flehmen, as well as a doe's hind end to check for stage of estrus. The results of their investigation provides the goat an answer to "What's that smell?" We will talk more about the Flehmen Response in the next section.
Fun Fact: Flehmen means "to bare the upper teeth" in German.
The Flehmen Response is evident when the goat curls his or her upper lip, stretches the neck and looks like he is sniffing the air with his lips. Both male and female goats of any age can exhibit this response. Also, many other animals exhibit the Flehmen Response including horses, giraffe, donkeys, cats, yak, cows, sheep and even rhinos.
The response is triggered when the goat smells something and must investigate further. Goats, and all animals who show the Flehmen, have an olfactory sensory organ on the roof of their mouths, called the Jacobson's organ, where they can "smell" and sense pheromones. The reason for the Flehmen Response is simply self-communication. Goats will use the Flehmen when they smell something they are interested in and use it to gather information about the smell. Urine, feces and birthing fluids are often investigated with the Flehmen, as well as a doe's hind end to check for stage of estrus. The results of their investigation provides the goat an answer to "What's that smell?" We will talk more about the Flehmen Response in the next section.
Fun Fact: Flehmen means "to bare the upper teeth" in German.
"Pawing" the Ground
Yes, I know. Goats don't have paws. I'm using this term as a verb. =)
There are mainly three reasons that goats will "paw."
To Get Your Attention: Goats, especially spoiled babies, or adults that were spoiled babies, will paw your leg to get your attention. Most often this behavior is accompanied by nibbling on your clothes or your fingers. This generally means, "Treat Please!" or "PET ME NOW!"
Hormones: Bucks will paw the ground in frustration when they can't get to a doe through the fence. This is generally accompanied by blabbering of the lips and tongue and lots of vocalizations. You will see a buck paw and kick out their legs as part of their pre-mating activity. Does in heat will sometimes paw the ground as well, and act "bucky." Does in labor will paw the ground as they prepare for kidding. She might also be pawing for the third reason...
To "Fluff" the Bed: It really doesn't matter if the goat is getting ready to lie in the grass, on a shelf, in the dirt, or in fluffy bedding. Goats often paw their sleeping area before they lay down. Mostly likely, this is an instinct that was ingrained in them thousands of years ago. Perhaps they are digging down to get to the cool sand.
Yes, I know. Goats don't have paws. I'm using this term as a verb. =)
There are mainly three reasons that goats will "paw."
To Get Your Attention: Goats, especially spoiled babies, or adults that were spoiled babies, will paw your leg to get your attention. Most often this behavior is accompanied by nibbling on your clothes or your fingers. This generally means, "Treat Please!" or "PET ME NOW!"
Hormones: Bucks will paw the ground in frustration when they can't get to a doe through the fence. This is generally accompanied by blabbering of the lips and tongue and lots of vocalizations. You will see a buck paw and kick out their legs as part of their pre-mating activity. Does in heat will sometimes paw the ground as well, and act "bucky." Does in labor will paw the ground as they prepare for kidding. She might also be pawing for the third reason...
To "Fluff" the Bed: It really doesn't matter if the goat is getting ready to lie in the grass, on a shelf, in the dirt, or in fluffy bedding. Goats often paw their sleeping area before they lay down. Mostly likely, this is an instinct that was ingrained in them thousands of years ago. Perhaps they are digging down to get to the cool sand.
Climbing and Playing
Goats are naturally curious, and goats of all ages LOVE to climb. I provide many spools, stumps, barrels and shelves and pallets of many levels in all of my goat yards. We also have tons of Little Tykes slides, cubes, houses and tables for goats to explore. It's important to provide plenty of options for goats so that they do not get bored, and also because a goat will choose to nap on a raised shelf or platform over the ground every time.
Babies are so energetic and they bounce and jump and run all around all the time. If a particularly happy mood strikes the herd, you might see old and young alike bounce down the hill to the pasture, kicking their feet out from side to side and hopping. It's just about the best feeling in the world to know your goats are happy and healthy.
Goats are naturally curious, and goats of all ages LOVE to climb. I provide many spools, stumps, barrels and shelves and pallets of many levels in all of my goat yards. We also have tons of Little Tykes slides, cubes, houses and tables for goats to explore. It's important to provide plenty of options for goats so that they do not get bored, and also because a goat will choose to nap on a raised shelf or platform over the ground every time.
Babies are so energetic and they bounce and jump and run all around all the time. If a particularly happy mood strikes the herd, you might see old and young alike bounce down the hill to the pasture, kicking their feet out from side to side and hopping. It's just about the best feeling in the world to know your goats are happy and healthy.
Head Butting
Goats headbutt to display dominance over other goats. The process of gaining position in a herd is incredibly interesting to me, and so...this section will be long, but hopefully you will find it worth the read.
Ok, inside every herd, whether you have two goats or a hundred, there is a hierarchy or official status, for every goat. The status is only truly known by the goats, but it can be observed and noted by humans if you watch long enough. Let's start small as an example, rather than tackling a huge herd. To explain the concept of hierarchies, I will tell you a story.
Let's pretend that I have three goats, Precious, Trixie and Tator, and they are all does in my herd. To start I only have three does, but these does have never lived together before and therefore, do not know each other. As soon as I get them home and into the goat yard, they size each other up by sniffing each other. Soon, they begin head butting each other. As the oldest and most regal doe, Precious decides that she is the Herd Queen. Trixie decides that she wants to be the Herd Queen so she challenges Precious for position. After several hours, and maybe a bloody head or two, Precious has won her status as Herd Queen and so...she is. Trixie falls in line after Precious because Tator is still a baby and is very meek, and Tator has decided not to challenge her position and so she stays at the bottom of the heirarchy of the little herd of three. Times goes on with Precious as Herd Queen, Trixie as second in command, and Tator bringing up the rear, and things are good.
Trixie has been bred and as time grows near to her delivery date, she decides to challenge Precious for Herd Queen status again. She does this to gain a better position for her and for her kids. Try as she might to bump Precious off of her pedestal, she fails and again takes the position of second in command and waits for her babies to be born. As she is waiting, a new doe, Kat, arrives to join the herd. Kat is also bred and she is also used to being a queen. She challenges Precious for Herd Queen status. They butt heads all day long, but Kat fails and Precious is the victor as she is much too powerful and regal to have any doe above her in status. Kat, unwilling to concede to Precious, splits off and starts her own clique and takes Tator with her. Now, there is still one herd, but within that herd there are two cliques or family units. One clique consists of Precious and Trixie (and her babies) and the other clique consists of Kat (and her babies) and Tator.
When the babies are born, the heirarchy gets tossled again, because the mommas leave to stay in the barn for a few weeks while their babies grow strong enough to go outside and join the herd. When the mommas leave, there are only two does in the herd, Precious and Tator. They both belong to two different cliques but they decide they can tolerate each other for the time being because Tator has already submitted to Precious and is not willing to challenge. When Kat and Trixie rejoin the herd with their babies in tow, Precious tries to keep her Herd Queen status, but the new moms are invigorated and Kat overthrows Precious as herd queen. Now Kat, Kat's babies, and Tator are the ruling clique. Precious, Trixie and Trixie's babies are still a family unit, but Kat and her group rule the goat yard.
This goes ON and ON and ON. Each time a goat leaves, and each time a goat is added you will have challenges in the hierarchy. Don't fret that they will hurt each other. It's TOTALLY NORMAL! And normally, they do not draw blood. Every once in awhile someone will hit another doe hard enough to knock a scur off and it gets a little raw and/or bloody. There have never been any major injuries in my herd from headbutting, but all of my goats are hornless. If you have horns in your herd, all bets are off, and serious injuries can occur.
When your herd gets big enough, you will see the little family units and cliques within your herd. It's amazing to see babies with their moms, grandmas and great grandmas laying together. Equally awesome is seeing two or three goats with no family in the herd banding together and creating their own clique. Goats are truly amazing and interesting animals and they are SO MUCH FUN to watch!
PS...The above story was fictional, but yes, those are all goats that I once owned. Precious and Trixie are still in my herd and Precious is still the Queen. =)
Goats headbutt to display dominance over other goats. The process of gaining position in a herd is incredibly interesting to me, and so...this section will be long, but hopefully you will find it worth the read.
Ok, inside every herd, whether you have two goats or a hundred, there is a hierarchy or official status, for every goat. The status is only truly known by the goats, but it can be observed and noted by humans if you watch long enough. Let's start small as an example, rather than tackling a huge herd. To explain the concept of hierarchies, I will tell you a story.
Let's pretend that I have three goats, Precious, Trixie and Tator, and they are all does in my herd. To start I only have three does, but these does have never lived together before and therefore, do not know each other. As soon as I get them home and into the goat yard, they size each other up by sniffing each other. Soon, they begin head butting each other. As the oldest and most regal doe, Precious decides that she is the Herd Queen. Trixie decides that she wants to be the Herd Queen so she challenges Precious for position. After several hours, and maybe a bloody head or two, Precious has won her status as Herd Queen and so...she is. Trixie falls in line after Precious because Tator is still a baby and is very meek, and Tator has decided not to challenge her position and so she stays at the bottom of the heirarchy of the little herd of three. Times goes on with Precious as Herd Queen, Trixie as second in command, and Tator bringing up the rear, and things are good.
Trixie has been bred and as time grows near to her delivery date, she decides to challenge Precious for Herd Queen status again. She does this to gain a better position for her and for her kids. Try as she might to bump Precious off of her pedestal, she fails and again takes the position of second in command and waits for her babies to be born. As she is waiting, a new doe, Kat, arrives to join the herd. Kat is also bred and she is also used to being a queen. She challenges Precious for Herd Queen status. They butt heads all day long, but Kat fails and Precious is the victor as she is much too powerful and regal to have any doe above her in status. Kat, unwilling to concede to Precious, splits off and starts her own clique and takes Tator with her. Now, there is still one herd, but within that herd there are two cliques or family units. One clique consists of Precious and Trixie (and her babies) and the other clique consists of Kat (and her babies) and Tator.
When the babies are born, the heirarchy gets tossled again, because the mommas leave to stay in the barn for a few weeks while their babies grow strong enough to go outside and join the herd. When the mommas leave, there are only two does in the herd, Precious and Tator. They both belong to two different cliques but they decide they can tolerate each other for the time being because Tator has already submitted to Precious and is not willing to challenge. When Kat and Trixie rejoin the herd with their babies in tow, Precious tries to keep her Herd Queen status, but the new moms are invigorated and Kat overthrows Precious as herd queen. Now Kat, Kat's babies, and Tator are the ruling clique. Precious, Trixie and Trixie's babies are still a family unit, but Kat and her group rule the goat yard.
This goes ON and ON and ON. Each time a goat leaves, and each time a goat is added you will have challenges in the hierarchy. Don't fret that they will hurt each other. It's TOTALLY NORMAL! And normally, they do not draw blood. Every once in awhile someone will hit another doe hard enough to knock a scur off and it gets a little raw and/or bloody. There have never been any major injuries in my herd from headbutting, but all of my goats are hornless. If you have horns in your herd, all bets are off, and serious injuries can occur.
When your herd gets big enough, you will see the little family units and cliques within your herd. It's amazing to see babies with their moms, grandmas and great grandmas laying together. Equally awesome is seeing two or three goats with no family in the herd banding together and creating their own clique. Goats are truly amazing and interesting animals and they are SO MUCH FUN to watch!
PS...The above story was fictional, but yes, those are all goats that I once owned. Precious and Trixie are still in my herd and Precious is still the Queen. =)
Precious
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Trixie
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Lady Tator Tot
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Kat von D
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Other Interesting Goat Behaviors
- Goat are extremely intelligent, and are also extremely motivated by food. That being said, you can teach goats lots of tricks and commands and get an appropriate response. Researchers at the Queen Mary University of London once taught goats to solve a puzzle intended for primates with amazing results. They repeated the same puzzle to the goats ten months later and they did even better. Needless to say, they also have incredible memories.
- You can teach goats their names and to respond to simple commands like "get up," "get down," and "come." When I milk, I always milk in the same order every day. This year (2017) I have eight does in my milk string. First Chai comes to the gate to be let out into the milk parlor. When Dido hears the stanchion unlatch she comes to the gate to be let into the milk parlor. I reinforce the order by saying their name to assure them that it's their turn to be milked. Their motivation is food, obviously, as they are allowed to eat as much grain as they want while they are being milked. Then comes Precious, then Diva, then Jessie, then Airianna, then Cleopatra, and finally Delilah. They all know their order, and they all come to line up every morning and every night. Diva prefers to eat from the wrong side of the stand, so she usually goes around the front first and starts munching until I tell her, "Diva! Get up!" and she hops right up on the stanchion to be milked.
- I was talking with a breeder once and he was talking about how his goats prefer to drink from yellow buckets. So I did a scientific research study on my own herd to see which color of bucket they preferred to drink from. I offered six identical 2 gallon buckets of different colors and rotated the position of each bucket twice per day. I weighed the bucket when I set it out, and weighed it again when I changed the water and recorded the data. They do prefer YELLOW!
- Goats rarely pass gas out the back end, but they do burp often, especially when they are chewing their cud.
- Goats sneeze when they sense danger to alert the other members of the herd.
- Although I have no personal experience with potty training goats, I have known some breeders who have done it semi-successfully. I don't think it would be very hard to train a goat to pee in a certain spot, but I doubt I could train them to poop there. Poop seems to fall out at the most inopportune times, where ever the goat is.
- We have recently been providing goats to a local yoga studio for Goat Yoga, where the goats get to interact with humans and exhibit more of their silly behaviors. I mentioned before that goats love to climb and be up higher than the ground. Yoga provides a perfect opportunity for the goats to jump on the yogi's backs and frolic around the studio. It's a great time with lots of laughing. If a goat jumps on your back, you should be honored, because that's how goats say. . . you are my family.
Muse, with three of her 2013 quints.
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