Post by goldengoose on Jan 3, 2010 2:42:13 GMT -5
Hello! I am so relieved to have found this site and all of the very helpful posts here! THANK YOU!
Here's my bovine story background: I bought a freshened Dexter in July - her name is Rose (4yrs), who came with her little heifer calf (Radish) and, well, to be honest, she was sold for a good price and I knew right away why - she is wild! But I figured that if I couldn't milk her at least I'd have her calf and would breed Rose and see what else we could get out of her. Long and short of it, is that now that my milk goats are drying up, I am eyeing that wild cow's udder and had my DH build me a headstall for Christmas, a very stout headstall! After all, winter is quiet here in our corner of the high country of Colorado and I'm thinking I'll have the time to spend with her...
I have tempted Rose into the headstall with a bucket of grain and she is downright crazy for it, falling to her knees to get every single last bit, mooing for it every time she sees me. I have her in a routine where I bring her in, lock her head, and then brush her down, trying to get her used to me and my hands. (Can't go near her udder for fear of her breaking my arm cause her kick is whiplike!) HOwever, as soon as all of her grain is gone she refuses the hay and starts freaking, trying to back out of the stall, kicking, swinging her back end from side to side, just plain mad. She really seems completely like an addict for that grain!
I am going to borrow a Can't Kick from a friend, but am wondering if perhaps Rose's grain addiction is something I can cure. As soon as she sees me with any bucket she comes barreling at full speed, whether I'm milking a goat or feeding the dogs. I have tried to just leave her in the stanchion for an hour or so to "figure it out" but she makes a racket and makes like there's a rodeo in town (good thing that headstall is super stout). I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself - and she's already managed to kick/kill two chickens!
Rather than change her name to Rose the Rabid Reaper, I am seeking advice for methods/ideas/routines that can help me help her - and make her taming a lot less stressful for me and my kids (who watch from outside the fence). She really is so grain stressed that I cannot turn my back on her for a single moment. I was thinking maybe it is nutritional - she is a 100% Dexter, grass-fed for most of her life, perhaps due to calve next August. She gets free choice kelp, Redmond Conditioner and Redmond Salt. Am I missing something? Any thoughts or ideas? I appreciate anyone's advice on this.
Or maybe I'm just too used to handling goats and not wild cattle?
Thanks again!
Here's my bovine story background: I bought a freshened Dexter in July - her name is Rose (4yrs), who came with her little heifer calf (Radish) and, well, to be honest, she was sold for a good price and I knew right away why - she is wild! But I figured that if I couldn't milk her at least I'd have her calf and would breed Rose and see what else we could get out of her. Long and short of it, is that now that my milk goats are drying up, I am eyeing that wild cow's udder and had my DH build me a headstall for Christmas, a very stout headstall! After all, winter is quiet here in our corner of the high country of Colorado and I'm thinking I'll have the time to spend with her...
I have tempted Rose into the headstall with a bucket of grain and she is downright crazy for it, falling to her knees to get every single last bit, mooing for it every time she sees me. I have her in a routine where I bring her in, lock her head, and then brush her down, trying to get her used to me and my hands. (Can't go near her udder for fear of her breaking my arm cause her kick is whiplike!) HOwever, as soon as all of her grain is gone she refuses the hay and starts freaking, trying to back out of the stall, kicking, swinging her back end from side to side, just plain mad. She really seems completely like an addict for that grain!
I am going to borrow a Can't Kick from a friend, but am wondering if perhaps Rose's grain addiction is something I can cure. As soon as she sees me with any bucket she comes barreling at full speed, whether I'm milking a goat or feeding the dogs. I have tried to just leave her in the stanchion for an hour or so to "figure it out" but she makes a racket and makes like there's a rodeo in town (good thing that headstall is super stout). I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself - and she's already managed to kick/kill two chickens!
Rather than change her name to Rose the Rabid Reaper, I am seeking advice for methods/ideas/routines that can help me help her - and make her taming a lot less stressful for me and my kids (who watch from outside the fence). She really is so grain stressed that I cannot turn my back on her for a single moment. I was thinking maybe it is nutritional - she is a 100% Dexter, grass-fed for most of her life, perhaps due to calve next August. She gets free choice kelp, Redmond Conditioner and Redmond Salt. Am I missing something? Any thoughts or ideas? I appreciate anyone's advice on this.
Or maybe I'm just too used to handling goats and not wild cattle?
Thanks again!