Chat
12-12-2023, 06:44 PM
Yay! I'm glad he's staying far away from your space and that he got the message that you're not to be messed with. Once he realizes that you aren't interested in harming him or competing with him, he should start being more comfortable coming near you without confronting you. He just needs to learn that balance.
Our boy Pest recently toppled my big king wether, Finn, from the top of the "goatem pole." I never saw them fight. It seems like Finn just didn't think his spot at the top was worth defending against a hormonal buck. Now that Pest is king of the herd for the first time, he's starting to stand up to me a bit more, as if he thinks there might be another rung to climb. I'm keeping an eye on his behavior. I hadn't carried the riding crop out with me in ages, but I brought it the other day as a reminder. Pest started pushing on the gate when I let him out that morning and when I tried to shoo him away he braced and presented his horns at me. I pinched his ear and instead of backing away, he clipped my hand with his horn. I chased him around a bit but his hackles were up and he didn't look very submissive so I brought the riding crop out with me when I did chores that evening. Pest immediately remembered it, backed down, and hasn't given me any more trouble these last few times we've interacted. I don't think I even had to touch him with it. I'm keeping our interactions to a minimum so he doesn't get any ideas. Friendliness so quickly leads to dominance in bucks! It's unfortunate that they're wired that way, but I have to respect that it's how nature made them.
Our boy Pest recently toppled my big king wether, Finn, from the top of the "goatem pole." I never saw them fight. It seems like Finn just didn't think his spot at the top was worth defending against a hormonal buck. Now that Pest is king of the herd for the first time, he's starting to stand up to me a bit more, as if he thinks there might be another rung to climb. I'm keeping an eye on his behavior. I hadn't carried the riding crop out with me in ages, but I brought it the other day as a reminder. Pest started pushing on the gate when I let him out that morning and when I tried to shoo him away he braced and presented his horns at me. I pinched his ear and instead of backing away, he clipped my hand with his horn. I chased him around a bit but his hackles were up and he didn't look very submissive so I brought the riding crop out with me when I did chores that evening. Pest immediately remembered it, backed down, and hasn't given me any more trouble these last few times we've interacted. I don't think I even had to touch him with it. I'm keeping our interactions to a minimum so he doesn't get any ideas. Friendliness so quickly leads to dominance in bucks! It's unfortunate that they're wired that way, but I have to respect that it's how nature made them.