Do nubians ever quiet down?
#1
Total goat noob here. Quick background i purchased a alpine / oberhalsi doe that has been refreshed once that came with a boer wether. I also purchased 2 pure nubian bucklings. So far the little guys are bonding great but my question is do they quiet down with age? Right now they scream like you got there man parts in a vice. If they lose sight of each other or me. Are nubians the guinea hens of the goat world and its something i just need to deal with?
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#2
Nubians have a well-established reputation for being talkative and LOUD! However, in my personal experience they do tend to quiet down a lot after the first few months to a year, and a lot more after they turn two. My extremely noisy 5/8 Nubian wether, Sputnik, hardly ever vocalized after he turned three and now he's the least talkative goat in my entire herd. However, when he does make a comment once in a blue moon, he raises the roof. He is a goat of few words, so when he talks he makes sure everyone is listening!
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#3
My la mancha alpine crosses would give nubians a run for their money as far as volume.. After I castrate they very quickly became more relaxed and less emotional. It is common for all goats to be vocal if they cannot see anyone from their herd, human or their goat buddies.
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#4
As far as my experience goes, no.
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#5
Dandelion, how long have you had Nubian wethers?
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#6
I don't have Nubian wethers- 2 of my wethers are 1/4 Nubian, and they are only loud when they first see me when I come home, they come running to me baaing with their ears flapping up and down adorably, and then once I pet them they're quiet.

The loud Nubian I am referring to is their mom, Pearl (1/2 Nubian, technically). Pearl doesn't live with me, luckily (she lives at the farm where I work), because she is the loudest, most obnoxious animal of any species I have ever encountered. In fact, she is driving me nuts with her noise right now (She does it whether or not she has food, she just wants walks, all the attention, etc). It makes life miserable and I would definitely have sold her if she was mine (but of course my friend who owns her loves her). But her mom, a full Nubian, has a loud voice but only talks when there is a legitimate reason to, and Pearl's two brothers, according to the guy who bought them, aren't loud. So I guess it's hard to tell.

One of my milk goats, Cricket, is less than 1/4 Nubian, and for the first three years of her life she barely made any sound. Then, after she gave birth for the first time, she started talking, with a loud, obnoxious Nubian voice. She isn't nearly as bad as Pearl but it still is annoying. She mostly only does it when she wants me to catch her so I can milk her. She makes me catch her, running around baaing until eventually she stops to pee and "lets" me catch her and lead her to the milk shed. I'm going to get a bridle and try to leash train her so she'll get tamer and less skittish.
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#7
Females are in a whole other league from males when it comes to talkativeness! My most talkative goats have actually been Alpine does, but their voices are quieter than Nubians so they aren't as noticeable. Females of all breeds are often very loud when they're in heat. Many does don't start talking until after their first kidding. My vet laughed when I pointed this out one time. She said, "Yeah, that's because we mothers have kids and suddenly we can't stop yelling!"

Bucks are usually less vocal than does but more vocal than wethers. Wethers are the quietest group, but they will still call out when left behind or sometimes when hungry. The Nubians don't seem to talk any more than the other breeds, but their loud voices sure do carry on the rare occasions when they decide to holler about something!
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#8
So glad to hear that wethers are the quietest (since 5 of my 8 goats are wethers)!
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#9
Well, i don't have a lot to compare it to till my recent purchase of baby tog and oberhaslis. Frankly, i think it is screaming baby syndrome rather than breed. After all, they scream for "Maw,", right? We never notice our nubie,, lamancha mixes screaming any louder than the other breeds at events or campouts or 
strange surroundings, they seem to prefer to keep a low profile.
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