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In Reply to: Bucky acting Doe???? posted by Karen on December 15, 2001 at 10:22:53:
Hi Karen,
It's funny that you should mention this because we have a goat that acts the same way from time to time. I've always attributed it to her being the "herd queen". The time I notice this behavior the most is when they cycle into heat. And if you want a real hilarious sight, take all the bucks out of the pen. You'll probably see Penny covering every other doe in the pen. At least this is the behavior that I am seeing with our goat Fawn.
For the most part, she acts this way at specific times - when she is pregnant, when she is in heat (or any of the other goats are in heat) and when a new goat is brought into the pen. The behavior becomes that much more apparent as I mentioned when there are no bucks in the pen.
Why this happens, well I'm not really sure but it could be hormonal changes as you mentioned but I'm also thinking that it could be either a genetic trait or a trait that is common among more ferile goats; and this has come out in the domesticated goats to a lesser degree.
It could be a signal for the herd queen to prepare the others for breeding season or it could be plainly an assertive behavior based upon their desire to dominate. All goats have that specific pecking order. I've watched larger goats butt down each other and the smaller more timid goats - the smaller goat will go away feeling defeated until it sees a goat smaller than itself. That pecking order is very important to goats and I think this sexual behavior could be tied directly to it.
You mentioned that Penny is a LaMancha. Well, our goat Fawn is an Alpine/Nubian mix. We have one other goat that acts this way to a lesser degree and she is a Kinder goat. Now all the younger goats (less than 8 months) will sometimes act like that growing up. Oh, can't forget the Pygmies - I've seen them act like this from time to time as well.
I'll see what I can find researching this. It's an interesting behavior they display.
Best regards,
Gary
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