# Run Away Goat



## XCricketX (Jun 7, 2006)

ALL my animals are going NUTZ!!!

Read rabbit forum for my crazy rabbit situation... but today all of the goats decide to get out of the pen. 

Now.. I admit.. it was my fault. I didn't latch the gate good enough and they took advantage of that.

Well... I was able to get them all in except the new boar goat that is skittish.

I walked ALL OVER. I never ran at her, and I had some food with me. She wouldn't let me get even 20 feet near her. She just kept running and running.

5 hours later (I'm not kidding)... I gave up. She wouldn't let me corral her... and defied my directions... went into the neighbors woods where I couldn't get to her. UGH!
So I took my brambled scratched up body home to call all of the neighbors. *grumble grumble brat goat*

She's a big girl, with big horns... I'm almost at the point of giving her away to someone who can catch her! 

UUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!! Why me?

Cricket


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I feel your frustration! Sometimes these critters will try their hardest to drive us insane. Good luck catching him..hopefully he will just meander home safely..


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## deetu (Dec 19, 2004)

Oh, I feel for you (giggling a little, remembering stuff I've gone through. Like climbing over the wire fence and forgetting the electric was on then trying to decide if I wanted to go back or continue over as I'm getting zapped over and over.) Once, my goats got out and I stood by the barn shaking a can of food and the dopes kept trying to get back into the fenced area to get the food instead of just coming down the drive. Silly animals.

The new goat is probably confused. I bet if you leave her, she will be lonely and come back to the other goats on her own. Just make a way that you can lock her in someplace and not have to chase her again.

AND I believe those thorn bushes jump at you to grab you.


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## XCricketX (Jun 7, 2006)

Yes, those *beep beep* bushes!!! ARG! *still plucking thorns out*

The goat ended up at the neighbor's house 5 miles down the road. He wasn't going to clue us in on her whereabouts and was going to barbecue her!!!! Good thing we are on good terms with this neighbor! ^_^


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Is she home yet?


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Cricket, I have to say I got a little chuckle reading your thread too, but I can't believe the neighbor was going to BBQ her without checking with you 1st since they must know you have goats. I let my goats out quite often, actually their gates are open now, they wonder & browse awhile & then go back in & lay down, I can't say I have ever had to chase one that I can remember........they usually will all come running for a food bucket.


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## CookingPam777 (Oct 16, 2007)

Sounds all to familiar. I have never liked the game Catch-A-Goat. I have had to catch goats 4-5 times in 1 hour. What's even funner is when you are putting one back in and you see another making it way over the fence ahhhhhhhhhh! Hope she comes home soon!


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## XCricketX (Jun 7, 2006)

At 3 in the morning... the dogs were barking. I have a great pyraneese, and a Miniature pincher.
They usually have been really good about barking only at really necessary things, so when they started, I figured something was up. Sure enough... the goat came back home. 
So my husband and I were trying to figure out how to get her into the pen.. around here, the neighbors are ok about leaving you alone and all, but they don't forgive animals getting out too much. *end up bar-b-Q*
So ... My husband hid in the barn, left the gate open, but had to put up a temporary fence so the other goats wouldn't get out. I was inside the pen, trying to coax her with food, but I was on the inside of the temporary fence. 
My MINIATURE PINCHER got behind her and herded her into the little trap we had... husband jumped out and shut the door behind her! LOL!!!

So she's back home and safe.. and not bar-b-q LOL!!!

I wish I could just let them loose all over the property.. that would surely save me on food expenses! At the moment we only have a small pen to put them in. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to fence in the whole property, but that will be way down the road.

Thanks all! ^_^

Cricket


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Woo-hoo! Glad everyone is safe and sound...I think your Mini Pincher should get a special cookie


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## CookingPam777 (Oct 16, 2007)

Glad to hear your goat goat is home!


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Our Boers came from a large herd of 300 goats. The folks would herd them from pen to pasture by putting a leaf of alfalfa on the back of their gator and pull up next to the goat pen and yell "GOATS GOATS GOATS". The goats would all pay attention to the guy with the hay. He started speeding toward the pasture as someone else opened the gate to let the stampede out. They followed the guy with the hay at a full run, with their little border collie following up the rear and herding stragglers. They closed the gate on the herd and did the same thing in the evening to move them back into the pen.

When we got our 6 goats to our ranch we kept up calling "GOATS GOATS GOATS" and we have a treat of grain for them when they come. The original six come running, and all the babies have learned from the parents. We let hem out to browse. They stay on the ranch and have plenty to eat, but come running when we call for their treat.


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

A good dog makes the game of catch-a-goat MUCH easier. *grin* I let the dog do all the running. The dog doesn't mind the thorn bushes, either.


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## Barrington (May 13, 2017)

I just bought a goat. Thought he was trapped in and he wasn't. I can't find him anywhere! Will he come back? Should I look a specific place?


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Barrington, this post is from 2008. If you want the BEST replies, please feel free to start your own post! 

If you just bought her, unfortunately she does not know that you provide good food nor does she connect with your herd (if any). She doesn't see your place as 'home'. 

Notify the police, and all veterinarians and animal shelters in the area especially if you have livestock ones in the area. Post on craigslist and facebook groups for lost pets and animals - there are LOTS. Social media is a SUPERB SOURCE. Use photos if you have any. Post posters at local feed mills, grocery stores and even a sign or poster at the end of your driveway helps alert local people. 

Hopefully it will gravitate towards local livestock and other sheep or goat herds and is found soon. Unfortunately, in warm weather growth seasons, she has little reason to need to come to humans for food. In the winter, she is more likely to end up in with a local cow, goat, sheep herd and mooching off their feed and seeking comfort from the herd. At that point, an impromptu catch pen made of cattle panels along a fenceline can be an EASY and inexpensive way to catch a loose animal. 

Essentially, you take a fenceline that you can herd the goat along - one that is close to where the animal is spotted. Attach a cattle panel by one end and angle it outward in a wide V shape. Attach several more to lengthen the cattle panel V so that you don't have to crowd the animal and risk escape when you go to close the pen to catch the animal. If you can move your contained animals to the fenceline where the V is, seeing other animals will encourage the loose animals to move towards the catch pen.


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## popscott (Oct 6, 2004)

Rattle a feed bucket


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## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

lots of things to consider here.

how long did you have it penned up at your place?

How far away is the place it came from ?
It might have gone back home.

How tame/wild is it ?
You might spot it across a field . 
If it is tame, take the above mentioned grain bucket and walk toward it. but avoid going directly at it. sort of walk closely past it.

good luck.


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

After all that frustration I would of made her bbq,lol


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## Harrier (Mar 1, 2015)

Which of you, having 99 goats and one was lost, would not leave the other 99 behind to find and bring home the one that is missing?


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## Rose1317 (Jul 26, 2011)

Well, Harrier, we'd all go after the one, but shut the gate first.


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## 382664 (May 26, 2017)

I h


XCricketX said:


> At 3 in the morning... the dogs were barking. I have a great pyraneese, and a Miniature pincher.
> They usually have been really good about barking only at really necessary things, so when they started, I figured something was up. Sure enough... the goat came back home.
> So my husband and I were trying to figure out how to get her into the pen.. around here, the neighbors are ok about leaving you alone and all, but they don't forgive animals getting out too much. *end up bar-b-Q*
> So ... My husband hid in the barn, left the gate open, but had to put up a temporary fence so the other goats wouldn't get out. I was inside the pen, trying to coax her with food, but I was on the inside of the temporary fence.
> ...




I have 7 goats, and I let them graze in my yard, I have never had to run them down or had problems putting them back in their house. In fact, they will not even let me leave the yard without following me, and they search for me all the time and run to me when they see me. But, I spend almost everyday with them, letting them outside, scratching them on the heads, I have two skittish ones and they don't let me touch them like the others, but they are a breeze to put back in their house because they follow the goats that love me. They are skittish but also love to follow me. Maybe you should spend more time bonding with your goats and they will follow you with more loyalty then a dog. It also helps to have some friendly dominant goats that will follow you and let you get close to them, I find the others will follow.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

More loyalty than a dog? I'd have to get a restraining order...


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