How much pushing do you allow?

[mammabooh]

As most of you know, we brought our first goats home last Monday. Snicket and Mudge are Lamanchas, just turned two, are first-fresheners, and have been together since their birth, I believe. Cookie is a Nigerian Dwarf, will be a year old in May, and never met the older two until the week before I got them.

Right now, they are seperated by goat panels and don't seem to mess with each other. However, Son and I took Cookie over to the big girls' pen a couple of days ago just to see what would happen. Cookie reared up several times, cocked her head, and tried to act tough. The older girls ignored her part of the time, but also pushed her around...not ramming, but pushing. Cookie ran around and tried to get away from them. She was only in there for maybe 5 minutes and Son and I were in with them.

So, I'm wondering if I should try again, or wait until I let them out on pasture. That will be another week or so because our last section of fence isn't done yet. Perhaps they can work out their differences better while they have more room outside? I suppose there is a chance that I will always have to keep them seperated, but it sure would be nice if I could remove the dividers and they would all get along.

So, do you folks think that there is any chance that they will eventually work it out? How much pushing would you allow before you intervened?

[Alice In TX/MO]

They are going to head bang. Just let them do it. It's establishing the pecking order.

Just to let you know, every now and again, they go bonkers and have to go through the process again. Yesterday was one of those days here. Our normally serene Saanen cross was beating up on everyone.

[mammabooh]

None of them have horns, of course. Do you think I should just put them in together now and let them go at it? Is now as good a time as any? I'm sort of afraid that, the longer I wait, the more likely it will be that the older girls will be possessive of their area (and Cookie of hers).

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yes, I think that's accurate. The older goats who have been in the main pen longer will have a sense of entitlement and possession.

Goats are SO human.

[Our Little Farm]

Yes, I would put them back together. They have to establish herd dominance.

[CaliannG]

I would actually wait until you have pasture to put them in.

Injuries are SO fewer when they are banging each other against air than when they are ramming one another into wooden walls.

If you remove the stall dividers the first day you put them out to pasture...heck, even lock them OUT of the stalls and put them in the pasture on a nice day and leave them in the pasture all day, you will be doing all of the changing at once and they will settle into a new routine.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I think I would also put them together & take the dividers out on the same day you put them in the pasture. There will be head butting, that's natural but usually the more space they have the easier it is to get away from each other if you want to. They do have to work it out though, I think it's tougher on us than on them!

[KimM]

Sorry I'm going to offer different advice and suggest you allow them to be together when they're out in the open so Cookie can get away. As CalliannG sort of said, the big ones can ram that little one broadside into the wall and it'll be over for her. Why risk your investment? They'll get aqcuainted through the divider for now and have one-on-one (or two) time outside where's there's no place for her to get trapped. If you must take the divider out, set up a place for Cookie to get through or under where the bigger ones can't. They'll eventually work things out but there's planty of time for it.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I didn't word my post right, I also agreed with Caliann & KimM. I meant the day the pastures done & you can put them out in it then take the dividers down & let them be together. the more open space outside the easier it will be for Cookie to escape.

[opossumholler]

We introduced a new goat in our herd in mid February and our herd queen pushed the new goat through our barn, knocked the nails and metal right off. I was terrified thought they'd never get along. We kept new goat with the herd during the day, and at night shut her up in a part of the barn separated by cattle panel, because herd queen wouldn't allow her in the barn. After a few days of being together more they did awesome. We introduced a smaller one last Friday herd queen did amazing with her, still rared up but never pushed new small goat. The more time they have together the better they'll do

[ne prairiemama]

I'm glad you asked this. We are just introducing a new doe too and have had the same issue.