need some goat help!

[mistylady]

We had a pair of goats but one passed away from old age and the younger one needed a buddy. So we found him a 3 year old Alpine doe and a 3 month old Boer/Nubian cross doe. The other goat is abouta yar and a half old. All three are pets. No one will be food.

When we brought the Alpine home they butted heads and acted awful but she is big enough to take it an they have become buddies in a week. They snuggle up to sleep. Its very cold here - 16 degrees outside right now. The problem is the baby goat. Sonny, the whether we started with and the Alpine, beat the baby, Cher (yes we have Sonny and Cher), up and won't let her eat. I solved the food problem by making a stall only she can get in and out of. So she is getting plenty of food and I fixed a thick straw bed in it for her. I saw her pop in and out of the stall by herself yesterday. But how do I keep the bigger goats from hurting her in the pen? Yesterday I was out there and Sonny rammed her into the wall and smashed her. Should I seperate her for a month or so? She will probably be small since she was a bottle baby and the people we bought her from got rid of her because their other goats wouldn't let her eat from the trough. Shes so small I can carry her around.

anyone else have problem introducing a baby into the herd? i thought they would love to have a baby in the herd. Thank you for any help!

 

[Chatychick]

I have had this problem before and its kinda like 2's company and 3 is a crowd. She should grow as I raise bottle babies and they grow well. I would just make sure she is eating and has a warm place to sleep, alone if need be. Sometimes with a new baby it does take some time especially with age. Its their pecking order and she is at the bottom of the totem pole.
I also when I am outside I will correct by telling them no hitting. Also I would separate Sony from the girls and see if they bond well. They say they really dont hit each other that hard but to me it looks like it is,
But since she is so tiny and young I would make her a place they cant get into and she should be fine. Is she weaned yet? If she is then just make sure she is eating grain and hay and drinking lots of water and she should do well.
Just because he is a wether doesnt mean he cant smell and if the other goes into heat he dont want it around. My wethers are the biggest tattletales and lets me know when some of my girls are in heat. They do all the buck does but they are shooting blanks and this doe you just got is probably going into heat soon.
Good luck

 

[sunnychooks]

You may want to build some type of "creep feeder" until your little one gets a bit bigger and can compete for the food. We've used creep feeders with lambs and they work wonderfully. You need to have an area (ours was in the barn) where you can set up a barrier that the larger goats cannot jump over or get through. There needs to be openings that are small enough for your young one to get through. You can feed her behind the creep (she can enter anytime she wants) and the older ones will not be able to bother her there.

 

[Chirpy]

Giving her a safe place to eat was the best solution for her feeding issues.

Yes, she is at the bottom of the herd social order and will be bullied until either she is large enough to move up in the pecking order or she'll always be at the bottom (most likely the latter).

She needs several places that she can run to and get away from the other goats when they're picking on her. They absolutely can hurt her with the size difference. Even the same size goats can hurt each other when head butting, especially if they hit another goat in the side. Thankfully it doesn't happen very often.

If you have a way to completely separate her from the other goats until she's much older/larger that would be ideal. You would want her to be next to them so she can see them and she's not completely by herself since goats are so social and need the company of other goats.

Of course the most ideal situation would be to get her another goat friend that is her size and close to her age (Hint, hint, hint....

) and give them their own separate area.