So my dad was talking to the person we bought our pregnant doe from and he said not to separate her from our other goats (we have 2 8 month old wethers and a doe, same age) because she would get lonely (which I believe, she really doesn't like being alone).
But everywhere else seems to say you should separate them. We even bought a calf hutch already for our other goats and we were planning to start separating them at night.
Anyway, he suggested that we simply build a little box in the corner with a top and just cut a little hole small enough to let the babies in and put a heated dog bed/blanket in there.
So now I'm wondering. Why exactly do people say you should separate the doe? Other than keeping them out of the way during the actual kidding and making sure they don't setp on babies or something?
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Ok thanks, I think that's what we'll do then :)
That sounds like a good plan when they're a few days old and steady on their feet.
Hannah Person said:
So we should separate them at first and perhaps monitor some introductions and see how our goats react to the babies before letting them together?
"Our other goats aren't very aggressive, they only ever butt each other in a mean way when another one shoves their face too close to where one is trying to eat."
I just thought it should be mentioned that all goats change their "normal" behavior when new goats are introduced to a herd. The reason your goats seem content is because everyone knows where they stand within your herd, and no one is challenging that. The reason you see headbutting during eating is because higher ups are reminding the lower downs where they stand. (higher ups eat first; get the best picks) There will be jostling for position once your kids are introduced, and if they aren't big enough to get out of the way, they can get hurt too. Their dam will help keep them safe, but they still need to be agile, which newborns are not.
In Illinois, our goats don't get any pasture from December to March because it's all dead and/or covered in snow most years, so they are getting plenty of hay and then a limited amount of grain if they are in milk. We still let them out so they get fresh air and sunshine, but the pasture isn't providing them with any food.
It's not a matter of the kids eating WITH the other goats -- it's a matter of the kids trying to NURSE off other goats. Their instincts just tell them that if they walk under another goat, there will be something handing down that they can suck on. Newborns will even stick their heads under each other looking for something to suck on. Siblings certainly won't hurt each other within a few hours of birth, but if they try to nurse off another goat, you really have no idea how the other goats will respond.
So separate them for a little while after she kids perhaps?
Our other goats aren't very aggressive, they only ever butt each other in a mean way when another one shoves their face too close to where one is trying to eat. But the new kids won't be eating with them (at least not right away) so it shouldn't be a problem, though it's probably better not to take the risk.
With separating them though, the only thing I'd worry about then is our doe wouldn't have access to the pasture. We'd put the other goats out in the pasture and close the gate so she's be in the small area in our backyard where her house is, but there's really nothing to eat there. We do have a hay feeder there though. Would she be okay with just hay and grain but no pasture to browse on for awhile? Or should we open the gate and let her into our backyard (maybe only when we're home or something too)?
The doe won't be lonely after she kids because she'll have her kids for company, but if you separate her before she kids, and she can't see the other goats, then yeah, she'll get upset. Our kidding pens are separated with hog panels, so the goats can all see each other, so they don't feel alone.
I like having the moms and babies separate from the rest of the herd for a few days because young kids are not always steady on their feet, and they're not totally clued in to the world, so they will try to nurse off other does and will get whacked. It's really sad to see that with a newborn, but when they're a few days old, they can handle it much better. If your goats have horns, it can be especially dangerous.
Our sheep have their lambs in the pasture, and I saw one that was trying to nurse off a wether! Luckily he was a patient guy and just stared at the lamb, but you don't really know how various animals will react.
There is a danger of kids getting hurt by the older goats, but I know that there are folks here on this site that use alternatives to separation. You'll definitely need an area for the kids to escape to. The danger is that when the kids are little, the other goats will try to establish herd order (and keep that at the bottom) and because they are so small, the kids can get hurt. I personally would at the very least separate your doe for a couple days until her kids are strong and moving well, and you know she is nursing them well. Most likely, she won't get terribly lonely because she'll have her kids with her.