# When to introduce new kids to herd??



## Milk n' Honey (Aug 14, 2005)

When do you all introduce Momma and new kids back into the herd? We have a creep feed area and everything. The kids are born in kidding stalls that we set up. Then we moved Momma and baby to the creep feed area or a few days. It is sort of scary to think about that baby running around in there with the big goats. What do you all do? Thanks.


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## goatkid (Nov 20, 2005)

My dam raised kids live with the herd right from the start. I do not have a separate area for new goat families. I do have four goat houses in my main pen so new mothers have some privacy. I did have to shut off one of the goat houses to confine a doe after a C section. I let her and her kids in with the herd after a week. My friend who has separate stalls for some of her mama goats (usually first fresheners) keeps the does and kids separate from the rest of the herd until she can see that the does have bonded with the babies. The only time I've seen newborn kids get laid on by big goats was when they were first born and hadn't gotten up yet to nurse. These were goats whose births weren't attended. I am there when my goats kid and have never had a problem with kids being injured by the other goats. I do keep the bucks out of my family goat pens.


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## leecofarm (Feb 5, 2007)

i put up a temporary pen with half panels under the goat shed and let the mom and new babies out after 3 days. the formerly youngest goat took several opportunities to butt the babies around until they got strong enough to get away or until momma got ticked off and chased butt-er away.


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## Jillis (Sep 11, 2005)

I am amazed at how differently my goats are responding to my Nubian's babies than they did to the four dairy babies we bought February of last year. Whenever we tried to put them in with the herd, they got the snot beat out of them. 

These babies, my goats are so gentle with them. I don't know if it is because they themselves are a year older, or because they are all pregnant and so are having maternal feelings towards them, or because they are the herd queen's babies, or perhaps all three? 

They just look at them with wonderment and sniff them gently. Some of them do try to nibble on the babies but there is no hostility at all towards them.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

goatkid said:


> I do keep the bucks out of my family goat pens.


My question for you is .......
Do you stay in the garage or little house off to the side? To protect the family. 

That is a big kidding pen. Not a herd pen.


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## Terre d'Esprit (Aug 31, 2004)

Stan-

I am not sure what you meant by your reply. Reading it, I am inclined to gather that you feel that bucks should be in the same pen as the rest of the herd. Is that the case?

If so, I would ask how much experience you have with goats. A buck will mount anything he can, and the weight of my boer buck would hurt those little babies. Not to mention all of the badly-time births that would result. Does should not be rebred immediately after kidding, and that is exactly what would happen if the buck were in that pen. Does can become sexually mature at a few months old, but my policy is to wait to breed until the fall after they turn 1 (they have grown enough themselves to keep healthy and grow a baby too). If you put a buck in that pen with those doelings, you would have babies before thoes does even turned a year old!

There's just no way you can keep the buck with the babies. Some folks run the bucks with the does and don't hand breed-- that's one way of doing it. But you would not run the bucks with the doelings too young to be bred, or the bucklings that the older bucks might perceive as a threat.

If I misunderstood your reply, sorry, and I'll delete my comment.

T


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## moonspinner (Jul 2, 2002)

My bucks are always separate from the does, but other than that my kids are with the adults from day one. I've had the occasional one get stepped on but they figure out pretty quick to avoid the melees. The adults totally ignore the kids until they fringe on their grain and then just butt them away. I like how they integrate with the herd right away and learn hierarchy and herd behavior/dynamics.


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## HazyDay (Feb 20, 2007)

ok, Im not sure if mine would go under this thread but My does are dairy and I bottle raise them in our garage when moms are in he barn. Mom is kidding 1 boer doe this year and she is a FF and is going to dam raise them! She is going to kid in our barn and raise in our barn. Im bottle rasing for milk and so that my babies are lead trained by 3 months (I start at 1 month)


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Terre d'Esprit said:


> Stan-
> 
> I am not sure what you meant by your reply. Reading it, I am inclined to gather that you feel that bucks should be in the same pen as the rest of the herd. Is that the case?
> 
> ...


No, you understood it fully. 
Now let's say for example you don't overfeed your goats with grain. You let them act as goats do. They browse to get their food. Then the little female goats won't go into heat until 8 months or so after being born at the soonest. At that time the buck isn't near as fertile as he would have been in the summer so conception rates are low. This is due to the cold/low light/lower quality feed.

Now have you ever seen a jail bird that didn't want to go and get what he could when he got out? You see the bucks that way because you separate him from his girls. We had a little of the bad behavior because we brought the girls in the barn as it was very cold (-5 to 5) when they were kidding. He was such a pest I nearly slaughtered him. But his ladies are back now and he is much better. He is back to the gentle boy we are used to. 

So I believe most of your buck problems are self induced. So don't blame the boy for being a boy.


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## dosthouhavemilk (Oct 29, 2004)

I have very small kidding pens set up in the barn. Does within a month to three weeks of kidding are brought from the goat pens to the milking barn (cow). I have smaller kidding pens that can be set up for when does go into labor. FF stay there for as much as three to five days. I want them bonded to those kids before they leave that pen and join the rest. Older does will get to stay in the pen as long as five days, but I aim for at least a day and a half. It depends on how many does are kidding and how much space is available. When we are kidding out 16 in two weeks and I only have space for 5 kidding pens...well, some of the older does who I know are well bonded get thrust out into the main group earlier. I will let the doe out a couple of days before her kids are left to run free with her. I want to see how she reacts to her kids not being beside her. I let them out when the other does are out eating their hay up above (we kid in the winter for the most part).
No troubles yet.
As far as kids being smothered....we lost a three week old buck kid this year. He was laying towards the middle of the pen dead. Near where they pile up. We are assuming he was at the bottom of the pile. We have a wether who insistsed on climbing on top of the little kid piles.
We've had does kid in the group and never go into kidding pens. Be sure there are some comfortable dry places. Overcrowding could cause them to deliver in areas not suitable to safe kiddings.
I just enjoy the miracle of birth and the bonding oppurtunity it provides myself and the doe. I tame my yearlings as they come in heavy bred at 11 months old or so. Before then they can be crazy, after that point? 99% tame down in the first week of my system. They are my best friend after their labor and delivery. Makes working them in the future less stressful for everyone involved.


We've never had a doe settle too young. Even when we ran our LaMancha/Alpine buck with the herd 24/7 for two years. However, heavy dairy influence so he didn't have much interest in the warm season.
I used to run the buck(s) with the herd in the Spring after kidding up until about June, when they get separated out. I'm not doing that anymore. The Boer influence is increasing, so they will cycle year round. I'll breed some does for 3 kiddings in 2 years, but not all. 
Besides, I run anywhere from 4-7 bucks each year, they are company enough for one another. I don't have problems with my bucks that I raise myself. Now, the then 8 month old I brought in the end of November is still adjusting to his new lifestyle. He has some issues we are working through. He will adjust though. Or I'll ship his sorry butt. I don't put up with pointless crap from males. It isn't worth the added stress. He is easily replaceable.
This year, the bucks will hopeflly be summering at another farm (no goats anywhere around) with some beautiful browse for them to gorge on all summer. I love my boys to be happy since they are so cooperative and sweet to me. If they behave, I'll spoil them all I can.


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

When I was back in Texas for a history conference, I had the opportunity to visit a boer goat facility that had a great idea for getting kids out of the way. Those large plastic water barrels or food grade barrels? Take one and cut it in half, then cut a little "n" shaped door out, leaving plastic threshold across the bottom so the barrel holds its round shape, and won't squash out if a big one jumps on top. Then the littlest ones can get away from the big galoots which is what my babies want to do anyway. They squeeze under feeders, into corners, etc.


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