# Your thoughts on keeping different breeds together.



## homebirtha (Feb 19, 2004)

What do you think about keeping different breeds together. No bucks, just does and, maybe, wethers. We have a few fainters and we're getting two LaManchas for milk. We're debating if we should put them all together or not.


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## dale anne (Apr 28, 2004)

Howdy I have Kinder,Nubian,and pygmys together and after they get done with the pecking order they are all fine together...i would not mix bucks in due to big bucks mating small goats and all the problems that could cause...i have only had troubles when one of the larger goats kidded and went after the smaller goats...all my goats have horns!...but now we have a seperate pen for nanny's and kidds so the picking on others is no longer a problem for us...all in all I have not had a problem of mixing up my goats...good luck dale anne


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## tltater (Jul 13, 2004)

I have Pygmy, LaMancha and Nubian does together and they do well together...unless you have food than of course there is a mad rush to see who can get to it first! I also don't suggest leaving bucks with does...if wethered I don't see a problem with it but otherwise not a good idea.

Tracy

Southwestern, NY


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## goatgirl2 (Jul 1, 2005)

There should be no problems in keeping different breeds together, except maybe dairy does may need a little different protein ration than wethers. Dairy vs meat types could be the same. I have a LaMancha doe in with my angoras.. she is the comic relief of the herd, she gets what they get, however she's been dry and doesn't require really high protein. Angoras tend to have a weird balancing act with protein vs roughage.. they need protein to produce nice hair, yet too much can make it coarse. Also, angora wethers and bucks shouldn't really have a high protein diet. Another thing, if you had large goats in with mini-breeds, that would be hard to regulate a ration for everyone. Something to think about. debra in nm


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

I have two young pyganchas (pygmy-La Mancha cross) does in with my Nubian doeling. I just take the younger ones out to pasture first and feed them first. Then I lead the older one out and she finishes up the grain ration. That way, everyone eats. They have separate stalls at night, so they eat when I put them to bed. It sure helped to train them to go where I wanted them to go also! They get fed to go in, and fed to go back to bed. I can lead them with the feed bucket instead of their collars and it keeps them from eating all my baby trees or running all over the yard. 

You could do a similar thing by leading the least dominant animals first and getting each animal that is more dominant in order. You would have to know the pecking order. If you don't know the pecking order, you will find out pretty quickly. Also, you will have to learn to time it so that you give each goat enough time to eat before the next one comes. I know it sounds a bit complicated, but it has made my life so much simpler. You can't imagine. No more chasing goats around the yard or dragging unwilling goats to the pasture. No more shooing goats away from the landscaping or off the car. 
They know they have to behave and get out there right away or the younger ones will eat all the grain. (Yes, my Nubian was a handful. Aren't they all!)


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## Ellie5 (Mar 31, 2005)

You may not have too much of a problem because the Myotonics are the residents & you are introducing the Lamanchas, who will be unsure of themselves for a little bit.

The only problem I see is that your Myotonics will get stiff for 5-10 seconds when there's a squabble, and be unable to move while being continually butted. I've seen Myotonics kick b**t with other goats, and also faint in the middle of butting another goat. I guess it would depend on who the herd queen is, and who it is going to be-which of course depends on size, temperament, and horns. 

In any case a slow introduction should help ease the situation. After they are used to each other they'll learn to stay at a distance but until then I would keep an eye on them to make sure noone gets seriously hurt.


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