The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Festus on October 19, 2020, 03:54:51 pm
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Hi. I need advice. I have 3 Golden Guernseys; two of whom are horned. The matriarch has curved horns which curl down almost to her back. One of the smaller goats has straighter horns, her sister is unhorned. I have rescued 5 Golden Guernseys from an elderly couple who can no longer cope with them, two nannies and their three kids, born this year. They are all unhorned. I know horned and unhorned goats should not be mixed but it’s a bit of a fait accompli. Normally, I would let them get on with it, after showing them to each other for a period, the new goats in their shed, the established goats talking them through the gate, and then letting them sort out their hierarchy. However, I’m worried about the kids and also potential damage. Would it be better to put them into adjacent fields so they can see each other through the fence for an extended period or will they still have to sort it out physically themselves? If so, how can I limit the damage to them? The new goats are incredibly tame and affectionate as is my old goat who’s the matriarch. My two younger goats are very timid. I know this is not an ideal situation but I need to sort it out. Any advice would be very gratefully received.
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Hi Festus,
you've probably got this already - but escape areas are brilliant for bullied goats. The best thing about raised sleeping areas are actually the areas under them, where smaller and older goats can hide. I've also got some separations in the goat house where the young ones can go under while the big folks need to jump.
Good luck, :fc:
Christian
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Hi Christian. Many thanks for your reply. Yes, I have raised sleeping areas but they haven’t managed to get close enough to get under them yet. My daughter suggested pool noodles on the horns of the goats which sounded like a good idea. I know they’ll scrap but if their horns are covered with foam it should go some way to protecting the others.
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Leave them in separate fields, possibly for a long time. I would not risk fights where the current herd queen is horned, and the newcomers are not. I take it they have separate housing/pens. Also no collars on any of the goats, if there is even a minute chnace of them interacting, collars get so quickly caught by horns with disastrous consequences.
Are you planning on keeping both groups long-term?
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I would keep them separate for a few weeks (at least) to see how they get used to each other. If they can interact through the fence that would be better so they can get used to their smell etc.