[colliewoman]

Hi folks!
It's not as bad as some have it down here I  know, but I have OCD and worry about the mud
My goats have their house which is 6 meters by 3 that they have free access to. I am making them an exercise yard out the front of it as they dont like to walk through the mud to the grass...
the yard is 6 meters square and filled with gravel topped with paving slabs.
Is this going to be big enough for 3 in kid (hopefully) goats?
they can still go out to grass when the ground is hard, but i have to stop the grass getting poached so cant go out when it is wet underfoot.
Also when they come home from their holidays, should i pen the separately in the house at night do you think, or leave them all together as they have been used to?

thankies all
Donna x

[jaykay]

Your wet-weather yard sounds fine  You can cut them branches to munch on days when they're confined, gives them something to do.
I'd leave them altogether still and just separate them when they're about to kid, as long as they all get on and no-one is headbutting anyone else!

[little blue]

if you pen too early, and they are not used to it.. it gives them 115 days to work out how to trash it! at least at kidding time, their little minds will be occupied

[jaykay]

There speaks the experienced goat-keeper 

[ballingall]

If they are all in-kid I would leave them in together for a bit longer. If one was not pregnant I would say split them up as she might steal extra food that the others have more need of.

We have two who normally live together that we are just about to split up- but Butterkup is not kidding next year (running through) and Comet is due in February, so they need to be split up so can moniter properly how much each is eating!

Beth

[Anke]

If they share a pen they can cuddle up to each other during the really cold nights in winter, mine do.

If the pen is not too small and they are on different amounts of feed in the last few weeks before kidding just tie them up in individual corners with their own feed buckets. I separate about a week before due date, earlier if they start to fight a bit...

[Lesley Silvester]

I don't have the space to separate mine but they manage quite happily.  As it was raining when Curry was born, his Gran had to join us in the shed.  She watched with interest but made to attempt to interfere.

[colliewoman]

thanks all, i'll leave them all together till nearer the time then, thankies!