# bring in a new goat



## imported_ashley (Jun 9, 2011)

I have a pair of sannen goats that are a year old...and a bit spoiled (they have an acre to themselves and have never had to share anything with another goat before); I am bringing home a new goat soon, a three year old alpine that outweighs them by at least 70lbs. I read on here that having an older, more herd-savvy goat can be a good thing for an unruly herd. Is this a good idea? The two sannens are not very welcoming to new comers (they put my togg in the vet with a skull fracture which lead to having to emergently dehorn him). Is this a good idea to put a bigger/older goat that is from a herd in with the two sannens to shape them up? I eventually want to get everyone together (the new 3 y/o, the two 1 y/o, and the two 8 month-olds) Is this going to be possible or am I setting myself up for more skull fractures and broken horns? All suggestions welcome...


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Make sure the new goat has room to get out of the way in the beginning because it will be new territory to him and he'll most likely defer to the goats who are already there at first. Eventually they'll fight to sort out the pecking order. It is a goat thing and there isn't alot you can do except monitor it to make sure no one is getting too rough. The bigger goats will usually win so he'll put the other two in their place and that should be the end of it. Sometimes you can pen them side by side for a few days to help with the introduction but they'll butt heads through the fence. You might also put the most dominate goat of your pair in with the new goat and let them hash it out alone. Your other goat would then be much more wary of taking on the new goat if it sees that the new guy was the winner. It may cut down on some of the ganging up part. In the end they'll have to sort it out themselves.


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