# how old until the kids can mingle with the "big girls"?



## use2bwilson (Aug 4, 2011)

I was just wondering ... how long until our little doelings can hang out with our year old doe?
They are still itty-bitty ... so i know it will be a while. but is there a general age they can start spending time together?
do you typicaly supervise their interactions in the beginning?


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## Natural Beauty Farm (Mar 18, 2011)

Here nobody gets to join the main herd until they have kidded. So 18-24 mo old. We have the main herd, pregnant yearlings +/-, last years kids and kids from this year....divided up by birth months.
Bucks have to be able to hold their own in a pen, right now we have Sr., 2yr old, 1yr old, and 2 kid buck pens.


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

I don't have a large herd, so once the kids know who momma is and are steady enough on their feet, they are free to mingle, though they don't get to stay outside without supervision until they are at least a week old.

So for mingling for me, a few days, at most.


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## use2bwilson (Aug 4, 2011)

We just have the mama and her 2 babies and then one other goat that is one year old. So right now our one-year old doe is by herself. During the day, I have the mama and 2 babies in a small pen in front of their barn/shed and our other doe is outside the small pen with access to the pasture and the other side of the large pen. She tends to hang out along the fence line near the mama and babies. At night they are in the shed/barn together with livestock panel separating the mama & babies from our lone goat ... but they are visible and close.

So our lone doe is by herself but not too far away from the others at any time. Yet I know she misses her buddy (the mama goat). She pushed passed us the other day at the gate into the small mama/kid pen ... but then was very rough on the babies trying to head butt them. We got her out of there quick. I know that's how they work out their pecking order ... but not when the babies are still itty-bitty (not even a week yet).

So with such a small herd ... I was wondering when the babies are strong enough to be around our other goat (as long as they have safe hiding places) ... I can obviously just keep an eye on things and see how they progress ... but was wondering if there is a general age ...


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I had that exact same situation last year and I let them mingle together for a couple of hours supervised. Then let them go all day when I thought things were good but locked up the yearling at night for a couple more days. Then they were all together. You will know how she is behaving towards the babies and whether there will be an issue. If they try to nurse off her expect her to butt them away that is normal.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Well I am going to wait until the kids are about 2 months old I think to let them mingle a bit with the big girls but I will still put them in the upper pen with their mammas at night time away from the yearlings. Our 4 yearlings are out in the main acres ( About 4 acres). Our 3 mammas with their 8 babies total are up close to house in about 1 acre area. I have this divided up into 4 sections and still put the mammas in with their babies at night at 3 weeks of age. The mammas learn how to make their babies listen to them better this way and the babies bond to their mammas. All the little babies play together now in one large area while the mammas eat. In a few more weeks, I will open up the main gate to let the mammas down the hill for a brief time with their babies. They won't let the yearlings hurt them. 
I do have the babies at 3 weeks old able to slip into an eating pen where their mammas can not fit through the hole. They are starting to nibble on crushed medicated pellets to help protect from Cocci. This is their 3rd day and they have the system down now and run in there waiting for their treats.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

I let mine run together for short stretches, supervised, when they are only a day or so old. When the kids are fast and strong enough to get away from the other does, I let them stay out. That's usually about three or four days.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

^^^thats pretty much how I do it, at a day or so they can got out a little with the other moms and babys for a little, then my 3 or 4 days they are running with the rest, but usually still get locked up at night till they are almost 2 weeks, or till I need the house for another goat.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

milkmaid said:


> I let mine run together for short stretches, supervised, when they are only a day or so old. When the kids are fast and strong enough to get away from the other does, I let them stay out. That's usually about three or four days.


Yeah, as soon as they can get out of the way I let them out. Especially if the sun is shining. I have 4wo and 2wo kids running with the herd. The newest, 4 days, got to play with everyone yesterday and did fine. I have to lock up them and their moms most of the time as the 4wo quads steal the milk from their older sisters. :hair:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

If you only have one other goat, maybe try them at a week old or two weeks and see how the other doe treats them? She might be just fine and they can all be together? Especially if the mama and other doe are buddies.

We only have 4 does, so after our kids are a few days old - can safely get away from the others they go out for a little while, and work their way up so they get to go out all the time. This has worked gret for us, no problems. We just make sure they can get away from our meannie herd queen before we leave them unsupervised.
One of our does who doesn't have any kids is really great with the others, she loves her 'grandbabies' and they follow her around, climb, and jump on her and doesn't bother her at all 

I think it just all depends on how your goats interact with each other, and how big of a herd you have.


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## goatgirlzCA (Mar 9, 2011)

You know what I love about this forum? You can almost always find the answer to your questions without having to ask! Jezzi had her babies yesterday, and is in a small kidding pen with them, but I only have four other does, two which are bred and two which are not - none of the others have ever had babies.

Jezzi is being such a good mommy, but wanted to go out this morning, but I didn't let her. I will let the little family out in spurts and see if they can all get along. Fortunately, my herd queen always LOVES little goats (my daughter tends to get her wethers at 3 months), so I am hopeful she will be nice.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Mine stay in a pen with momma for 2-3 days and then start getting out with the others for short periods of the day... I keep separate at night for about a week. Then it's a free-for-all... My does are pretty nice to the new ones.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Mine stay in a pen with momma for 2-3 days and then start getting out with the others for short periods of the day... I keep separate at night for about a week. Then it's a free-for-all... My does are pretty nice to the new ones.


 I do the same....I watch for a while... to make sure everything is OK.... :thumb:


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