So I have 5 nigerians due. 2 in February and the rest in March. We have decided to put them in our barn for kidding but we only have 2 stall, really big though. I was wondering if its ok to have 2 moms in one pen? I know sometimes moms get really protective of their babies and thats why I wanted to make sure
Well I dont know about everyone else, but that is what I am doing this year. We have a 100 year old barn and it is getting worn, There is only one stall that we have closed in so its warm and it is a good 12x12 so I think that is plenty of room for my 2 moms and kids. Right now only one has kidded the other is due Febuary 8th. So we will see how both moms do with both sets of kids. The mom still prego isnt a huge fan of the kids and will bump them if they get to close but the dont get hurt at all. If your moms are aggresive then I wouldnt suggest it. Also I have a creep area with a heat lamp, so the kids have somewhere to go to get away from the moms. Once it is nice and warm out they will have more options as to stalls and outside but until they are bigger and it is warm they are stuck in the one stall.
Most of my girls are pretty sweet, there is one im a little concerned about, she always likes to eat first and will ram. I plan to move them in next week or the week after, just to see how well it will work. They could all fit in one, but I dont want to pack them all in. They dont even look pregnant, only one.
My doe that already kidded is like that so I am worried there could be problems when the other kids but you will just have to watch. Also when you put them all back together after they kid you should put all the moms together first and let them get their pecking order back first then let all the kids in so they dont get hurt while the moms fight over who is boss.
Ya shes a brat! But when she goes out of line she gets rammed prett bad! They teach her after a while, she just wants to be the herd queen. I will just watch when the babies are born Thanks for your help
Actually I prefer to have a couple does together at a time. They seem to be more comfortable with a buddy. Just put them in the stall together a week or so before they're due so they are used to each other. Try and pick does that aren't agressive toward each other.
Ya, I noticed they like buddies. Last year I put my doe by herself and she didnt really like it that much. None of them really seem to have agression towards eachother, just my one doe is a stinker! She was my first goat so she thinks shes the awesomest goat there is and if another goat is getting more attention she rams them lol
My kidding pen is 20' X 40'.... I have an 8' x 6' kidding stall with a 5' porch. I also have tons of toys and houses for the kids and moms. I keep 3 does in there at a time... but I try to only have one doe that is "due any time" in there... so that they don't have to fight over the stall. They get along before and after kidding but I can totally understand not wanting to have a "buddy" staring at them while they are trying to focus on their labor.... plus should any complications arise.... having another doe that wants MY attention would be distracting. So how about the same stall with a small "privacy section"??? Don't know if that makes sense?? Sometimes it's hard to describe things without a visual! LOL Jess Faint-Hearted Ranch www.faintheartedranch.net
YA!!! I totally understand what you mean! Great idea!! I will try that because thats understandable, moms dont really like show when babies are coming!
