Introducing new goats for a lonely inherited single goat?
I’m now taking care of a single billy goat who was a bit neglected by the previous owners. He’s friendly with us but I know he needs a proper herd as they are social animals.
Current plan is to use two separate sections of the paddock and introduce a few more goats to him gradually through the fence, then later on open the fence. I know it’s good to quarantine new goats against sickness or parasites and have separate feed troughs and water available for a while too.
Things I’m not sure on are when going from one goat to multiple will the newcomers bully our original goat if the newcomers are already an established and stable group? And is it hard to break it up if that does happen? Our buck is a bit older so I could imagine some young bucks being competitive perhaps.
And is it better to add a mix of bucks and does, or just bucks or just does?
Any other advice or tips from folks who’ve gone from one goat to a herd are appreciated!
