[Integration of young goats into a herd of adult goats]

The female offsprings of a goat farm were observed to establish what effects the introduction of these goats to the older animals has on behaviour, physical development, fertility and milk yield. The 32 young goats were divided into two groups. Shortly after group 1 had been mounted, they were introduced to the older goats. From group 2 those who had already given birth were introduced to the older goats the following spring. The following results could be ascertained: In group 1 there were significantly more twin births and the weight of the newborn kids was greater than that of group 2. The weight gain of the two groups differed only marginally. This was also the case for the milk yield. After having integrated them into the herd of older goats, the young goats developed a strategy for avoiding, to a large extent, being pursued by older goats and to achieve almost undisturbed fodder intake. Amongst the young goats there is a marked sense of group cohesion. When the shed is well structured, a useable area of 1.2 m2/animal for hornless goats seems to be enough to ensure species specific husbandry conditions.