Every goat-herd has a defined social hierarchy (pecking order), and the number one female goat 
in that hierarchy is the herd queen. She’s the dominant doe in the herd, and as such, she gets first choice of food, sleeping spot, and anything else considered desirable by goats (in a dairy herd, she’ll want to be milked first). Every other doe in the herd has a specific dominant order below her, and gets access to the best items based on that position.
The goats establish their hierarchy through rearing and head butting or just butting, and it can be a little disturbing to watch as they sort out their social positions. However, by understanding that it’s normal behavior and what they’re trying to accomplish, we can learn a lot about our herd dynamics and make better management decisions.
The herd queen tends to be the most aggressive, oldest, and largest (also horned if there are horned goats) goat in the herd, but that can vary depending on herd makeup. She’s the goat that will lead the herd out to pasture and determine where they should browse, and in wild herds, is responsible for teaching the herd which plants are poisonous or inedible. If she finds a plant that’s poisonous, she’ll sniff it, snort at it, and display her dislike of the plant. The rest of the herd will then sniff the plant thereby learning which plants to avoid.
The herd queen’s kids automatically assume rank directly below the queen. So they also get access to the best food, sleeping spot, etc., and the queen will defend them if other goats try to take their position. As her kids grow, they will also defend her to make sure she retains the top spot, and she will usually retain her position until she dies or becomes infirm and another doe wins the spot. When a new herd queen does emerge, it’s usually a daughter of the original queen (often the eldest), since her daughters have been groomed to the position from birth.
In terms of meat production, the queen usually produces more kids and they grow faster, making her a top producer. For milk production; however, studies have shown that herd queens are not usually the top producers, but that the goats in the middle of the social hierarchy are. This seems odd since the queen has access to the best food and is usually a larger doe – one hypothesis is that the queens spend more time being aggressive, finding the best food, and defending territory rather than producing milk.
In our herd, the queen isn’t the largest, oldest, or best milk producer (that’s her in the picture on the left vs. our largest doe on the right), but she’s certainly the most active. She’s also doesn’t seem that affectionate and is very stubborn, so she’s not my favorite doe. Understanding that she’s the herd queen, and that her agenda is a little different, at least helps me appreciate her even when she’s being her most stubborn.
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We have just added a new doe kid to our farm, and while our herd queen, who I thought would be the issue, is doing great with her, the other dry yearling is pretty aggressive towards her! I couldn’t believe my sweet little Lu Cee was being such a bully! Do you have any suggestions on how to integrate them all together? I’ve actually pulled Lu Cee into solitary for a medical issue currently, and the other two are getting along pretty well. Do you think there will be a bigger problem when she gets out of solitary? Thanks! I really enjoy reading your blog, you have such a wealth of info on here!
Hi Amy, It sounds to me like your herd queen is not afraid of losing her position, but Lu Cee is. Someone always has to be at the bottom of the pecking order, and the goat just above her will usually work to make sure she doesn’t become the bottom goat. If the herd queen and Lu Cee are mother and daughter, then Lu Cee will likely continue as herd princess and continue to “protect” her mother’s position. If they’re not mother and daughter, then it’s likely that when you reintroduce Lu Cee, she and the doe kid will be vying for who’s on top. I’m afraid I don’t have any suggestions on how to integrate them without head-butting, they seem to need to establish the hierarchy, and then defend their position in it. Things do tend to calm down over time. About all you can do is make sure that the goat on the bottom of the pecking order has room to get away, and that there are enough feeding stations so that she gets a chance to eat. Thank you on the blog!
Question: we have a mixed herd (1 Alpine – she’s the queen of the castle, 1 mini-Nubian, and 4 Nigerian Dwarfs). They all get along well in their established pecking order except one little Nigerian who was recently added to the herd without a companion (she was bred but miscarried, I think due to stress). The other goats, particularly the Alpine who outweighs her by almost too lbs, are very hard on her and even now, 5 months later, still do not allow her to eat. We have been forced to feed her separately since she has actually been injured by the larger goats. Is there anything we can do except try to find a new home for her? Will the same thing happen when our Nigerians have their babies?
typo: Alpine outweighs her by almost *100 pounds
Hi Mel, You might want to think about finding a new home for the Alpine as opposed to the Nigerian. When the Nigerian does have babies, they will likely try to protect their offspring; however, if the Alpine is a bully there may not be much they can do about it.
I love this post. Watching herd dynamics is fascinating.
My herd queen is a homely girl that is very friendly, raises quads unassisted each year and is an all-around great goat. Strangely, her daughters haven’t assumed second position to her. I credit it to her having SO MANY daughters and another old matriarchal doe pushing for position just under the queen. But really, who knows?
Your goats are so lovely.
Hi Audrey, I agree that watching herd dynamics is fascinating. Interesting on your herd queen and her daughters, I’ve not seen that. As you say, who knows but I enjoy watching!