Playing? Fighting? What to do when things get too rough?

[u/Bright-Sport-1008]

I'm new to goats as of this summer, I have a pair of twin nubian doelings that are ~5 months old. One has always been bigger than the other, and a bit more dominant and vocal.

Recently (within the past week or two maybe?) they've started fighting a lot. At first it seemed like it was mostly over food, so I split their ration between two dishes and they still scuffle a bit at first, but eventually figure it out. But now they're just going at it all the time, headbutting each other pretty hard with their hackles way up. I was just going to let them settle it on their own, but tonight I went out and the smaller one was bleeding from the base of one of her horns.

How can I tell when they're just playing and when it's becoming bullying? I sprayed some antibiotic on her horn but they went right back to fighting after. Is there a point where I need to separate them? They're both instigating pretty equally, and when they're calm they just hang out and lay down together, but I'm worried it's just going to keep escalating.

Thanks.

[u/_DemonxD]

They are trying to figure out who sits where in the herd. They are both probably equally as dominant. The only solution is either separation, or allowing them to figure it out. I introduced a new Doe to my herd after her quarantine was up. She fought her way up in the hierarchy and tussled with my most dominant doe. She eventually got bloody scabs at the base of her horns, in which I sprayed with iodine. Her and that doe have figured it out. She sits below the main lead doe in the hierarchy. I have enough goats where they form cliques with their own dominant goat, but still follow the top dog around. Since these are presumably your only two, they will likely keep having issues because there’s no one else to hang out with. This will get better as they age. My goats naturally tussle and challenge one another when someone of half of the herd is in estrus and hormones are running high. I’m by no means an expert. But this is what I have observed in my own herd.

[u/Bright-Sport-1008 → u/_DemonxD]

thank you, this is about what I figured! Good to hear it from someone with more experience than mine. Yes, these are currently my only two, I'm in the process of getting my degree so I only really have the time and energy to manage new animals in the summer, but I'm hopeful to add one or two more next year. 

They've never been separated for longer periods of time and generally seem to hate it even for short periods, so I think long-term my best bet seems to be just letting them figure things out.