By Heather Jackson, contributing writer
Don’t get me wrong, I love my dairy goats, but today I’m going to tell you five reasons NOT to get goats…
I usually consider goats to be gateway livestock. They are one of the first stops as we fall down the rabbit hole that is homesteading (Jill: that was definitely true for us!). Goats are less expensive than cows and their size makes them a little less intimidating to the novice homesteader. Because of that, I think many people get started with goats before they really think through the consequences.
There are many things to consider before getting goats, and I’ll be honest, some are a bit of a hassle. So, it’s a good idea to be aware of some of the headaches before you dive in!
5 Reasons You Might Reconsider Getting Goats
1. Toenail Trimming
Goat hooves have to be trimmed on a regular basis. Some goats need it more often than others, but proper trimming is very important to goat health. Overgrown nails can make it very difficult for a goat to get around well, so they have to be taken seriously.
I’ll tell you, giving a goat a pedicure isn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
For me, hoof trimming involves strapping the goat into the milking stand and plying it with feed to keep it happy. I then lift each foot in turn and scrape it clean with a foot pick and trim the nails with what amounts to a very sharp pair of pruning sheers. All the while, bending at an awkward angle and trying simultaneously not to cut myself with the clippers or get kicked in the face. It’s not that fun, y’all, but it has to get done.
2. Fencing (and escaping!)
If a fence can’t hold water, it can’t hold goats! This was a bit of wisdom that I scoffed at before acquiring my goats. “Surely goats aren’t as bad about escaping as all that,” I naively thought.
Actually, as I learned, goats rival Harry Houdini when it comes to great escapes. Luckily, we are surrounded by extremely patient neighbors who don’t mind having my “visitors” come clean out the drainage ditches in their pastures. We have replaced almost all of the fences on our farm since we moved here, and still the goats break out on a nearly daily basis.
Heck, we even put goat “toys” in the pasture to keep the little boogers occupied. The playground helped some but didn’t solve the problem.
And you don’t even want to hear about the times I’ve chased my goats down the road in my nightgown, wielding a karate staff! Was that too much information? Moving right along….
(Jill: fencing is the reason we had to downsize our goat herd… here’s our story)
3. Worming
Goats are very prone to getting intestinal worms. You really have to stay on top of their health by worming them regularly, either by herbal or chemical means. You also have to be careful not to overworm your goats because worms are becoming resistant to many chemical wormers that are currently on the market.
As a goat farmer, you must familiarize yourself with your wormer options, dosages, and with the types of worms that are prevalent in your area. In addition, you need to be able to diagnose worms.
I personally diagnose worms using the goat’s symptoms and the Famacha chart, which looks at the coloring of the inner eyelid and the gums. More precise goat farmers often do their own fecal analysis. I will admit that I have tried this, but for me, after purchasing a very nice microscope and many colorful and sparkly test tubes, I learned that all my untrained eye could see was magnified goat poop.
4. Bucks
Goat milk is amazing, but to have goat milk, you have to breed your ladies, and that means you have to deal with bucks. A buck in rut can easily rival a skunk in terms of stink. They also have many disgusting (but often amusing) habits.
Bucks particularly like to urinate on their own faces and stick their heads in the urine streams of other goats. They also like to perform “acts” on themselves that are rather, um, difficult to explain to children or visiting relatives.
If all this is a bit much for you to deal with, you can have your girls artificially inseminated, but it will add a whole new set of logistics to your homesteading plan.
5. Destruction of all Landscaping
I’ll be honest here. Although I love to garden, my talents lie in the vegetable patch rather than the flower garden. When we moved to our homestead, I was excited to have a backyard full of established perennial bulbs that I probably would not kill through my neglect.
That was before the goats came…
Those little monsters have figured out every trick in the book to get at my flowers. Now I’m down to nothing but sad nubs instead of beautiful blooms.
I’m lucky though, because none of my flowers are toxic to goats. Many plants are, including popular shrubs such as azeleas and rhododendrons, which can kill goats in a swift and dramatic fashion.
And speaking of the vegetable patch, the goats tend to break in to that at least annually, which causes mass destruction, headaches and massive frustration.
I think that was enough bad news for one day. How about some good news?
Their faults aside, goats can be sweet, lovable, friendly, funny, and full of personality. Additionally, I look forward to my time spent milking each day, and I love goat milk and my homemade soft goat cheese.
To me, the rewards are worth the work, as long as you understand some of their quirks before you get started. 🙂
So have you ever kept goats? What was your biggest challenge to goat ownership?
Heather is into cooking, cow milking, gardening, goat chasing and egg gathering. She loves cast iron cookware and all things Mason jar. She despises laundry. She is also a novice martial arts practitioner and a homeschooling mom of three and host mom to a Danish exchange student. She and her family live on three beautiful acres in Remlap, Alabama.You can find more of her farming mis-adventures and delicious recipes at her Green Eggs & Goats website.
Thank you for this! It’s SO important to understand what you’re getting yourself into no matter what critter you’re wanting to take home. Very thorough post.
Goats are great to have as pets, but you can’t just let them sit out there, you have to work with them… The are a handful sometimes, but they are worth it! Please get the goats if you want to, don’t let this persuade you not to!
I guess you shouldn’t get dogs either, because almost all of these reasons are the same as dogs’, You still have to trim a dog’s feet, dogs get out and run away (which some would argue is even worse because goats don’t leave the yard), You have to worm your dog as well, which along with trimming you can pay your vet to do, you can just rent a buck, or do AI, or artificial insemination which you can have your vet do, and if you give them things to play with, even just old branches or something to climb on they wont destruct you stuff.
I disagree nearly 100% with everything that was said. Not that these things don’t ever happen. But there are some very easy steps that can be taken. I’ve been running a backyard urban farm for six years with as many as 25 goats at a time (not recommended). Only 1 of my does is dehorned. I’m managing to keep them penned using nothing but 4’ dog run fencing. Not that they cant jump it, but they are happy so they dont. I do have to trim to does hooves but the bucks trim their own because there’s rocks back they are that they can trim them on and if they have plenty of access to the outside and fresh air bucks don’t smell that bad. They are sent is a very metallic tang which personally I don’t find unpleasant. As far as landscape distruction it depends on what you consider a distruction. I put them in an area of my property that was all rock and sand and now I have good wonderful soil and lots of earthworms where they’ve been living for six years. Is that destruction? You tell me. Now they will eat grass and plants & the bark off your trees but if you feed them well they will do less of that then if you don’t. As for worming- Ive never had to do it. That’s not to say that the problem might not arise in the future but I haven’t had a problem in six years. They get checked out regularly by the vet and they’re incredibly healthy and happy and they give me lots of beautiful milk
I have goats and they give us milk and meat. We show them and get money from it. They are very sweet and I think that goats are the best animal to get.
Well, you probably don’t have parasite issues because you are keeping them primarily on dry lot, not everyone can do that. Buck smell can be not so bad, or it can be awful, but the writer correctly described how most people feel about bucks. I love my bucks too and agree that to me they don’t smell “too bad” but visitors here would and have disagreed strongly. I have never seen a goat be able to wear enough hoof off on rocks to “never” have to hoof trim. Hoof health would require at least checking and trimming the inside hoof walls where rocks would not impact the bottom. Most goat owners that I know would agree with the writer substantially so I found it difficult to understand how you could disagree “100%”.
Good 4 u i love animals and wish i could own some farm animals we do have pets a bearded dragon,turtle,kitten,and goldfish is all were allowed to have here in the city but goats ate great but smell awful#!#
Good information
I want to start a Goat and sheep farm in India
What precaution and arrangements must I make
Please help me out
I disagree with it too if your gonna have livestock you have to put work into them you can’t be lazy
I think that was her point. I appreciated the article! Having raised and milked goats for 12 years, I agree with her! There are many people interested in having goats that don’t have a clue what care is involved, so I thought this was informative. I used to take my does to visit a buck or have him come temporarily, because they do smell. My daughters were in 4H so we had a nice circle of goat friends and could use bucks from different farms so we didn’t get too much inbreeding. Thanks!
Any suggestions for renting neighbors of “Houdini goats” that seem to have no options to keeping goats out of their rented property without making enemies of neighbors?
All animals can be destructive, all animals need dewormer shots, all animals need their toenails trimmed, all animals need a home, and all animals need a male to have kids. I guess no one should have pets. Ever.
This is exactly what i was thinking!! I breed dogs (we have 10)..i have a cat. A mama goat n 2 kids…40 chickens (various ages), n like u said all need nails trimmed..n all need dewormer..my dogs destroy wayyy more than my goats…i have a horse fence they can jump or walk under but they dont even try.
I agree with you. I have a Corvette and I live with my mother now because she has pancreatic cancer and i had a new paint job on front cap befor I came home. And The goats have gotten on my car but yet the neighbors said that their goats can’t climb and never in my life seen people and not leave them with children to raise that doesn’t know how to feed them and give them too much acid and all the other animals that they live in there because they work every day they leave before the children home from school this is a disgrace and a burden to children . They are not toys.
My neighbors have two goats in a pen not 50 feet from my house. They are the most annoying animals ever. I absolutely despise the sounds they make. And cant even walk outside without them Baaaaaing. That should be #1 on your list of why NOT to own goats.
Just saying about your neighbors goats, they’re very curious animals and are just saying howdy to you. I have 15 rescued goats, only one screams like a banchy! My Nubian Onxy, actually I love hearing her scream.because once she was so skiddish and scared because the previous owner dehorn ed her but all m others have their beautiful horns. Screaming at the others is her only defense, butting is normally just a game with them. I really hope you can look at your neighbors goats as just a different kind of pet. At least they don’t bark all day..all though I adore my dogs also. I rescue unwanted goats and love each one. Learn their personalities, goats are pretty amazing animals at least to me.
My neighbor has 3 kids and they are all under 12, that is way more annoying than the screaming of my two Nubian goats, pay back.
Agree. Annoying as hell.
Hoof trimming is easy, we place our goat against a wall and his or her head against my chest (I sit on a bucket) and I pet the goat as I talk to it, my husband does the trimming. Our goats have learned to trust us, there is no battle. Goats clean your property of weeds and poison ivy which is fantastic. Less underbrush means reduced fire spread. Have your vet come once a year, observe your goats for changes in behavior. Keep their stalls clean and you will love your goats. They are affectionate and appreciative of your care and they show that in their behavior
I got a big kick out of reading this. Most animals can be a hassle to have around so I tend to just use machinery for land clearing etc..
Dogs barking their heads off, goats running everywhere along with chickens and cats all over the place, mini horses nearly causing car accidents at 3 am, a giant hog making a racket are just some memories I have of a neighbor. The 6 dogs were the worst and would start barking if I even breathed in my own yard!!! Of course the neighbors were evicted after 5 years….at the same time I sold my place!!!! The real estate guy that owned the neighbors house said the neighbors busted the septic pipe and filled the house cellar (all dirt old farm) with sewer and nearly destroyed the house.
Those neighbors and the description of goat bucks you gave had a lot in common hah..a.
I’m still chuckling from this post. So many folks, including myself, are so thankful for your honesty! We have a small herd (3 adult does, 2 doelings) of Nigerian Dwarf goats. We’ve definitely had our beginning struggles with some of their little quirks, but we’ve (knock on wood) rarely had problems with escapees…and our fencing leaves a lot to be desired. I think one comment of note from our experiences would be that dwarf breeds are indeed easier to care for and contain. In hindsight too, I’m happy our milk production is pretty manageable (1/2 gallon/day from 2.5 does). Thanks again for the post and we really enjoy your blog!
– Katie and Mark
I find that Nigerians are much less prone to escaping than the large breeds. Being smaller they can’t put as much wear and tear on fencing. They also don’t seem to be quite as smart. 🙂
Not so true! They are super smart and sneaky! Smaller means more options for escaping…but they are so very lovable!
I have 3 Nigerian dwarfs two of them that we rescued mama and her baby. They are definitely not annoying. I let them out we have about an acre and they have not ran anywhere they stay close to their home, they are very smart and very loving. We lost my husband only son he was 17. These goats have definitely helped are family and we dare anyone to mess with them. Okay they are spoiled but still very very good pets better then dogs
When we first purchased our land we started with cows and then added sheep. The sheep won and the cows I was happy to see go. My husband would always tell others. What’s the difference between sheep and goats? his response, sheep are the ones inside the fence. Rotational grazing would really help with parasites. It’s been a blessing for our sheep. Great Post!
Carole @ Garden Up green.
LOL– yes, that’s is very true!! 🙂
Thanks for the comical view of the truth about goats. You are right, they do love to escape. My Eve learned that when she reared up on the door I would come outside. She doesn’t know she’s ringing the doorbell! You did a good job telling the truth about the good, the bad, and the ugly (Papa Goat). Bucks will also act out if deer are in heat in the woods around them, I learned this the hard way! LOL
Oh my word– I’m sure if we had a doorbell, mine would be all over it! 🙂
We still laugh about the goats we had when our kids were growing up. What a nuisance, but how funny they were. Our teen daughter had a little red sports car that was a magnet for the goats. We had to turn in an insurance claim for the roof of her car where their hooves destroyed the paint job. Our agent said that was the first time she had ever made such a claim.
But the best one was when the lady who had been my 2nd grade teacher called me to say that our goats had followed them into the church building 2 blocks away. Fortunately it was only a weeknight meeting and not Sunday service. Or a wedding!
Nooooo… not the sports car! 😉
🙂 My husband drove his truck to work and his boss said “I see you have goats.” because of the scratches all along the side where my toggenburg would jump up to look in the windows.
Oh my goodness! Our Alpine doe decided that my husband’s shiny, new black car was really another doe in disguise… we had the same result as you!
Hi, my name is Darlene and I raised/owned a few goats several years ago. And I Love goats. Firstly, I purchased an older Saanan nanny. She was so patient as I learned how to milk her as well as a surprise when I discovered that goats have only 2 teats. She later gave birth to two of the cutest babies. I quickly became enamoured with them. Every day I let my 2 year old curl up and sleep with them. When I would go outside I would click my tongue and they would come running, sit on my knees and suck on my ears. I found it delightful. This nanny was also patient as my son tried his hand at milking. She stood still whilr he washed her udder, she stood still as he bumped around trying to position his stool, she stood still as he grabbed hold but then her patience ran and she calmly and gently got her nose under his bum and sent him summersaulting away. It was so funny.
I am sad to say that in my inexperience I bred her a few times because I thought she hadn’t caught. When she went into labour she needed help (did I say she was older? About 13) and the first baby was good. But the next 4 were too small and progressively less developed. Needless to say she had earned her rest.
This post is so funny! Really enjoyed reading. Your KIDS sound just like my spotted painted desert mix black belly sheep. A lot of folks think they’re goat! They act like goats except they aren’t as friendly. I’m considering adding a goat or two to the herd to see if they will settle down. Anything new around they act like they’re going to get eaten alive and run! They can really jump. I put a big bale in their lot and it’s not long they’re playing King of the Bale! Great picture of the lass on the tire, I think I’ll try burying a few truck tires, maybe it will keep them busy and happy thru the winter months.
If you place large blocks of cement or stone in your goat pastures, that they can climb on, you wont have to trim hooves, sometimes at all. If you pup pumpkin seeds in the feed you almost never have to worm. Shock wire helps a LOT with escapes. Find a nearby farmer/rancher/goat owner who has a buck because yes, they are the nastiest creatures alive. My buck was once so tangled he couldn’t move at all and yet, when I found him, he was still… putting his mouth on himself. These are just a few helps and observations. I don’t think I’ll ever have more than one or two goats at a time again, such a hassle. Miniature cows are my next adventure! Spendy though so I have to save up.
Great tips MJ– thanks!!
Thank you for the pumpkin seed advice!
I had goats years ago and wouldn’t trade it for anything…however all 5 of your reasons are right on! Escaping was our big problem…two heights of electric fence HELPED! Loved all my goats, big ones, small ones and fainters. At one point we had 32 goats! Great 4-H projects! Yes, they certainly were the gateway drug for me!
I think if we end up doing a bunch of goats again, we’ll definitely do some sort of electric!
So true on the escaping!! I have boer goats and nigerian dwarf goats and they are both true escape artists, i had a 18 week old boer buck get out of his pen and was following my cat down the drive way!!. I have a little kids play set in with my dwarf goats and they love it. I am going on my second year with goats and hope to have many many more.
We have over forty goats and we maintain them on our working farm. I disagree with most of your points. I’ve offered here a glimpse at our production in a hopeful attempt to help those struggling.
Our goats love hoof trimming. From minutes after birth we teach proper manners. Touching every part of the goat, putting them on the stand and running them through the paces. Hooves, udders, ears, temps etc. We continue this training until they are ” bomb proof” Hoof trimming, and everything else we put them thru is fun and the goats love the attention!
Ours rarely escape. Unless the gate is left unlatched, they stay in the pens. If the fencing is adequate, they can’t get out. It’s really that simple. If your goats are getting out, the fencing isn’t adequate. Higher, shorter, reinforce.. figure out the escape route and fix it. Staying one step ahead by watching for potential routes, leaping from shelters, shimmy up trees etc. never underestimate a goat, ever!
Milking. We have several does that can go thru estrus milking and don’t require yearly kidding. High quality, good genetics and dedication in breeding and milking practices keep theses great gals going.
With the exception of a few weeks in the fall, vigilant grooming keeps our bucks from getting rank. Good livestock shampoo and a hose is all it takes. The bucks love playing in the water! In the winter, big human size wipes combat any raunchy smells. As far as behavior, see above, we allow basic mating, but not ” getting naughty” . Our eight bucks are housed together and for the most part are little gentleman!
Parasite control is a snap. If you formulate a schedule based on your area and needs it’s as simple as one or two maintenance doses a couple times a year. Our goats stay parasite free and it only takes about half an hour every few months.. Above medication control, sanitation…Keep things clean! Always! Muck often, haul away!
If these things are problems for others perhaps a hard look at ones herdsmanship would provide clues how to reduce these problems. We continually evaluate how our farm is running, making sure we are utilizing our resources for optimal production.
And as always, no goats, no glory! Farm on!
Dear T
What kind of goats do you have? My goat normally hate water and getting their feet trimmed.. I do have to agree if you have good fencing your goats should not be able to get out, but sometimes they do find a way. I have to disagree on parasite control being a “snap” I think it is a hard thing to get under control especially when you have limited pasture for your goats, I lost a amazing doe and almost another from parasites and that was with worming them regularly, I don’t know what I did wrong but I think it is a hard problem to get under control once you have it .. I would love to know your secret to getting them to like there feet being trimmed 🙂 that is always a struggle with me. Thanks for all your tips and info! a lot of it was very helpful.
Rebecca
Dear T
I looked at my comment again I feel I came off a little rude I am very sorry for that. I really do like the tips that you have and will be trying them very soon.
Rebecca.
We have Nigerian Dwarf, Saanen, Nubian, Mini Nubian.
Our goats are trained early. Literally as we are drying the birthing goo we play with udders, mess with the feet, wiggle the ears, take their temp. We also do this twice weekly with all 200+ animals on the farm (goats, cow, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, horses, dogs, cats etc). So they get used to it and they enjoy it. Every single week, twice a week rain, snow, sleet, hail…NOTHING takes president. We know Sundays and Thursdays this gets done. It takes about an hour but we can really see what’s going on with the herd and stay on top of ant potential problems. Catch mole hills before they become mountains!
The water too if the weather allows is weekly and in the summer, almost daily. Ones that come here older/unaccustomed we start with sprinklers, it isn’t long after watching the others having fun before they join in. It’s all in the training/desensitization!
The parasites. Every single animal is treated for parasites before entering the property. This is critical! A seller may claim anything, we don’t risk it! Before the land was ours it was poorly managed. So it required diligence. Working with our vet we came up with the protocol. The” short” of it every three months everyone is treated for everything regardless of signs or lack of signs! And we repeat the treatment seven days later on the dot! Herd management is seriously about staying one step ahead! As for what we use on the goats, Sub Q Ivermectin and safeguard for the goats. We also add natural controls to the diet like pumpkin seed etc.
The next step in preventing muck, muck, muck! We were mucking almost every single day in the beginning! We burned the straw. Kill the bugs! We used straw and shavings. Now we have things to where we muck the first and fifteenth. Religiously. I once was in the ER, but made the family go home to muck! Deep layers of straw on top of deep layers of shavings. I do mean deep! But it works, all the critters stay clean and dry and the job is easier this way!
We found the pre made 16×4 ” ish” inch panels with hot wire top and bottom works the best at keeping them penned. Also gates that open ” into” the pen with about a half of foot overhang keeps them from pushing out our wiggling through! We also secured our entire perimeter with three strand hot ” tape” in the event something does get loose it’s not down the road, or over at our mean crazy neighbors house! : )
These are just a few things we learned in the beginning, and we are still learning. The first months of our farm adventure read like a comic novel, though some of the critters antics I couldn’t make up if I tried!
I do agree they are the gateway. I started with one goat, one dog, one cat, one bunny…soon it exploded and we have over 200 critters. All of them have names, all of them loved! It’s addicting! We plan on expanding again next spring!
I would love to share from my mistakes! I remember calling my ” goat mentors” in tears or panic or both many times…I always started with ” hi, it’s me, the dumb goat girl…” I hope I didn’t come across condescending or rude! I really just LOVE goats and have learned to make it a little less trouble.
Like my bumper sticker says…
Life’s better with goats!
Dear T
thank you so much for all the tips, i am very new to this and still getting started, i call my goat mentor all the time in a panic trying to figure out what is wrong with one of my goats :). What does the pumpkin seeds do?.do you do anything to treat your pastures for parasites?. I have lost a total of three goat sence i started about two yeas ago and it has been heart breaking every time 🙁 one was a bottle baby, one was one of my does she had kidding troube 6 days before she was dew (i lost her and the kids ) and the othe was from parasites :'(. I also have rabbits and a dog and am getting some chickens in the spring. Where do you buy the wormer you use on your goats ? ? Thank you agian for all the info.
Rebecca
We have Nigerian Dwarf, Saanen, Nubian, Mini Nubian.
Our goats are trained early. Literally as we are drying the birthing goo we play with udders, mess with the feet, wiggle the ears, take their temp. We also do this twice weekly with all 200+ animals on the farm (goats, cow, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, horses, dogs, cats etc). So they get used to it and they enjoy it. Every single week, twice a week rain, snow, sleet, hail…NOTHING takes president. We know Sundays and Thursdays this gets done. It takes about an hour but we can really see what’s going on with the herd and stay on top of ant potential problems. Catch mole hills before they become mountains!
The water too if the weather allows is weekly and in the summer, almost daily. Ones that come here older/unaccustomed we start with sprinklers, it isn’t long after watching the others having fun before they join in. It’s all in the training/desensitization!
The parasites. Every single animal is treated for parasites before entering the property. This is critical! A seller may claim anything, we don’t risk it! Before the land was ours it was poorly managed. So it required diligence. Working with our vet we came up with the protocol. The” short” of it every three months everyone is treated for everything regardless of signs or lack of signs! And we repeat the treatment seven days later on the dot! Herd management is seriously about staying one step ahead! As for what we use on the goats, Sub Q Ivermectin and safeguard for the goats. We also add natural controls to the diet like pumpkin seed etc.
The next step in preventing muck, muck, muck! We were mucking almost every single day in the beginning! We burned the straw. Kill the bugs! We used straw and shavings. Now we have things to where we muck the first and fifteenth. Religiously. I once was in the ER, but made the family go home to muck! Deep layers of straw on top of deep layers of shavings. I do mean deep! But it works, all the critters stay clean and dry and the job is easier this way!
We found the pre made 16×4 ” ish” inch panels with hot wire top and bottom works the best at keeping them penned. Also gates that open ” into” the pen with about a half of foot overhang keeps them from pushing out our wiggling through! We also secured our entire perimeter with three strand hot ” tape” in the event something does get loose it’s not down the road, or over at our mean crazy neighbors house! : )
These are just a few things we learned in the beginning, and we are still learning. The first months of our farm adventure read like a comic novel, though some of the critters antics I couldn’t make up if I tried!
I do agree they are the gateway. I started with one goat, one dog, one cat, one bunny…soon it exploded and we have over 200 critters. All of them have names, all of them loved! It’s addicting! We plan on expanding again next spring!
I would love to share from my mistakes! I remember calling my ” goat mentors” in tears or panic or both many times…I always started with ” hi, it’s me, the dumb goat girl…” I hope I didn’t come across condescending or rude! I really just LOVE goats and have learned to make it a little less trouble.
Like my bumper sticker says…
Life’s better with goats!
…..
So sad to lose one. It is heartbreaking!
We buy the wormer from our farm and feed stores. The local and chain stores both carry them. I priced checked and even eBay has both, but I was wary of buying from an untrusted source. The ivermectin is expensive but BAM! bugs die both internal and external! Worth every penny! Both of them can be used on multiple species so it was a great investment and the cost per dose is relatively small.
Some pasture areas we were able to burn, not sure if that helped or not but it seemed like a thing to try. Also the grass was so overgrown and tangled it was a way to quickly take it down and look for nails, fencing and whatever else that might hurt kids or critters. The other pastures we raked and raked and raked! Just like the mucking! Running the sprinklers in the summer dissolved a lot of the ” nanny berries” and I think that helps. Mostly we just keep things as clean as possible. At first it’s overwhelming, but it gets easier and having a set in concrete, I don’t care what else needs done, do it or die routine has REALLY helped! Rotating pens helps too, the mini (Juliana) pigs, the big sow, goats, and baby cow rotate periodically.
Pumpkin is great for ridding pets of pests. Not sure the ” mode de operende ” but it seems to work! Fiasco farms (online) has lots of good info on natural worming/parasite control. Personally for us we just use the ” tried and true” ” good ole chemicals” to ” git er done” because with a toddler and so many animals I want to be sure we eradicate them! The natural things we do also in between annihilation days, and yes, that’s what we call them!
I would love to offer help anytime you need. Please feel free to email me anytime and I’ll share what worked or didn’t work since most of it is trial and error! I can also ask my goat folk if it something I’ve not dealt with, they are a great group of gals!
Best of luck…
Enjoy life and remember always do whatever floats your goat!
Dear T
I will.
Thank you so much!!! For all your help.
Rebecca.
Great article! I still want goats but good to know the downsides.
We had a preacher that raised goats, and he gave the kids a nanny and 2 babies. Then, a buck. Soon, another nanny. Next thing I knew, we had goats out our ears! But, they did exactly what we wanted them to do–ate the brush off of our 13 acres. Then we moved them up the road to my mother’s, where they cleared out some brush. We kept them for several years, rotating back and forth between here and Mama’s. Yes, Buck was stinky. Yes, he did get out a few times. The nannies seemed contented and didn’t try to escape. When we finally sold all of them, I said we wouldn’t get any more, and we didn’t. Instead, goats got us. A little dwarf female showed up one day in the field with the horses and cows. Then, a dwarf billy. Monday, when we checked on the cows, the nanny had 2 little babies snuggled up with her in the little shelter out in the pasture at my mother’s. Since we have been having so much trouble with coyotes there (there was a dead one not even 200 feet from the shelter that my cousin’s husband had killed over the weekend), and we have our first cold spell coming in, the kids and I caught the nanny and babies and brought them back here and put them into our chicken pen with the roosters. That nanny is NOT tame! You would have thought we were out to kill her with the way she was carrying on. Silly goat. But, she and her babies are safe for the time being. And the little boogers sure are cute.
I’ve had just, so I’m not the best when it comes to talking about herds.However she was the smartest and most attentive pet or farm animal that I have ever owned. I still get tears in my eyes when I think of my mini-pyg Sasha and it has been quite awhile since I lost her.
I fell in love with her learning up against a fence along the road that I drove home from work. All of the other kids were off playing and doing their thing, but Sasha like to was the world. There were many hints given to the spouse and Christmas Eve they bought her and tried to sneak her into the barn for the night. That plan failed since from my kitchen sink I could see the bard doors. You would have thought she was a Ferrari, I was so excited.
I house trained her just as you would a dog my first winter in Washington. Being a southern California beach bum, it was a challenge going outside with her every couple of hours in the snow. She was never 100% on number 2, but that was easy to pick up when she had an accident. Number one, she would wake me up in the morning to let her out. We had a few cement patios and bricks for the dog’s nails and those worked well for her too She snacked outside, but had her main bowl right next to her best friend’s in the kitchen. She and the dog went everywhere with me. They followed when I was riding,she would try to swim when the dog and I did at the lake, they followed me around at work; I even had two dog beds under my desk for when they got tuckered out. She was such a bright light in my life, like my very own tigger., bouncy, bouncy, on anything and everything
They are such joy giving social animals that you are risking it if you don’t have a few or some other critters they can bond with. The more toys and friends they have right there, they are less likely to go off of the ranch.
(Personally it was the pigs that I couldn’t stand or handle too well and I will never get pigs again)
if you are not a writer… you should be.
Hi jill, I’m in love with your writing styles 🙂
Two more reasons, at least in my experience, to not get goats are as follows:
Nothing has hurt as much as losing a goat, especially if you are the reason, by 1. death or 2. parting from them.
We have two goats we got as pets and brush control. We love them but they drive us crazy. We can’t get in or out of a gate where they are because they are constantly trying to break out. Soon as they see us coming they rush the gate. It takes three of us to get thru a gate. Two to hold each goat while the other drives the tractor thru! And if you think they will clear out your brush,news flash, if put in with grazing animal such as a cow, they graze! Field covered in brush,goats eating grass… And because our goats are with our beef cow, they steal his feed, making for some deer size goats. People who visit always inquire about the deer we keep in the fence. Goats, not for anyone who doesn’t enjoy extra hassle for the most basic farm chores.
We had two goats when I was growing up. I absolutely adored them. They played king of the mountain on my mother’s car which did not amuse her. 🙂 ….fond memories of those crazy critters jumping onto the hood and then onto the roof of her car. hehehe
so funny same with mine but on the tractor instead. isn’t it so funny just watching them play around.
I have a Nigerian doe. Before she came to me, she lived by herself on a farm that was not really interested in goats. She was almost 2 and had never been bred, groomed or trimmed. Because she was raised alone, she has made a lovely backyard goat. I built her a pen that is 10X 20. She seems pretty content. I take her for walks on a leash. I take her to the park and let her eat the leaves under the trees while I sit and read. I had her bred and she raised her babies in my little backyard. When I found homes for them, she did cry for a few days. But she is quiet again now. She gives me a quart of wonderful milk per day. She behaves more like a dog then I thought a goat would behave. I understand that this is not normal for a goat to be this quiet, but it has worked out very well for me.
aww so sweet. my goat acts more like a dog than an actual goat.
We had a mix of rescue goats at our old house, 1 pygmy, 1nigerian, 1 alpine and 1 mutt. While we loved them, we over-socialized them! They would never stay in the pastures and would jump in our cars if we left the door open, jump on visitors, knock over the garbage cans and get into them. The two young ones (the two biggest) would lay on our porch waiting for us to come outside! They would also go over to our neighbors backyard and beg them. And FYI, we had sturdy field fencing on all 9 acres for these goats to roam! They would make holes in the fence and weasel their way through or would open the gates in the barn. I will never forget being sick with the flu and my three year old letting the goats into the house! They just walked right in! When we sold that house, the buyer asked if the goats could stay and we were only to happy to let them. My husband has forbidden goats on our new home!
i think this is all wrong. goats are sweet and loving. even though you have to do all of that stuff its a better choise to get a goat then put the idea to the side. but this is very well written, but it is still all wrong. now you are even hurting a goats feelings. ( you know they have feelings right). i think you should get a goat and keep it.
Oh my goodness, I don’t get these negative posts above. I have 3 milking Alpines, a Nubian (gelding) and Nigerian Dwarf (retired after 6 liters ranging from 3-4 each). We found milking on the Nigerian Dwarf.. teats were not so comfortable in size.. too small. Our goats are older so maybe that’s why I never have problems with them trying to get out. Electric fencing never worked anyway..I truly believe it’s the herd concept. They don’t like to be away from each other. I do agree wholeheartedly that bucks are the worst thing on earth and after having them for 4 years when we first began, I realized they were robbing all the joy of my goat hobby. (they are the off-spring of the devil, I am convinced.) if considering them I urge you try older ones first and please get more than 2… then try babies and watch them grow.. they are all so fun and full of character and will make you happy.
Ahhhhhh….goats. We had goats several years back and they were a fun…and challenging….experience. They really are a gateway animal to homesteading. However, they definitely do offer their challenges. We had a goat who was too old and fat to jump over our fence, but she stood on the fence to let the other goats (and horses) out. I also provided childcare in my home at that time and it wasn’t a rare occasion that one of my parents would come inside after attempting to load their children up and say that one of the goats was in their van…this happened several times. Despite all the troubles they caused, I do miss having goats…but not enough to replace all of my fencing and start anew.
I adore my goats, but you left out reason #6, that people like me would not listen to anyway. Raising and breeding goats is farming and the HARD DECISIONS that need to be made are not for the tender hearted. I had to stop breeding because I could not make the hard decisions until forced. Hard decision: Time to sell the babies, but I cannot bear to part with them. I will worry about them forever. Decision forced when I reached 41 goats.
Hard Decision: Time to dehorn 8 day old precious ones. The vet did mine with analgesics but it was clear they still suffered. I refused to do it one time and discovered WHY milk goats generally should be dehorned. Hard Decision: Raising milk goats is at least a 50% of your time commitment. Had to stop to rescue primary mode of financial income. Hard Decision: Castrating males. You have not lived until you castrate nine adult males in one day and then watch them suffer (despite copious amounts of Banamine, a strong analgesic) for a solid two weeks until they recover. Hard Decision: I am not a farmer, I am an animal lover, do not breed goats any longer. Find other peoples kids to cuddle with.
Conclusion: Not sorry I did goats, will not be doing them any longer except for a few pets. If I could have understood how many times my feelings would be hurt, I would not have done it. Still love goats, still go to goat shows to see beautiful girls with big udders (and lovely sweet stinky boys)
Be warned tender people.
I agree with your thoughts. I was in my early teens when my family moved to a home with some old farm buildings on a couple acres.
While in 4H, my sister decided she wanted a dairy goat. Other goat owners in 4H would provide a free doeling to a newcomer. Then we got 3 more – an older doe, her yearling daughter, and a 3 year old niece.
Soon we had another doe, then a landscaper I worked for gave us their doe & her son.
The disbudding was rough but I was instructed by many that it was necessary husbandry, so I would grit my teeth through the screams and then it was over a few seconds later. A few head shakes and bleats and they seemed to forget. As rough as they played “bighorn sheep” (launching at each other, then rearing up to come down, heads together), I believe it is better than some of the injuries I’ve since seen in photos.
We had chickens already, so I had gotten used to eating eggs and occasional older or meat chickens (we had the dirty work done elsewhere but still had to trim and package for freezing). Selling off the bucklings was just part of the farming cycle.
Yeah, losing the does was worst. Since I did the vast majority of chores (and gardening), everything was sold and discontinued when I went to college and moved out. No one else felt like spending hours in all weather and getting dirty, or hauling 5 gallon water buckets from the house to the animals.
Now living in the city, I can think of nothing more magnetic than the pull of a small homestead farm.
My reminiscence omitted Elvis, our gift buck – yeah, he wizzed everywhere (but so did my male dog), and he smelled bad, but we made him his own bachelor pad at the other end of the barn with an outside play pen. I would let him loose to hang out with me during chores. Decades later, I still have a saddle that has a faint smell of him. Not roses or fresh baked pie, but still a wonderful aroma!
All the milk was the best part – decades later, I still only drink whole (cow) milk. Try to limit myself to 2 gallons per week. The last time I bought goat milk was as a treat – perhaps it was Toggenburg milk (as I learned earlier in these comments) – it was amazingly strong!
jill you are so true but i had 100 dairy goats 5 were buck they were work but we enjoyed ever minute we never had any problem with excapes they would go out to pasture in the morning and back in the evening.as to worming,hoof triming and shearing the goats and vacination we did it by relay my husband i.we lived in oklahoma so the goat needed to be sheared after they were sheared and hoofs trimmed i would pass the goat to my husband for worming and vacination.it was an all day job we also had a vet there for bangs and tb testing .
#6 – Spending an extra $125K on a property because you can’t find anywhere to live that allows goats and you are having trouble finding somewhere to board them. Do any of you live in WI and want to make lots and lots of extra $ from a crazy goat lady that just wants her 2 slaughter factory-saved goats to have a good life?
LMFAO. Yes, I completely understand runnin down the road in my pajamas chasing goats while traffic has to pull over.
And the joy of being the one to take care of our buck everyday including when hes in rut.
I dont want to even think about the amount of time and money we spent either fixing or buying new fence.
I still wonder why the heck I havent sold them yet
Wat kind of goats are good with horses?
Hobby farmers (usually last 3 seasons at best) and ‘tourists’ seem to have flooded the comments section. There is a real reason the Goat is associated with a creation of Satan. There is a reason the were found in nature isolated in high regions / mountains out of reach to the humans that love ‘entertainment’ .. THE NOVELTY WEARS OFF REAL FAST. Not to say the Goat does not have a place on earth.. and on our dinner plates. My ‘star sign’ is associated with the Goat..but I hold no bias. Greatest. Of .All .Time cheese maybe.
The Lord God had created all animals, and had chosen out the wolf to
be his dog, but he had forgotten the goat. Then the devil made
ready and began to create also, and created goats with fine long
tails. Now when they went to pasture, they generally remained
caught in the hedges by their tails, whereupon the devil had to go
and disentangle them, with a great deal of trouble. This enraged
him at last, and he went and bit off the tail of every goat, as may
be seen to this day by the stump….. This is why all goats have devil’s eyes, and their tails bitten off,
and why he likes to assume their shape.
I am new this year to goats. I can honestly say I love having them. Lots of chaos when they get out but we figure it out, mostly bribery. We did a lot of planning before I got them. Lots of reading and talking to other goat people. They have a wonderful safe home and seem to be happy. As far as the feet trimming. I use a comealong , a harness and made a jacket for around their bellys. Hoist them up to eye level and trim their feet. They were not real sure about it at first but don’t fight it at all now. I would recommend them to anyone. Just do your homework. You also learn a lot along the way. I’m still learning everyday. Relax and enjoy them.
I’m so glad that you’re loving your experience so far with goats! And I’m so glad you took time to do your research before just jumping in! That’s super helpful for you, I’m sure.
OK good points but if you have 5 or so acres then they are the perfect pets. They can also be very sweet , and sympathetic but it takes time you cant just have goats and expect to bond overnight. I had 5 goats and at first 3 hated me but after those three had baby’s now i have 10 goats and after a year 2 out of 10 dislike me
Funny how people never use correct fencing for goats then claim they are escape artists. Keep an animal with a fence designed for it, in an environment designed for it. Animals with ‘natural flaws’ don’t survive in nature, ask yourself how ‘natural’ the goats are being kept. What is said is true, but only from a biased perspective (as the authors feelings have slowly soured on goats….).
“Here let me save you from drowning” said the monkey putting a fish up a tree.
If you treat the fish like it is a monkey, it will die. Not only that, it will have been a really bad ‘monkey’ (wouldn’t eat his bananas!). If you don’t train a dog it wont ‘behave’. A fish is not a monkey, a goat is not a cow (although it can be forced to live like one).
Thank you so much for such a useful article. What is the most effective treatment for goats to get rid of helmints?
concerning reason number 2 ..we have 20 chicken coops and nothing we have done to date keeps the goats out you name the type of lock (short of lock and key) we have used it and every time the goats undo the locks and get in the coops. They have beat us at everything we have tried to date. Do not underestimate them they are very intelligent!
Thank you for all the information. I think the Pygmy Goats are adorable then I tasted goat cheese at a farmers market and petted the owners goats. After seeing on Facebook the most adorable Pygmy goats ever my heart exploded and I want a couple so much, not sure of regulations as I live in a city, but have 1/3 acre lot. There really is so much more than we realize to raising animals no matter the species and your revelations opened my eyes. I won’t give up totally but am better prepared to accept what may come should I ever be fortunate enough to adopt.