So You Think You Want A Goat

And why wouldn’t you? Goats are cute, hilarious, and entertaining. The best part: Once or twice a year your goats can have baby goats (kids) which are even more cute, hilarious, and entertaining, with the added bonus of being somewhat cuddly. However, there is another, less fun, side of goat ownership. Read on to see if goats are right for you.

You Will Need A Solid Fence Or Very Patient Neighbors

Just an “ok” fence is not good enough. Goats will get out of many fences. Even electric fences may not keep them in if there is something they really want on the other side of it. You need a strong woven wire fence that is tall enough for them to not be able to jump over, and they can jump surprisingly high. If not fenced properly they will get out and they will eat whatever they can find, including any gardens or fruit trees. People will be angry, and rightfully so, if your goat herd eats the fruits of their labor. It doesn’t take a large herd or a lot of time for them to do an extensive amount of damage. This goes for your own property as well. Even if you have a great perimeter fence keep in mind you will need to fence your own garden, trees, or anything else you do not want them eating. I have known a few goat owners, including yours truly, whose goats compromised the fence guarding their garden or orchard and within an hour or two completely demolished a seasons worth of work. With a young orchard a couple of goats or more can decimate it, and planting trees can be hard work and fruit trees, especially if there are many, can be expensive. Even if the fencing is tall enough or strong enough occasionally a gate may be left open (especially when children are involved) and you can bet a goat will find it.

They Are Sometimes Naughty And Destructive

Goats will jump on the hood of your car and do a little tap dance, leaving little goatie hoof dents. They will try to find a way into your chicken coop to eat (ALL) the grain. They will try to squeeze their way into the barn while you are getting feed to investigate all the delicious smells. They will eat a more submissive dogs food. They will sometimes run through electric fence, breaking it. Etc. Etc. Short story: More Goats, More problems. If you are a person who gets upset when things don’t go according to plan or who animals don’t do what you want, sheep are more your style for sure.

Male Goats Are Super Stinky

Bucks stink, and are usually also very friendly, which can be a gross combination. They stink because when they are in rut they pee on themselves to make themselves irresistible to the females. They will then get this stinkiness all over the does when they are breeding them. We like to pet our goats and be friendly with them so because of the stink factor, we don’t keep a buck all year. We have one we share with a couple of families who we know (so we know their farms and their practices, we don’t want to send our buck to a poorly managed farm and have them pick up illness and bring it back to our herd) and he spends a couple of months at a time with us, breeds the does, and then goes on his merry way, coming back when they are ready to be bred again. We also usually change the buck up every year or so to keep the genetics diverse.

If Goats Are So Naughty, Why Do People Love Them?

Good Question! I am not sure. I know we love our goats though. We also have sheep, and a lot more of them because they are easier to manage. Sheep are great, but they have very little personality. They are a little boring. And dairy goats give great milk. Goats are like pets to me, they have so much personality. If you are a patient person with good fencing who doesn’t mind a little excitement on the farm once in a while, goats may be for you. If not, a goat wall calendar may be a better idea. I always tell people who are just starting out with livestock to get sheep first because if you have goats who are too naughty it may sour you on animals all together, and that would be a shame. Sheep are a great choice for beginners. If you are a little more adventurous, try goats, they will never be boring, thats for sure.

What are your thoughts? Do you have goats? Do you love them? Any particularly hilarious goat stories you have to share? We would love to hear from you! Reach out to us in the comment box below.

This is an affiliate link. To find out more about what that means click here.