Raising Goats 101 - An Introduction

You are interested in raising goats!

If you are a beginner or need a refresher, here are some useful tips. Before you start, besides reading some books, you should find a goat mentor. It may sound funny, but it’s not, believe me! Finding someone who has experience with goats will give you a lot of knowledge that you won’t find in a book. Finding someone who has faced the challenges and survived to share the stories will give you real examples to remember. My next, and somewhat important, piece of information is that you can’t have only one goat—you need at least two. They can live with other animals, but you can’t have other animals and just one goat. They need a friend to thrive.

Now, think: Do you want to raise goats as pets, or for a specific reason? You are not alone—it can be both! There are many kinds of goat to choose from, and deciding your purpose for getting them will help you pick the right kind. This will also help you decide where to look for the ideal goat, whether online, at a fair or sale barn, or from a friend of a friend. One example is that many people raise goats for milk, and in that case you wouldn’t want to look for a more meat-oriented breed.

Alright—now that you have a mentor and you know what kinds of goat you want, it is time to get ready. Goats don’t need a lot, but there are a few specific things I want to mention to help you prepare for their arrival. Shelter, fencing, nutrition, and basic healthcare are the four things I consider to be most important for raising happy and healthy goats.

Goats hate getting wet. If you drive through the countryside you will see cows standing in the rain, enjoying themselves. Imagine the opposite for goats! You will need a dry place where they can avoid any kind of weather. The same structure can offer both protection from storms and shade during the summer months. Goats need at least 20 square feet of indoor space and 200 square feet of outdoor space per goat. The bigger the space the better, and then you can always add more goats if you want! Keep that in mind when thinking about how many goats you are eager to bring home. This is very important for not only the general health of the animal, but also their nutritional needs.

You need a strong fence. I’ll repeat: You need a strong fence! The last thing you want to do is bring your new family members home and have them end up eating the neighbors’ bushes because the fence broke. Goats look for food. Unlike their relatives, sheep, they search through the trees and bushes for things to nibble on—meaning they like to climb on things to get that one leaf that must be tastier than the fallen leaf on the ground. My fencing recommendations are cattle panels (if you can afford it) or strong woven wire fencing. Both are excellent options and should support the weight of the goat if (when) they decide to go for those top leaves along the fence line. I can’t emphasize this enough—if you learn only one thing from this, I hope it’s that you need proper fencing.

Before I mentioned spacing requirements and the fact that goats are browsers, both of which are important for understanding their nutritional needs. There are many feed options, hay options, and supplement options and no lack of opinions on what we should be feeding our goats. I suggest that you do what is best for you and your animals. Owning goats is beneficial for both parties! A high-quality loose mineral (or mineral block), quality hay, and extra grain, when needed, will keep your goats healthy and you happy. Of course, different climates, deficiencies in the animal and any random miscellaneous