Goats Are Farm Animals That Make Great Pets!

Goats Are Good Pets

To anyone who doubts if goats can be good pets, I like to tell them the story of my first animal friend. When I was a small child, my neighbors had a goat. My childish exuberance took over any fear, and we soon started playing together. The goat was very friendly and followed me around everywhere. I named her Peggy. Soon, we became inseparable. Peggy would come to our front door every morning and start yelling until I’d wake up and come out to play.

Peggy was my best animal friend as a child. I’ll never forget our bond. That is why I will never stop believing that goats can make great pets.

While most people don’t think of goats this way, more knowledge about them could quickly change their minds. The reason so many see goats as livestock is that the experience of owning a pet goat is relatively rare. It’s certainly an unconventional choice, and most people wouldn’t even know where to start.

They're Playful, Friendly, and Cute

However, while choosing to have a pet goat can be new and challenging, it can also be incredibly rewarding and actually easier than most would imagine. Goats are smart and resilient creatures that do not require much maintenance. They are very playful animals that are capable of forming strong bonds with humans.

Plus, goats are adorable.

Miniature Goat Breeds Are Best for Pets

Full-size goat breeds should stay on farms where they have enough room to be themselves. Miniature goat breeds are best for pets on small acreage plots. A miniature breed is about the same size as a medium-sized dog.

Which Miniature Goat Breeds Make Good Pets?

• Nigerian dwarf goats
• Pygmy goats
• Kinder
• Mini dairy goats

Remember to consider the fact that goats are herd animals. Getting more than one is essential for their well-being. A solo goat will be lonely and unhappy.

Neutered male goats make the best pets. Of course, if you want to breed them, it will be best to have a pair of intact male and female goats.

How to Choose a Pet Goat

One of the first choices you would have to make as a prospective goat owner is which type of goat you want to have. Here are some important aspects to consider before getting a pet goat:

• Size: Goats come in many shapes and sizes. Small goats are probably best suited to be pets, but larger ones can be fun to own, too.
• Space: You will need to provide ample space to your goat to keep it happy and healthy. Goats are very athletic animals, so you can expect lots of running around and jumping on top of tall objects or over fences. They can jump and climb to the tops of roofs!
• Shelter: Goats are not very well suited to be house pets. They defecate and pee anywhere and anytime. House training a goat can take a lot of time and be extremely challenging. It’s probably best if you can provide a small shelter with a roof for your pet goats.

Your Goats Need a Suitable Home

Don't forget that goats are excellent at escaping from regular fenced-in yards! They also do not do well on a leash or a tie line.

Research the types of enclosures that will make your pet goats comfortable and safe. Electric fencing may be needed to keep your pets in and their predators out.

They also need a shelter to protect them from bad weather. Their home will have to be kept clean and dry.

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What to Feed Your Goat

You need to know what types of food goats will eat. They can generally eat just about any kind of vegetation. Goats are browsers, which means they like to browse between plants and eat a bit of everything. They will even eat your flowers and break off branches from your trees.

You will probably want to provide them with an enclosure so that they have some boundaries for their safety and the safety of your plants.

Clean Food Only

One important food fact concerning goats is that they only eat clean food. If the hay you provide gets trampled, wet, or mixed with dirt, they will not eat it. One great solution is to hang their food somewhere higher from the ground, so they can pick it directly from there. They love the exercise.

Favorite Foods

It's most essential to know that the staple food of goats is hay. The following list includes some of their other favorite foods:

• Hay
• Leaves from tree branches
• Vegetables (only small amounts of cabbage)
• Cereals

They even eat human food, in small amounts, usually given as a treat.

What You Should Never Feed Your Goats

However, there are also plants that can be very dangerous to goats, especially in large quantities. Many common weeds and shrubs can be poisonous to goats, but in small quantities they will only have small negative health effects. Here is a short list of some of the plants that are poisonous to goats:

• Rhododendron
• Bracken fern
• Hemlock
• Ragwort
• Laurel
• Linseed
• Foxglove
• Water Drop wort (Oenanthe)

How to Properly Provide Water to Your Goats

Clean water is essential to goats. They should have water available in some container at all times. Basically, goats are great fans of cleanliness, especially concerning food and water. You have to know that goats will only drink clean water. They will also refuse to drink if the container has had food or something else in it that gives a strong smell.

What if They Break the Water Container?

Goats can be a little aggressive with the objects in their vicinity. If you’re concerned about them breaking the container, you can bring them water in a bucket, a few times a day.

How Much Water Do They Drink?

Their water intake varies depending on temperature and feed. If the weather is cold outside, goats will only drink warm water. Hot temperatures will increase water consumption. If their everyday food is made of fresh, wet grass, the need for water will decrease compared to when they eat mostly hay.

Do Goats Get Along With Other Pets?

Some people could be inclined to think that goats will not get along well with other pets, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

All the goats I’ve owned got along wonderfully with dogs, cats, and pigs alike. At first, they will be fearful when meeting a dog, or any other animal, but given a few days or weeks together, they’ll grow accustomed to each other and become best friends.

The only danger is with tiny animals, like small kittens, as the goats might accidentally step on them. Goats are not always mindful of their surroundings, especially when tasty food lies in front of them.

Goat Behavior

Goats are some of the smartest herbivores. They are very curious and inquisitive. Your pet goat will love exploring every corner of the backyard. You can name your goat and the goat will learn it in time. They can understand a variety of words with enough training. However, while smart, goats are not as trainable as dogs. Your expectations should be realistic. The best aspect of their intelligence in my opinion is that each has its personality and emotions, and they are capable of great bonding.

Behavior Problems With Goats

• They can be aggressive and sometimes even violent.
• Goats can hit you pretty hard with their heads, especially those that have horns.
• It sounds funny, but goats are capable of taking ‘revenge’ if you annoy them or make them envious. Usually, though, they will stop the aggressiveness if you establish yourself as the leader and dominant member of the herd.
• Another downside will be that goats will chew up anything, even clothing or houseplants, so proper delimitation of space is in need to avoid dealing with damaged property.
• Time could be an issue as well, as feeding your goats and cleaning after them could take a portion of your day.
• Finally, there’s the issue of noise. Goats can be very vocal at times and this can upset neighbors.

All things considered, owning goats as pets can provide some challenges, but these can be overcome and the results are incredibly satisfying.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Do you have an amusing story about goats?

The Logician from then to now on on July 03, 2019:

Great hub page. I was once looking into getting a goat until the goat people told me they love to climb on top of your cars!

https://youtu.be/z-V64myPHJQ

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on May 08, 2018:

This was interesting to read regarding the care of goats. I remember seeing some of them on grass rooftops in Door County, Wisconsin. There was once a restaurant in the Houston metro area that my mother and I frequented quite a few years ago. It used to be in the garage of a home in the country that was retrofitted into a dining room. Goats roamed freely outside of the place. The goats seemed very interested in the visitors and it was not unusual that they would follow us from the parking lot right up to the doors of the dining room. It was quite a "tribe." Reading this brought back those memories.

Emilia from Earth on March 26, 2018:

I'm actually thinking of getting a goat someday, but it's more for the free milk than anything else :D I really love cheese and would love to learn how to produce those myself, perhaps even using fresh goat milk

Lela Cargill (author) from Somewhere near the heart of Texas on August 25, 2016:

I didn't know that gout would hurt the kidneys! I'm on 2 of them a day now. Don't remember the strength. But it does cut down on the gout attacks.

I can't remember ever drinking goat milk, but I kind of like goat cheese!

diogenes on August 25, 2016:

Latest on gout...had to cut my allopurinal back to 100/day as it was killing my kidneys, so far, no gout. I drink goat's milk and eat goat's cheese, love it, tastes so nutty.

Keep goats, you are so lucky in the US; space, space. Britain is awful 1000 a mile nearly

Bob x

Lela Cargill (author) from Somewhere near the heart of Texas on August 25, 2016:

Hi Nell, I am still working on getting some goats, they are every bit as cute as puppies.

I also wrote 'Lost Mountain' - a response to billybuc's challenge.

Nell Rose on August 25, 2016:

I love goats, I always remember an uncle having a few when I was tiny, I don't remember much about it but I do remember cuddling them!

Lela Cargill (author) from Somewhere near the heart of Texas on May 19, 2016:

@Bob - I take allopurinal and still get gout attacks. Ibuprofen and ice packs seem to help the most during an attack. I'm not supposed to take Ibuprofen, but it is the only thing that relieves the inflammation!

@Alicia - I want goats for my 2 acres of WEEDS and brush. But Bob doesn't like goats. I've been trying to talk him into getting some for ages.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on May 19, 2016:

I enjoyed hearing about the goats that my father used to own when I was a child and have wanted some of my own for a long time. Thank you for sharing the facts and the advice about keeping goats safe and happy. I may never be able to have any as pets, but I love to daydream!