12/06/2026
K e e p i n g G o a t s
We have been goat owners for 1.5 years now. They are pretty easy to manage, however each has their own personality (like dogs or cats....or humans!) and there are a few things we have learned along the way.
We have Nigerian Dwarf goats, but did have a Saanen which is a larger breed and I think more skittish personally.
If you are ever curious about goats, I have made some observations below.
1) They are so LOVABLE. Curious, love pats and scratches - they stop walking away as soon as you give them a good scratch, I call it scratch statue pose.
2) Do not feed them early in the morning - I have video footage of them calling to me at 5am. Feed them after your own breakfast and after 9am - thank me later!
3) They are less susceptible to worms / parasites than sheep but they DO get parasites and worms still, especially in rainy weather. It is good practice to provide them with Bioworma which can be found at Brookies in Samford (or your local farm shop). It is a natural preventative which helps keep the worms out of your pasture.
You can also bring in horses to help clear your paddocks as they eat differently than goats, but you have to be able to keep your goats off that paddock for 3 months after.
The easiest way we manage is to feed them hay in the morning (which helps with managing bloat) and rotate their paddocks.
4) They bloat quite easily. Bi-carb soda as a free choice dish is good to have on hand during late summer and autumn when there is SO MUCH greenery around. I find feeding them a bit of well aged shedded rhodes grass in the morning helps too.
If really bloated some tummy massage and peanut oil drench is helpful but prevention is best practice - limit their time in paddock with too much grenery.
5) Do not encourage them to climb otherwise they will climb fences. A few little play things are ok, but never next to fence lines.
6) Birthing season / kidding season. I have been around for 4 pregnancy and births so far, two sets of twins and two singles. Always exciting but we had a few scares (a huge storm the 2nd night a newborn came and we thought she was taken in the night -- turns out she was hiding away for hours and into the next day -- when she finally appeared we were all so relieved!)
We always have frozen colostrum on hand (ask your community groups if anyone has colostrum they can spare - we freeze ours just in case the mother is sick or rejects the newborn, it happens). Goat milk is not too difficult to find, and when we have multiple births I can always milk another goat for its milk, but colostrum in the freezer is a must!
7) Ticks. In active tick season, we check everyday. But every day we at least go down to say hello to our goats and check quickly. They tend to bite them on their necks and in the armpits of front legs. One of our newborns last year had 4 paralysis ticks on her and she was collapsing -- an emergency vet visit and $850 later....she was back home.
Buying tick collars online during birth season is a good idea. You can cut one in half and tape it together for 2 tick collars in one. Saves money. Put it on the newborn 2 days later because you want the mother to know the newborn scent / to bond first.
8) Mud and wet weather. Goats don't like wet feet, they need a few different places for shelter or to get off the ground - we made a milk stand that subs as a sleeping table, plus milk crates with long wide boards across - they prefer to sleep elevated in shelter.
9) Females vs males. In our experience, they are all sweet, however an intact male (buck) in heat is cray cray. He is super stinky and can be aggressive. We don't keep bucks. Wethered males (castrated males) are very sweet and curious and can go into a mixed flock, however we did notice they are more aggressive and greedy with food.
Females (nigerian dwarf) are wonderful and calm, however they go into heat once per month for about 3 days and BELT OUT BAAHHHHH non stop. So unless you want to get them pregnant (and we don't always want to breed our females) you have to hear their poor sad songs for 3 days every month. You may prefer to have wethers only.
10) Goats will change your life. They are pure joy. The babies with their bucking and kicking antics as newborns are the best thing you will ever see.
We will have some baby goats again around October and ready for sale by May next year :)
