I'm thinking about getting 2 goats. I have an empty pasture, and nice sized barn with large run-in (everything was built for horses, so it is more than enough for a few goats). I mainly want them for weed-control in the field, although milking is not entirely out of the question. Thoughts/suggestions? I have electric fencing which I will lower to "goat height". I want a goat that will be low-maintenance and fairly inexpensive (we have plenty of forage in the spring/summer/fall, and I can have hay for winter time as long as they don't need a lot). Do goats need to be fed grain (if they are not breeding or milking) and if so, what type? How much hay would a single goat eat over the entire winter (would one medium round bale last 2 goats through Dec/Jan/Feb?) Any advice you can give would be helpful, since I have never owned goats before. Also, if you have advice on where I should purchase goats, please let me know.

"If a fence doesnt hold water, it wont hold goats." Good fencing....that's the best advice I can give you. Also, dont just get one. They need company. If you are thinking milking, then you'll need a buck or need to borrow one.
For other advice, go to your county fair, and talk to the 4h'rs. They'll be happy to tell you about goats. Also, you can purchase beautiful animals in the Livestock Auction!!!!

Also, call your county Extension agent. He or she can recommend feed, places to purchase, etc......

Someone on here is trying to give one away I think..

I pm'd you a number for goats.
Pygmys are hard to keep in a fence and I'd stay away from any goat with horns. Not only do they get stuck in fences they can be quite dangerous. Nubians tend to be very loud.
Wethers don't need much grain, less is better as they can get kidney stones from too much protein. And they don't need a high quality hay either for the same reason. How much hay depends on how much grass is on the ground. Goats are not grazers like horses or sheep, they are browsers like deer. they prefer to reach up for their food. Wethers would need to have their feet trimmed a couple times a year and since you've had horses there you might want to give them CD&T shots annually. They make fine pets if your fences are good. Remember a free goat usually has a reason why it is a free goat, the one I gave away kept getting stuck in the fence. He is long gone.
Personally if I had a big pasture available I'd wait until spring and get a couple of lambs for the grass and a couple of goats to browse, keep them until fall then sell them off or put them in the freezer. There is a good market for locally grown meat. And you wouldn't have to feed them all winter.

I pm'd you a number for goats.
Pygmys are hard to keep in a fence and I'd stay away from any goat with horns. Not only do they get stuck in fences they can be quite dangerous. Nubians tend to be very loud.
Wethers don't need much grain, less is better as they can get kidney stones from too much protein. And they don't need a high quality hay either for the same reason. How much hay depends on how much grass is on the ground. Goats are not grazers like horses or sheep, they are browsers like deer. they prefer to reach up for their food. Wethers would need to have their feet trimmed a couple times a year and since you've had horses there you might want to give them CD&T shots annually. They make fine pets if your fences are good. Remember a free goat usually has a reason why it is a free goat, the one I gave away kept getting stuck in the fence. He is long gone.
Personally if I had a big pasture available I'd wait until spring and get a couple of lambs for the grass and a couple of goats to browse, keep them until fall then sell them off or put them in the freezer. There is a good market for locally grown meat. And you wouldn't have to feed them all winter.

Spinner has terrific points, and a ton of experience behind them!!!

I'd stay away from any goat with horns. Not only do they get stuck in fences they can be quite dangerous.

Which breeds have horns, and which breeds don't? Also someone mentioned the livestock auction... is that the one at the charlotte hall farmers market, or is it the one at the county fair, or a different one? Thanks for all the advice so far!

If I were to raise them for meat (and I'm not saying I am) are there places around here that will take the live animal, do all the work, and give you back meat ready for eating? I do prefer eating local, organically raised meat, but I know I couldn't handle doing any of the dirty work. If there are places that do this, who/where? And about how much would it cost?

The idea of waiting until spring sounds smart... I would just hate to see our field go to waste for the next 9 months or so (and my hubby hates mowing and trimming it). But waiting will give me more time to research so I can make the right decision.

Which breeds have horns, and which breeds don't? Also someone mentioned the livestock auction... is that the one at the charlotte hall farmers market, or is it the one at the county fair, or a different one? Thanks for all the advice so far!

Go to the Livestock Auction at the Fair. :-)

I pm'd you a number for goats.
Pygmys are hard to keep in a fence and I'd stay away from any goat with horns. Not only do they get stuck in fences they can be quite dangerous. Nubians tend to be very loud.
Wethers don't need much grain, less is better as they can get kidney stones from too much protein. And they don't need a high quality hay either for the same reason. How much hay depends on how much grass is on the ground. Goats are not grazers like horses or sheep, they are browsers like deer. they prefer to reach up for their food. Wethers would need to have their feet trimmed a couple times a year and since you've had horses there you might want to give them CD&T shots annually. They make fine pets if your fences are good. Remember a free goat usually has a reason why it is a free goat, the one I gave away kept getting stuck in the fence. He is long gone.
Personally if I had a big pasture available I'd wait until spring and get a couple of lambs for the grass and a couple of goats to browse, keep them until fall then sell them off or put them in the freezer. There is a good market for locally grown meat. And you wouldn't have to feed them all winter.

The goat with the horns is still at the placement :yay: Such a sweet one too! I saw him a few weeks ago. Took a while for him to establish a place in the herd, now he's the King of the herd, imagine that. Or whatever you call the lead/head goat LOL

The answer for people who DO have goats with horns is chain link fencing. They can't stick their head through chain link. You can fasten chain link fencing (lots of people give it away) to posts and it stays in place quite well.

The jumpers present another problem. Placement guy had to add a pole across the top of the gate to stop the jumping.

Oh and the goats I have had (only a few) did NOT respect electric fencing and would push right through it if there was enough space (I had it between the board fence spaces).

I love goats and hope to have a few again one day.

The goat with the horns is still at the placement :yay: Such a sweet one too! I saw him a few weeks ago. Took a while for him to establish a place in the herd, now he's the King of the herd, imagine that. Or whatever you call the lead/head goat LOL

The answer for people who DO have goats with horns is chain link fencing. They can't stick their head through chain link. You can fasten chain link fencing (lots of people give it away) to posts and it stays in place quite well.

The jumpers present another problem. Placement guy had to add a pole across the top of the gate to stop the jumping.

Oh and the goats I have had (only a few) did NOT respect electric fencing and would push right through it if there was enough space (I had it between the board fence spaces).

I love goats and hope to have a few again one day.

Chain link isnt the best...their horns, if they curl around, definitely do get stuck when they're rubbing. Lost one to it...

The poultry square fencing (chicken wire)-sturdy kind-cant think of the name- works better!!!! And electric---not!!! Use it in addition to other fencing...

PS - A comment about free goats - I agree with whoever said if it's free it has a problem. The nice thing is when people will be honest with you (like Spinner was) and will TELL you what the problem is so you can decide if you want it (or in my case where best to PLACE said goat). Not everyone is wiling to be honest.

One goat I took in had butted and killed several other goats. So she had to be kept separate or in with much bigger goats she couldn't bully.

Another one I took in was "stinky" and butting the children they said. So I go get him to discover he's stinky due to the rut season that intact males go through. They had poured perfume on the goat hoping I wouldn't notice his bad smell, therefore I would be sure to take him with me they thought LOL. I took him and had him castrated. That experience taught me that you need to get them castrated as babies or just don't bother. I will never torture another full grown goat like that again. Goats don't handle being sedated well (body metabolizes it differently) and the goat suffered. Live and learn.

Knowing the goat's history/issues is imperative for proper placement. I'll leave the horn explanation to a goat person.

So no one thinks that electric wire will work, even if I place it low enough and the strands close enough? Are goats just not smart enough to figure out that if they stay away from the fence, they don't experience the pain of being shocked?

Will they still try to escape, even if they have plenty of food inside?

Our pasture is just too large to use chicken wire, or chain link, or anything like that. It would be prohibitively expensive.

Electric fence by itself isn't going to work, they will go right through it. Unless you had that high tensile fence with five or six strands. Goats are really smart and stubborn, a fence that would keep in a horse or cow won't keep in a goat. In my opinion you need some kind of grid-type fence like cattle fencing and electric around the top and bottom to keep them from going over/under it. Cattle fencing is not too expensive, I got a big roll at Dave's in Loveville for a good price. The 16' cattle panels work too and you wouldn't need electric with them or as any posts since they are sturdy. It doesn't matter how much good stuff they have on the inside, what's on the outside is alway better to a goat.

Which breeds have horns, and which breeds don't? Also someone mentioned the livestock auction... is that the one at the charlotte hall farmers market, or is it the one at the county fair, or a different one? Thanks for all the advice so far!

Almost all goats have horns, dairy goats have them burned off [disbudded] when they are babies. There are goats that naturally don't have horns [polled] but there is an issue with them and when you breed them down the line you end up with a bunch of problems in your herd. Meat goats and Angoras usually keep their horns and Pygmys can go either way. I've had meat goats, Angoras and Pygmys disbudded and they did just fine.

Two different auctions, the fair is a 4H auction and the animals are ready for the butcher. And because it is to support the kids they go for a preimum price. But you can see the difference between a meat and dairy goat and in the office they used to give out sheet with information on local butchers.

The Amish auction is every other Wednesday, I'd be hard pressed to say get an animal there if you are new. Sort of like me buying a horse at an auction. Goats and sheep are funny animals, once they start getting sick it's hard to bring them back. Plus in young animals coccidia is a big problem, specially in wet weather, add to that a compromised immune system from stress.... A cheap animal isn't so cheap if you have to pour money into medications. Or if it dies.

I'm not trying to be negative, I love my goats and I'll probably always have some. But if you buy from a reptuable breeder at least you'd have somebody to turn to for help and have a history on the animal.

If I were to raise them for meat (and I'm not saying I am) are there places around here that will take the live animal, do all the work, and give you back meat ready for eating? I do prefer eating local, organically raised meat, but I know I couldn't handle doing any of the dirty work. If there are places that do this, who/where? And about how much would it cost?

The idea of waiting until spring sounds smart... I would just hate to see our field go to waste for the next 9 months or so (and my hubby hates mowing and trimming it). But waiting will give me more time to research so I can make the right decision.

You have a couple of options, but it's been a long time since we've had animals butchered. Used to be the only kill place was in Charles county, and I couldn't stand that place, I don't know if there is another oner around now. Or if you know somebody who hunts it isn't so different from dressing a deer, maybe you could work out a trade for killing and dressing in exchange for meat? Chucks above Waldorf and Rowells in Prince Frederick are both excellent at cutting and packaging the meat. I have no idea of the cost anymore.

I probably would end up buying from a breeder. But the fence issue is a big one for me. I really don't want to re-do all my fences. If the electric just won't work, I might have to choose a different type of animal for which it will work. I appreciate the honesty (I need to know the negatives, too!) as I want this to be an informed decision.

So no one thinks that electric wire will work, even if I place it low enough and the strands close enough? Are goats just not smart enough to figure out that if they stay away from the fence, they don't experience the pain of being shocked?

Will they still try to escape, even if they have plenty of food inside?

Our pasture is just too large to use chicken wire, or chain link, or anything like that. It would be prohibitively expensive.

I had to place the rescue goats I took in because they kept getting out. It wasn't so bad that they got out, it was that they started eating all the expensive landscaping plants I had and then went to the neighbors house and was eating their landscaping too (they didn't appreciate that at all).

They had plenty to eat but their goal is always to "escape if I can". Most goats think like that.

I probably would end up buying from a breeder. But the fence issue is a big one for me. I really don't want to re-do all my fences. If the electric just won't work, I might have to choose a different type of animal for which it will work. I appreciate the honesty (I need to know the negatives, too!) as I want this to be an informed decision.

That's exactly why I don't have goats right now. They are so hard to keep contained. My old neighbor has his place setup for keeping them contained. He has several different containment areas and he rotates them similar to how we do with horses. He usually lets them out to free-range in his yard a while on their way to the area by the barn for bedtime, and they go in for him easily.

When I have the money to setup the proper fencing, I'll have goats again.

That's exactly why I don't have goats right now. They are so hard to keep contained. My old neighbor has his place setup for keeping them contained. He has several different containment areas and he rotates them similar to how we do with horses. He usually lets them out to free-range in his yard a while on their way to the area by the barn for bedtime, and they go in for him easily.

When I have the money to setup the proper fencing, I'll have goats again.

Goats eat kittens
I like goats

Field fence is the best ( not the wielded wire, it bends too easily), but we have had an electric strand around our fence before to keep them off the fence and it worked. How many strands of wire are on your fence?
I also think you would have to look for a breed with a good deposition... I love my Angora goats because they are very laid back and very sweet, we even had one that we let roam around the farm, she would stay in our hay barn and hang out with the horses.

Also craigslist usually has a good amount of goats listed, much better then an auction, JMO.

Field fence is the best ( not the wielded wire, it bends too easily), but we have had an electric strand around our fence before to keep them off the fence and it worked. How many strands of wire are on your fence?


Currently two strands, but we could easily add a 3rd (or even a 4th) if we needed to.

I just can't imagine a goat pushing through an electrified fence. If he can't get under or over it, he would honestly push through while being shocked?

Currently two strands, but we could easily add a 3rd (or even a 4th) if we needed to.

I just can't imagine a goat pushing through an electrified fence. If he can't get under or over it, he would honestly push through while being shocked?

3 different goats I had did (get shocked to escape) and I didn't even have them all at the same time for 1 for mimic the other ..... it was their drive to escape that fueled them I guess. However, I have known people to have a goat or two that did not try to escape but that was certainly in the minority.

3 different goats I had did (get shocked to escape) and I didn't even have them all at the same time for 1 for mimic the other ..... it was their drive to escape that fueled them I guess. However, I have known people to have a goat or two that did not try to escape but that was certainly in the minority.

What breed/gender/age were yours, and what breed/gender/age were your friends' who did not escape?

Trying to determine if I would be OK with electric fence as long as I get the right breed & the right gender & the right age :) Maybe there's a common thread in finding that "perfect goat"!

What breed/gender/age were yours, and what breed/gender/age were your friends' who did not escape?

Trying to determine if I would be OK with electric fence as long as I get the right breed & the right gender & the right age :) Maybe there's a common thread in finding that "perfect goat"!

I wish I could be more helpful but I only recall that Noah was a cross breed and the other 2 were purebred but I don't recall the breeds. The ones I know that didn't try to escape belong to my neighbor and they are pygmy's (size) and probably are mixed breed.

Maybe one of the goat people would have a suggestion.

My friend has goats and keeps them in with a 4 strand electric tape fence. They do respect it if they learn early, IMO. I have a hot wire inside my field fence and it works great, they never even touch the fence. I have seen goats jump right through an electric fence though. It really depends on the breed. I have Oberhaslis and they are the most laid-back breed of goat I've ever owned. They're quiet and calm and not nearly as naughty as other breeds I've owned.

What breed/gender/age were yours, and what breed/gender/age were your friends' who did not escape?

Trying to determine if I would be OK with electric fence as long as I get the right breed & the right gender & the right age :) Maybe there's a common thread in finding that "perfect goat"!

I have 6 pygmy crossbreeds (somewhere back in the lineage was a Nubian I think) that do just fine in the electric fence we have set up. 4 does and 2 whethers. The only time they get out is when something happens to the fence, i.e. the GFI trips, tree limb took part of it out once, etc. they won't go through it if it is on, but they WILL test it every once in awhile and they will go through if it is off.

As far as feed goes - mine are spoiled rotten!! They get a small amount of sweet goat feed every day. The previous owner had done this and even though they don't need it particularly they make a lot of noise and generally raise cain if they don't get a least a little daily. They also like animal crackers, lol!

All that said I am looking to get rid of 3-4 of them -- they were given to me for my kids as a 4-H project but I can't afford to keep all of them anymore. PM me if interested. In the interest of full disclosure I will also say that they are not as tame as they once were. They are not at all mean and they don't butt people or anything, they just are not fond of human touch or petting or the like. We have a hard time getting our hands on them when it comes time to trim hooves and deworm. We usually sucker them in with the aforementioned animal crackers!!