Pet Goat?

A Goat is a farm animal. And it generally follows that they live on farms. But they make interesting and friendly pets, too. We take a look at the reasons to keep a Goat as a pet and what to expect if you do.

A pet goat may not be the sort of pet you can settle down to watch TV with, or that you can have sleep on your bed with you, but in just the same way as a dog can be man's best friend, you'll find that a pet goat makes it's way into your life with it's charming and curious nature.

General
If you're the outdoors type who love to hike, the goat can be the ideal buddy, as by nature, they're wanderers who rarely stand still for more than a few minutes if left to their own devices anyway. They're also extremely sure footed, meaning that they're well suited to carrying your pack for you.

Although they are not the easiest animals to discipline, many goat owners find that patience and a loving touch works wonders with their goats. Though they may not come bounding up to you if you call them, they will learn to recognise a name and at least turn to look at you.

Housing
Even though the goat is an outdoors animal, they require a good shelter from the harsher elements, just like any animal does. It's not unheard of for them to be kept in the house, but as a rule, they don't tend to allow themselves to be cooped up for too long.

Because of this, it's important to provide a well fenced paddock for your goat. They don't like to be cooped up, but it's necessary for their own safety, so they'll need about an acre of land each to keep them happy, edged by a good strong fence that they can't escape through.

Feeding
What deters many people from keeping a goat as a pet is the fact that they could be fine on minute, and at death's door the next. Much of this is due to poor feeding of the animals.

As with any grazing or Browsing animal, they should have some kind of food available at all times. Hay and Grass should be well within reach, as should fresh, clean water. Grains should be kept well outside the reach of the Goat, as although they are happy to gorge themselves on Grains, they can become very ill from too much. 1lb or less per day is enough.

There are, of course, commercial goat feeds available, and most of these can be fed according to the manufacturers instructions. If you do keep horses or cattle, along with your goats, don't get the feeds mixed up as horse or cattle feed can both make a goat ill.

Although treats should be kept to a minimum, as they can easily become obese, variety is important in the Goat's diet. Molasses, vegetable scraps, fresh fruit, or even hedge prunings, vines and fruit bushes, dock leaves, thistles, and roadside gatherings of bracken and ferns will bring a little variety to the animal.

Please note that the information contained in this article is in no way conclusive and further research will be required before you bring a pet into your home.