Hi there! My neighbor took in two pygmies a couple of months ago but she wasn't really set up for a small farmlike operation and tho' the goats were lovely creatures about 2 years old, they became a bit of a nuisance in a couple ways. The chicken scraps had to be fed with the coop run shut or actually inside the chicken coop or the goats would not only eat the scraps but headbutt the chickens if they tried to share. The minute we opened the coop storage area, the goats were forcing their way in to stick their heads in the food storage the minute we opened it...it was a wrestling match so we started confining the goats in their little house/run area before opening the coop. There wasn't a nice fenced pasture with shelter which I think would've been perfect for the goats; they were free-ranged right along with the chickens, and altho' they got along, the goats pooped everywhere they went and they particularly liked the house decks.
Then they started eating the paint off the house and chewing the hot tub cover.
I think if goats are adequately confined away from such things as the house, they're perfectly friendly little pets.
These two had free access to hay, were fed goat chow twice a day, had treats of sweet oats/corn morning and evening, and were free-ranged on a huge piece of mountain property, and still acted like they were starving all the time and wanted to chew on anything their eyes saw.
They were rehomed last week to a guy down on the flats who is a farrier and has a fenced pasture with horses and good shelter. These goats HATED the constant wind we seem to have more than not, and they loved their little house with the pond liner doors they pushed through to a thick straw filled 4x4' area. We were at -15F for a long stretch there and they seemed to tolerate the cold if they could use their shelter at will.
So I think goats are fairly easy keepers if you can manage the poop and the inquisitiveness with active jaws!
and Welcome To BYC!
