Goat information

[FluffTheDuck]

Hi, I'm pretty soon going to get 2 male goats my neighbor is selling. I have a little hutch in the back of the barn that has tons of fence that I could keep them there until they grow their horns. So my question(s) are/is: Will that hutch work? Can I keep males together? And also all the information on goats that you can and can't find on Google. Thanks!

 

[AlleysChicks]

Why until they grow their horns? Why are you getting them? Castrating them can help with aggression. You can also dehorn them if the horns are a problem.

 

[Gray Farms]

If they are just going to be pets you should wether them. What breed are the goats? What are the dimensions of the hutch? Two goats should have roughly a 1/2 to 1/3 acre of pasture more would be better of course.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Why until they grow their horns? Why are you getting them? Castrating them can help with aggression. You can also dehorn them if the horns are a problem.

Well, I'm getting them because why not, and also because I read that they are great companions for horses which I have. I'm waiting until they grow their horns because the fence is not goat-proof and they will ram into the fence and hurt themselves, I've read.

 

[Gray Farms]

Goats don't typically ram a fence. What is your fencing? Only tight woven wire or electric fence will keep them in. No fence is actually "goat proof" unfortunately. Barbed wire or board fencing they will go right through. Woven wire they can climb unless its very tight and tall. Electric wire the can slip through or jump over if not positioned correctly.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Goats don't ram fences. They'll ram each other, and they'll scratch their heads on convenient surfaces, but they won't ram fences.

Agree with everyone who says "best to get them castrated" because male goats smell. Bad. Bad enough that dairy farmers keep their buck goats in a separate barn so that the smell won't contaminate the milk. They bathe in their own pee. Even though (in my experience) bucks can be kept together, I hate the smell.

A hutch will work as housing.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

If they are just going to be pets you should wether them. What breed are the goats? What are the dimensions of the hutch? Two goats should have roughly a 1/2 to 1/3 acre of pasture more would be better of course.

The breed is unknown. I should ask my neighbor. Can I keep them in my horse pasture? It's not goat proof so will I have to fix the fence? The hutch has a little shade area and it has tons of grass, like the picture below.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Well, I'm getting them because why not, and also because I read that they are great companions for horses which I have. I'm waiting until they grow their horns because the fence is not goat-proof and they will ram into the fence and hurt themselves, I've read.

I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I meant are you getting them as pets, for meat or breeding.
Horns or no horns they wouldn’t hurt themselves, but you will have to be careful because with horns they could get hung up on the fence.
If you are getting them as pets only I’d for sure get them castrated.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I meant are you getting them as pets, for meat or breeding.
Horns or no horns they wouldn’t hurt themselves, but you will have to be careful because with horns they could get hung up on the fence.
If you are getting them as pets only I’d for sure get them castrated.

For pets.

 

[sylviethecochin]

You should fix the fence. When we raised goats, we had them on six strands of barbed wire and two electric. The bottom wire was only six inches above the ground at most, and even then, some of the more adventrous six-monthers would slip through.