Goats are clever, athletic, and small. These traits make them much harder to keep in a pasture than cattle. Wires must be spaced closer, and gates can have no wide gaps. Farmers adding goats to their farm will need to adapt and improve the fences, in most cases. This costs money and time, and it is probably the major stumbling block for many who would otherwise like to try raising goats.

Fencing for goats is more expensive than for other livestock

More strands of electric wire will be needed to control goats (two to three strands for division fences and at least five strands for perimeter, if that is acceptable according to the state fence laws). If barbed wire or woven wire fencing is already in place, it might be necessary to add a strand or two of electric wire offset from the existing fence. Goats are notorious for escaping through barbed wire, and horned goats often are caught in woven wire.

Internal parasites

The most common health problem for goats is internal parasite infection. Goats are meant to range over a large area and to eat brushy plants that other species don’t like. If goats are raised that way, they will not be exposed to many parasite larvae. Therefore, under natural conditions, goats do not need to be resistant to parasites. Perhaps this is why some goats show so little ability to withstand parasite infections when we force goats to stay in the same area for long periods and graze close to the ground, where internal parasite larvae are found.

While goats that are forced to graze a small area for an extended time are more vulnerable to parasites than cattle are, the good news is that the internal parasites are species-specific; goat parasites have a bad effect on goats, but they do not harm cattle, and vice versa. This means that by grazing cattle after goats the cattle will remove (by ingesting) goat parasite larvae from the pasture, thus “cleaning” it for the next rotation of goats back to that pasture. One caution: sheep and goats are similar enough that they do share parasites, so grazing them together has no beneficial effect on parasite loads.

Predators

Because of their small size and good taste, goats are vulnerable to predators, primarily coyotes and dogs, but also bears, wolves, bobcats, and other predators. In heavily populated areas, dogs will likely be the biggest problem. Producers have several options to protect the livestock, including a good fence, guardian animals such as donkeys, llamas, or guardian dogs, penning the animals close to home at night, or some combination of these. Detailed information about predation and how to prevent it is included in another module.

Lack of knowledge

In addition to the demands of fencing, managing internal parasites, and protecting from predators, some goat producers are challenged by a lack of knowledge about goats. The interest in meat goats has been relatively recent, and many people are new to the business. The learning curve is steep, and help can be difficult to find: many educators have no prior experience or training in the field; veterinarians may not have much experience with goats; and neighboring farmers may not know anything about goats, even if they are very experienced with other kinds of livestock.

Even so, there are many ways to add to your knowledge. One of those is this course. Completing all the modules will teach you a lot about raising meat goats.

The knowledge you gain by reading should be complemented by talking to and visiting with farmers and educators with goat experience. Ask questions and find out what you need to know. Try to visit other farms so you can see how they handle various aspects of the business. Try to figure out whether what they are doing would work for you. Is it practical? Is it cost effective?

A good place to meet other producers is at field days and seminars. Meeting and talking to other farmers is, in many cases, at least as important as the material on the program, and the program information can add to your knowledge tremendously. Ask your Cooperative Extension agent about any programs planned for your area, and if there are none, you might want to encourage the agent to offer one.

Joining producer groups, such as a state or local meat goat producer group or a breed association, is another way to meet other farmers and learn from them. Some groups offer cooperative marketing services to their members, and many groups host workshops and field days. It is worth your time to be involved in a good association.

Written materials are available to help with any problems you may encounter. The rest of the modules in this training course contain valuable information. Additionally, a partial list of some pertinent information sources is offered in the ATTRA publication, Small Ruminant Resource List. This is not a complete list but does offer a place to start your search.

Finally, the best teacher of all is experience-your “on-the-job training.” The first two or three years will be especially good at showing you what you don’t know; that happens to everybody, so expect it. It’s best to begin your education by buying a small, healthy herd (more about that later), so that you can learn without incurring much financial loss. Goats multiply very quickly, and you will soon have a larger herd, if things go well. Starting small allows you to learn about normal behavior and health, grazing management, kidding, marketing, and all the other aspects of raising meat goats. When you are comfortable with your small herd and know that your fences work for goats, then you can easily expand into a larger business. Your chances of success are much greater if you learn your lessons before acquiring a large herd.

Next
Module Home
CertificationTable of Contents
Browsing Table of Contents