Starter guide
Curious, chatty browsers that clear brush and greet you at the gate.
Goat keeping means raising a small herd of goats on your own land as pets, brush clearers, or a source of milk. Goats are clever and playful, they eat weeds and brambles that other livestock skip, and a pair of friendly wethers (castrated males) is one of the easiest ways into livestock. They are herd animals and must never be kept alone, so you start with at least two. You also need fencing that a determined goat cannot climb or squeeze through, a dry shelter, a large-animal vet who treats goats, and zoning that allows livestock. Some keepers add a few sheep, which need much of the same care but a different mineral.
Every morning and evening you check that each goat is up, eating and chewing cud, refill fresh water, fill the hay feeder and top up the loose mineral (about 15-30 minutes a visit). Each week you walk the fence line, because goats test it constantly, and clean wet bedding out of the shelter. Every 4-8 weeks you trim hooves, and your vet sets a yearly vaccination plan and checks for stomach worms, the biggest health threat to goats in most of the US. A herd day, when you catch everyone for hooves, a body condition check, fence repairs and a full bedding change, takes half a day and is the physical part: holding wriggling goats, carrying hay and hauling water.
Never keep one goat
A lone goat cries, stops eating well and tries hard to escape. Start with at least two, and keep sheep in pairs or more too, since a goat is not a full substitute for a sheep's own flock.
Check zoning and HOA rules first
Goats are livestock in most towns, and some places ban them, cap the number, or allow only small breeds. Call your county or town zoning office and read your HOA covenants before you buy.
Line up a goat vet
Find a large-animal vet who treats goats (and sheep, if you plan on them) before the animals arrive. Many vets do not, and you need one for yearly vaccines, worm checks and emergencies.
Expect official ID rules
Under the federal scrapie program, most sheep and goats need an official ear tag or tattoo when they are sold or moved off the farm, and states add their own movement rules. Ask the seller how the animals are tagged and contact your state veterinarian for a flock ID.
Keep a single sex unless you mean to breed
An intact buck is smelly and can breed does as young as a few months old, so start with wethers or does.
Federal scrapie ID rules
Open a card for the first thing to do this week. Adding sheep puts their own mineral and halter into the shed kit.
Start here
Ask two local breeders for a pair of disbudded wethers or does that already live together, and visit to watch them being caught, fed and handled.
Start here
Find a sheep breeder near you, ask which breed suits your climate and whether it needs shearing, and line up a shearer before you buy at least two sheep.
Goats and sheep differ hereCopper is toxic to sheep. Sheep need a mineral labeled for sheep, which keeps copper low, and must not reach goat mineral, goat feed or most mixed livestock feeds.
Catching and holding
Lead a goat by its collar, and hold it against a fence or wall with your knee for hoof trims and checks.
Hoof trimming
Trim the overgrown wall level with the sole every 4-8 weeks, stopping as soon as the sole looks pink.
Body condition scoring
Feel the spine and ribs behind the shoulder every few weeks rather than judging by belly size, since a goat's rumen makes it look fat.
Checking for worms
Look at the color inside the lower eyelid (pale means anemia from worms), and ask your vet about fecal egg counts before deworming.
Spotting a sick goat
One standing apart, not chewing cud, or skipping food is unwell. Take its temperature and call the vet.
Zoning, a farm visit, a vet, the fence, then the goats
What to expect
Habits to drop
The Maryland Small Ruminant Page collects hundreds of free one-page fact sheets on goat and sheep care, and the dairy goat registry has free beginner and care pages. A local breeder who sells you your goats is usually happy to answer questions in your first year, and your county extension office runs small ruminant classes in many states.
The animals, fencing and vet care are the biggest costs, and none of them is on Amazon: pet wethers often cost $100-300 each, registered dairy does several hundred dollars, and fencing and a shed can run into the thousands. The lines below are the handling, feeding and health basics a small herd needs on day one. If you add sheep, switch on the sheep add-on for their own mineral and halter.
The first three lines (the goats, the fencing and shelter, and the hay) are not things you buy online. For the rest, compare the options and set your tiers in the shed kit. Clicking a card selects it there, and clicking the selected card again takes that line out. The sheep lines stay out until you add sheep.
Goats must live with other goats, so a single goat is not an option. A pair of disbudded wethers or does is the easiest first herd.
Not sold on Amazon
Not sold on Amazon. Buy from a local breeder or keeper, ask for health and vaccination records and the animals' scrapie ID, and line up a large-animal vet before they arrive.
Goats are escape artists, and a fence they can climb or squeeze through puts them on the road or in a neighbor's garden. The shelter keeps them dry, which keeps them healthy.
Not sold on Amazon
Not sold on Amazon in practical form. Buy 4 ft woven wire or welded livestock panels and posts from a farm store, and build or buy a three-sided shed with a solid roof.
Hay is most of a goat's diet whenever browse and pasture run short, which is several months a year in most places.
Not sold on Amazon
Not sold on Amazon at a sensible price. Buy clean, mold-free grass or mixed hay by the bale from a local farmer or feed store (price is per bale).
A collar is how you catch, lead and hold a goat for hoof trims, vet checks and moving between pens.
Buy one per goat. Fit it so two fingers slide underneath, and check the fit as young goats grow. A collar can snag on brush or fencing, so look the herd over daily.
Hay and browse alone rarely supply all the copper, selenium and other minerals goats need, so a free-choice goat mineral fills the gap.
Manna Pro Goat Mineral Supplement, Essential Vitamins & Minerals for Growth & Development, Includes Ammonium Chloride & Microbial Blend for Digestive Health, 8 lbs
4.8(2,766)
$16.77
Choose a loose mineral made for goats, not a block, since goats cannot lick enough from a block. Never let sheep reach it: goat mineral contains copper that is toxic to sheep.
Goats refuse hay that has touched the ground, so a raised feeder saves a lot of wasted hay.
Wall Mount Hay Feeder for Goats, 40-Inch Long Metal Hay Rack for Horses
4.3(46)
$49.99
Mount it inside the shelter at chest height so hay stays dry. Skip loose hay nets, which can tangle horns and legs.
Goats drink only clean water and will go thirsty rather than drink dirty water, so a bucket you can hang off the ground and scrub daily keeps them drinking.
Little Giant® Flat Back Plastic Animal Feed Bucket | Animal Feed Bucket with Metal Handle | Horse Feed & Water Bucket | 20 Quarts | Navy
4.4(26)
$29.98
Little Giant® Flat Rubber Bucket | Rubber Water Bucket for Horses | Flat Back Bucket | 18 Quarts
4.5(124)
$41.23
Hang it at goat chest height so it stays free of droppings. In a freezing climate, plan to break ice twice a day or add a heated bucket later.
Goat hooves grow continuously and fold over every 4-8 weeks, trapping dirt and causing lameness if left untrimmed.
Goat and Sheep Hoof Trimmers Carbon Steel Trimming Shears Multi-Purpose Pruning Shears 2" Serrated Blade
4.2(754)
$7.99
Silverline by Capralite Multi-Purpose Goat Hoof Garden Trimmers
4.7(271)
$40.99
Premier 1 ARS 140DXR Serrated Hoof Trimmer & Garden Pruning Shears
4.5(49)
$54.00
Choose sharp shears made for goat and sheep hooves. The same pair works on sheep.
A temperature reading is the first thing a vet asks for when a goat seems off, and it tells you how urgent the call is.
iProven Rectal and Oral Digital Thermometer for The Whole Family
4.2(13,975)
$4.99
Thermometer for Horses, Livestock and Pets. Fast, Accurate Temperatures in Seconds. Easy-Read LCD. Choose from Three Probe Lengths for Animals Small to Large.
No rating yet
$36.99
Any digital rectal thermometer works on goats and sheep; label it and keep it for the animals only. Normal for an adult goat is roughly 101.5-103.5 F and for a sheep about 101-103 F. A reading outside that range means call the vet.
Loose mineral poured on the ground gets wet, soiled and wasted. A small feeder fixed to a wall or fence keeps it off the ground and clean.
Chicken Feeder Waterer, Goat Feeder - 2 Pack, 5.5 Quart, for Goats Chickens Duck Sheeple Dogs Piglets Deers Gooses, Turkeys, Goat Supplies(Appearance Patent Product)
4.6(935)
$18.99
LBH Market Goat Mineral Feeder Kit Includes Mineral Feeder 3.5 Qt with 5 Wood Screw Fasteners Suitable for Goats and Horses
4.0(44)
$19.99
Fix it at goat chest height under the shelter roof. If you keep sheep, hang a second feeder in their pen for the sheep mineral; two of the three options come as multi-packs.
A care book covers housing, feeding, health and hoof care in one place to read before the goats arrive and grab during a problem.
The Backyard Goat: An Introductory Guide to Keeping and Enjoying Pet Goats, from Feeding and Housing to Making Your Own Cheese
4.6(370)
$16.66
Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, 5th Edition: Breed Selection, Feeding, Fencing, Health Care, Dairying, Marketing
4.8(676)
$23.76
Cleans small cuts and scrapes from fences or head-butting while you decide whether the vet needs to see them.
Champion Shield Silver Liquid Bandage Spray for Horses - 4oz Healing Silver Gel Spray for Livestock, Large Animal Wounds - Protective Sweatproof Barrier Blocks Flies - USEF Compliant Wound Protection
3.7(45)
$21.95
Vetericyn Plus Livestock Utility Gel Spray | Sprayable Hydrogel Wound Care, Teat Spray, Dermal Irritation Relief, Non-Toxic and Antibiotic-Free Formula, Safe for All Animals. 16 ounces
4.7(116)
$37.99
For minor wounds only. Deep cuts, eye injuries and anything bleeding hard need the vet. Check the label for any milk withdrawal time if you milk.
Sheep need minerals too, but copper builds up in their liver and can kill them, so they need a mineral formulated for sheep, which keeps copper low.
Redmond All Natural Sheep Mineral Supplement - Essential Trace Minerals for Overall Health and Growth Support - 5 lbs
4.7(138)
$22.99
Premier 1 Sheep Trace Mineral Salt – Ready-to-Use, Zinc, Iodine & Selenium
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$39.00
New Country Organics | Healthy Sheep Kelp Based Minerals for Sheep | Certified Organic and Non-GMO | 40 lbs
4.6(12)
$105.98
Check the label says it is for sheep; never use a goat, cattle or all-livestock mineral. Feed it in the sheep's own feeder where goats cannot share it, and keep the goat mineral out of the sheep's reach.
Sheep are usually handled with a halter rather than a collar, which wool can hide and twist.
Weaver Livestock Poly Rope Sheep Halter, Modern Style Braid Sheep and Goat Rope Halter, Adjustable Lamb Halter Lead, Livestock Sheep Showing Supplies
4.6(2,765)
$5.09
Weaver Leather Livestock Poly Rope Sheep Halter with Snap, Lime/Hurricane Blue/Royal Blue
4.4(255)
$12.60
Buy one per sheep. It should sit high on the nose bone, never down on the soft nose.
