Here are the plain and simple, down to earth, pros and cons of owning goats.
It’s easy to get carried away in excitement when contemplating raising a new animal, I know I do. But I have to remember to keep myself in check and make an old fashioned pros and cons list for whatever I am doing. Here is a list of the pros and cons of owning goats everyone should consider before getting goats.
COn: You will Need to Get a Goat Sitter when you Leave Town
This one is the one that irritates us the most. When you leave town you will need to get someone to watch your goats. It’s inconvenient. It nips spontaneous trips in the bud and requires more planning and more money than it would other wise. Usually you will need to hire a sitter, though there are the nice neighbors every once in a while that will watch your goats for free, plan on paying someone.
Con: If You Are Milking Goats Need to be milked Every Day
From the day your goat gives birth on, your committed to milking at least once a day if not two or three times a day. This can be a real pain in the tush. They need to be milked no matter what, even if you are sick or tired or too busy, or if you go out of town, they will need someone there everyday, the same time of day, to milk.
Getting a goat sitter a lot harder while you are milking. It’s one thing to fill a water trough and throw some hay to your goats, its another to sit down milk the goat, put the milk in clean jars, refrigerate it and put the milk in clean jars, and then wash all the milking equipment. On top of this, even goats with the sweetest temperaments put anyone new who is milking them through a rite of passage of kicking, poor milking stand manners and general orneriness.
Con: Goats can Be VERY Stubborn
Let me repeat that, GOATS CAN BE VERY STUBBORN. When you go online and hear those stories about the goat that did this that or the other ridiculous stubborn thing, know they are true and it could happen to you.
COn: Goats Can be Expensive
Goats ain’t cheap. It costs us about $500 per goat per year. This number can go up with unforeseen vet bills or a rise in hay prices. There are ways to have goats pay for themselves, and you can lower the price of goat up keep if you feed them more pasture or learn how to treat goat disease yourself. Just something to consider when weighing the pros and of owning goats.
Con: Goats Reproduce Quickly and It can be hard to Get rid of Goat Babies
This only applies if you are breeding goats and even then is majorly dependent on where you live and what kinds of goats you have. It can be irksome having your herd just keep getting bigger and bigger and not knowing what to do with all those babies. Even registered goats can be hard to sell. If you live somewhere with a high demand for the kind of goat you have, this won’t be a problem.
Con: Goats can be Noisy
Another con of owning goats is that goats are noisy. They can talk to each other all day (and sometimes all night.) When they go into heat they get louder, when they are hungry they are louder. Usually if they aren’t in heat and all their needs are met they are relatively quiet. The normal noise level for goats isn’t that bad if you have some space in between you and the goat pen. If you are closer together, they might keep you up at night a few night out of the year. Is it a big deal? Not really, but a good thing to keep in mind if you live in a neighborhood or another sound sensitive location.
Con: Goats need their Hooves Trimmed
This can be a real nightmare, especially if you don’t have a stanchion or help or both. Trimming goat hooves can be a breeze if you are prepared, have an easy goat to work with who is in a good mood and you bring treats. I find success, with even somewhat grumpy goats , if I can get them on a stanchion, give them a treat and have a good pair of hoof trimmers. (Garden pruners work great for trimming goat hooves, we use a pair like this and love them.)
Con: Dealing with Goat Horns
To keep the horns or get rid of them, what to do? If your goat has horns they can hurt you if they decide to butt you. Goats with horns also get their heads stuck more often.
If they don’t have horns, but have scurs they can break off and the goats can bleed a lot. Disbudding goats can can misshape their head. On top of that horns are a cooling system, and come in handy during hot weather. If you are starting with a baby goat and you don’t want horns you will need to disbud them. There are disbudding pastes that you apply to the bud of the horn before it breaks out of the head, but those can rub to other places on their face and body and cause damage there. You can use you a disbudding iron, but you need to be careful because if you do it wrong it can kill the goat. Goat horns are a reality of goat ownership and it’s good to have a plan for what to do with them.
COn: Goats (even if the Don’t have Horns) May Butt You
Goats from time to time may try to butt you. They will rear up on their back legs and pull their ears back and try to butt you. This can be nipped in bud when they are little so they aren’t as likely to do it and it is a temperamental thing. But it is intimidating and HURTS when a goat nails you.
Now for the Pros on this Pros and COns of Owning GOats
Pro: Goats are great companions
Owning goats is SO much fun. Goats do unexpected things that will put a smile on your face. They will come up to you to get their chins or heads scratched, they burp in your face and make funny sneezing noises. They pull off funny antics running around their pens. Goats have so much personality and will keep you laughing and full of fun stories.
Pro: Fresh Goat milk is amazing!!!
Having fresh goat milk and goats milk products is amazing! Fresh, raw goats milk and goats cheese can’t be beaten. Homemade, fresh goats milk feta or an herbed chevre are some of my favorites and a major motivation for milking everyday.
Pro: Goat Meat is Tasty and Nutritious
Goat meat is a lean meat that has more protein than beef or lamb. It is also high in iron. As to the flavor, many people swear by it, for others it is more of an acquired taste. We have friends that are still talking about the one goat roast we gave them years ago.
Pro: Goats provide off the grid food
For self reliance or preparedness purposes or both goats are a good source of food. Goats can eat grass (which humans can’t live off) and turn it into human food (milk and meat). It is comforting to have a source of food that you have more control over than the grocery store. This can be a major plus when thinking about the pros and cons of owning goats.
Pro: Goats are on the smaller end of livestock
Goats make a great introduction into the world of livestock. Cows and other livestock are large and can be intimidating and difficult to work with, but goats are an easy, convenient size. They are perfect for a family situation both in their ease of handling and in the quantity of food they produce.
Pro: Goats are efficient
Goats eat WAY less than cows and will eat things that other animals won’t dream of eating. They don’t require a crazy rich diet and will do a lot with the food you give them.
Pro: Goat Babies are adorable
Goat kids are ADORABLE! They are the cutest babies on the farm and are all the cute and funny things about goats bundled into one amazing package. ‘Nough said.
PRo: goats make excellent companions for other livestock
Goats are the universal friend. I have seen goats with horses, cows, pigs, chickens, all of it and they do really well. They are not too big that they may hurt the smaller animals, but they aren’t so small they will get hurt themselves. When you have an animal that is going to be alone it is very convenient to put a goat in with them to keep them company.
PRo: Goats are easy to breed
Goats are easy to breed. Bucks are some of the easiest males in the farmyard to keep (as opposed to bulls and boars). Goats get the job done on their own, and usually have smooth pregnancies and smooth deliveries. Also goat kids are pretty tough and healthy, so many of them live and thrive beyond babyhood.
Are goats right for you?
There are hard things about owning goats, there are rewarding things about owning goats. After reviewing these pros and cons of owning goats it’s up to you if it’s worth it for you. But for me goats are TOTALLY worth the inconveniences they pose and more than pay back with the food, laughs and interactions they provide you with.
PS Want to learn more about raising goats? Check out our article on raising goats for beginners or our Homesteading Resource page.