Buying a goat as a pet

Updated on  7/6/13 , Originally posted on 9/10/11

Weekly Bible Verse: Ezekiel 34:17 ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.

Goats can make wonderful pets!  If you are considering a goat as a pet, here are some tips.  The best goat is a tame goat.  Buy a goat that was bottle fed by humans.  A bottle fed goat sees people as part of its herd and usually shows no fear of them.  Both male (buck) and female (doe) goats make great pets but if you get a male (buck) make sure it is fixed or he will stink!  A castrated buck is called a wether.

 

Another thing to consider before buying a goat is horns.  The only defense a goat has is its horns.  But the horns can be dangerous to small children because the horns are at the same level as a child’s face.  I prefer de-horned goats but if you have large dogs that live near you, you might want a goat with horns so if a dog broke into the goat’a pen it would at least have something to defend it’s self with.  Goats are de-horned as babies.

One last thing, never put a de-horned goat with a horned goat because the de-horned goat can be injured or even killed by the horned goat.