Goats are a great addition to any hobby farm, especially if you are looking for land management or for a profit. An interesting fact about goats is that they were among the earliest animals domesticated by humans, more than 10,000 years ago. Goats don’t need a large amount of land – two to ten goats can reside peacefully together on one acre of land. These top-down grazers will eat weeds, leaves, and grass depending on what they require. Goats are ruminants, meaning they have a four-compartmented stomach and chew their cud like cattle.

Goats are known for being naturally curious. They are quite agile and can climb and balance in unwarranted places. They are actually the only ruminant to regularly climb trees. Due to these traits, a very sturdy and secure fence is necessary. If a goat finds a hole or weakness in the fence, they will continually try and get out of it. Other goats will catch on and quickly start doing the same thing.

Because they were domesticated so long ago, goats try to communicate with people similar to domesticated animals like dogs or horses. They often look to human guidance when presented with an obstacle.

Female goats are called “does” or “nannies”. Non-neutered males are called “billies” or “bucks”. Neutered males are called “wethers”.

Goats can provide milk as well. Goat milk has risen in popularity thanks to its health benefits like reducing inflammation, acting as a metabolic agent, and is high in calcium. If you’re looking to keep goats on your hobby farm for producing milk, some good breeds are: Alpine, Kinder, LaMancha, Nubian, Oberhasil, Pygmy, Saanen, Spanish (Brush), and Toggenburg.

If you are looking to use your goats for meat purposes, consider breeds like the Boer, Kiko, Kinder, Savanna, or Spanish. The mean from young goats is known as “kid” or “cabrito” (in Spanish). Adult goat meat is known as “chevon” or just simply “goat”.

Not only are goats useful when they are alive, they also are needed when they have passed. Goat intestine is often used to make “catgut”, which is used as material for internal human stitches as well as musical instrument strings.

Goats are an absolutely wonderful addition to any hobby farm!

Picture:	Breed:
	Alpine: Origin: France Coloring: Multiple Production: Milk Breed Note: Their milk can be used in as many forms as the cow milk we use today
	Angora: Origin: Turkey Coloring: Cream, white Production: Hair Breed Note: Single goat produces 4 to 5 kilograms of hair per year
	Boer: Origin: South Africa Coloring: Brown, white Production: Meat, breeding Breed Note: Noted for being fast growing
	Fainting (Myotonic): Origin: Unknown Coloring: Multiple Production: Pets, exhinbition Breed Note: Muscles freeze for about 10 second when the goat feels pain or panic
	Kiko: Origin: New Zeland Coloring: White, cream, brown, black Production: Meat Breed Note: Recognized for their superior maternal instincts
	Kinder: Origin: U.S. Coloring: Brown, white, black Production: milk, meat Breed Note: More muscular than other goat its size
	LaMancha: Origin: U.S. Coloring: Multiple Production: Milk, pets Breed Note: Easily recognized by their short hair unlike others
	Nigerian Dwarf: Origin: Nigeria Coloring: Multiple Production: Milk, pets Breed Note: Gentle and easily trainable
	Nubian: Origin: Great Britan Coloring: Multiple Production: Milk Breed Note: Able to live in extreme hot climates
	Oberhasli: Origin: Switzerland Coloring: Brown, black Production: Milk Breed Note: Mature goats weigh between 100 to 150 pounds
	Pygmy: Origin: West Aftrica Coloring: White, brown, black, gray Production: Milk, work Breed Note: Able to live in most climates
	Pygora: Origin: U.S. Coloring: White, cream, brown, black Production: hair, milk Breed Note: With good heath can live up to 14 years on average
	Saanen: Origin: Switzerland Coloring: White, cream Production: milk Breed Note: Largest of the goat dairy breeds
	Savanna: Origin: South Africa Coloring: White, shades of red and blue, black Production: Meat Breed Note: Noted for easy birthing
	Spanish (Brush): Origin: Spain Coloring: Multiple Production: Meat, milk Breed Note: Can range from 50 to 200 pounds
	Toggenburg: Origin: Switzerland Coloring: Shades of red and brown, white Production: Milk Breed Note: Calm, quiet, and gentile; great as pets