What to Look For When Buying Goats
Bringing goats onto your lifestyle block is a big step, which can be both challenging and highly rewarding. Goats are NOT horned sheep, not all vets are highly knowledgeable about goats, and the information freely available online is not always accurate. Here’s what to consider before getting goats.
Do you have the right setup?
Goats have unique requirements for husbandry, which can be very different to sheep and cattle. They require very long, poor quality grass, with high fibre and browse material for optimum health. If you’re grazing short, lush grass, you may run into health concerns such as laminitis, sub acute rumen acidosis (the effect of sugary food on the stomach), and heavy gut worm burdens.
Goats evolved in dry arid environments, or high alpine environments. Because of this, their hoof walls grow quickly as they are expecting to be quickly worn down on the hard, rocky ground. They may also suffer from recurrent issues like foot rot, when kept on soft, muddy ground and humid environments, such as in the tropical-esk north island climate. If you’re keeping goats, it is paramount to have higher ground they can get to during the wetter months, to keep their feet dry. Some owners will work around this by offering elaborate climbing platforms. Alternatively, a dry barn can be a lifesaver. Goats thrive on high fibre such as hay, so supplementary feeding while in a barn is rarely an issue.
Goats are well known for being little Houdinis. As they say “if the wind can get through a fence, a goat sure will”. While this isn't necessarily true for all goats, it’s best to be prepared. Goats can slide under, climb up, and leap over most fences. You’ll want to be sure you have an appropriate set up before acquiring your goats, to avoid frustration. Check out our course on “everything you need to know to keep goats” for more information on how to build safe goat fences.
Are your goats horned?
Goat kid that has been dehorned
Goats may come with or without horns. Either way, you’ll need to know what you’re in for. While few individuals may have no horns, naturally, most goats will be born with horn buds which will develop into horns. Some owners will choose to “disbud” goat kids within the first couple of weeks of life. This is to keep their handlers and other paddock mates safe from these weapons, but beware the downfalls of dehorning;
Keeping horned and dehorned goats together can be problematic as the dehorned individuals may be targeted with little ability to protect themselves
Horns play a role in thermoregulation and can predispose to heat stress during summer. This is especially important for the angora fibre breed and is not appropriate to remove horns in these animals.
If horn buds are removed when the kid is slightly too old (even by a week or so), or is done incompletely (it is very easy to miss some of the horn bud tissue in baby boys), then “scurs” may develop. These are thick, but flimsy, lengths of horny tissue that grow from the base of the skull. They snap off easily, causing bleeding and profound pain to the animal, but will continue to grow back quickly, only slowing down at maturity (3-4 years old). They will often require routine removal by a vet.
Was the wether castrated when he was young?
A wether is a castrated male. Many people will still opt to have a young goat kid castrated in the first few weeks of life, following the recommendations that apply to lambs. This is dangerous and not recommended. Research shows that when a kid or lamb is castrated prior to 12 weeks old, the removal of testosterone stunts the growth of the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside world). The urethra remains thin and is prone to blockages by urinary crystals. Though this effect has been shown in other ruminants such as lambs, the unique nutritional requirements of goats puts them at high risk of crystal formation and fatal urinary blockages.
You’ll need to make sure you ask “at what age was he castrated?” If the answer is “under 12 weeks old, then you’ll need to make sure you are well educated around goat nutrition. High fibre, no grain, plenty of browse material and an appropriate calcium:phosphorus ratio in all feedstuffs. Check out the Nutrition module of our “everything you need to know to keep goats” course. You may want to consider occasional urine testing to check for crystals and be highly aware of how to identify urinary blockages early.
Your goat kid and colostrum intake
If you’re adopting a goat kid, you’ll want to know what his start in life looked like. Was he reared on the doe? Was he taken when young? Was he sickly and received treatments for an ailment?
Of paramount importance is whether or not he received a good big belly full of colostrum in just the first few hours of life. This is the first milk produced by the doe, and is rich in immune antibodies; without which your kid will be immunocompromised for the first 8-12 weeks. Put your detective hat on - when EXACTLY did he get this feed? Many orphans are found, with no real idea of how old they are.
Many well meaning carers will believe that receiving colostrum in the first 24 hours is adequate and will tell you that he had a good feed and there is no issue. This is not necessarily true and is a common misunderstanding. A full immune system comes from receiving a good feed of colostrum within the first 2-4 hours. By 12 hours old, only 10% of the antibodies in the rich milk are absorbed. By 24 hours, there is no more absorption. As you can see, the earlier the better.
Was your kid really orphaned?
Many goat kids are adopted every year by loving new owners, after being found “abandoned” in the wild. These kids are rarely abandoned. The reality is that goat kids are “hiders”. That is, the doe will hide the kid while it forages, then reunite every few hours. The orphaned kid is often simply lying in wait for its mother to return. Abandonment does occur, usually when the doe has been scared into fleeing, for example by a predator (eg dog) or hunter. She may not return.
Feral goats are often smaller than you would otherwise expect if compared to a Nubian, for example, and carers can be quite thrown, assuming the kid is much younger than it really is. If this is the case, be sure to do your research, or find a knowledgeable vet to assess its age for you.
Feral goats will often carry heavy lice and mite burdens. A silver lining is that they often develop a higher level of immunity against gut worms than our domesticated breeds.
Common Diseases
When bringing new goats onto your block, it's essential to screen for a number of common diseases to protect your existing stock and kick things off on the right foot. The key is to obtain as much information as possible from the seller and, ideally, consult with a knowledgable veterinarian for any necessary testing.
Some of the most critical diseases to be aware of include:
Internal and External Parasites: Goats are particularly susceptible to gastrointestinal parasites (worms) and can quickly develop large burdens. There is also a lot of resistance developing in goats, meaning super worms are evolving that are not able to killed with our drenches. You do NOT want to bring these worms on to your property. Be sure to hold your new goats in quarantine for 10 days while you perform a quarantine drench and a drench test 7-10 days later to confirm all worms have been eradicated. Treat for external parasites during this time as well.
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE): This is a serious, incurable virus. In adult goats, it can cause chronic arthritis (especially in the knees), chronic pneumonia, and a hard, non-productive udder ("hard bag"). In kids, it can cause neurological signs. Ask if the herd is CAE-tested negative or have any preventative measures in place to decrease its prevalence in the herd.
CAE causes profound swelling and extreme pain in adult goats, usually of the front "knees"
Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA): A chronic bacterial disease that causes abscesses in the lymph nodes, especially around the head, neck, and flank. Abscesses can burst and contaminate the environment for a very long time. Do not buy a goat with an active lump or swelling, as the bacteria is very difficult to eradicate. Unfortunately these abscesses can sometimes be internal so it is difficult to remove the risk entirely. As if the herd has ever had any abscess around the face or neck.
Foot Rot and Foot Scald: Both are contagious bacterial infections that cause severe lameness. Inspect all four feet closely for redness, foul odor, or soft tissue breakdown between the claws. Spraying with an antibiotics spray and soaking feet in a 10% Zinc Sulphate foot bath during the quarantine period can remove any current infections.
Contagious Ecthyma (Orf/Sore Mouth): This is a viral skin disease that causes scabby lesions on the lips, mouth, and sometimes the udder. It is very contagious to other goats and can be transmitted to humans. This virus does not necessarily exist on your land, but if you bring an animal with a lesion onto the land, the virus will shed and exist there forever more. The virus will clear on its own after a few weeks, so simply wait until the lesions have fully healed before introducing the new goat to your property.
A lamb with scabby mouth
A good biosecurity plan, including a quarantine period (ideally 2 weeks) for all new goats, is the best way to prevent the introduction of these and other diseases to your farm.
Find yourself a goat vet
Last but not least, be sure to educate yourself in goat health and husbandry so you can advocate for your animals, and hunt around for a knowledgeable goat vet. Don't be afraid to interview vets and ask around for others’ experiences. A passionate “Lifestyle block” vet will often be highly knowledgeable.
Want to know more?
Understand how goats see the world
For a deep-dive, enroll on our What You Need to Know to Keep Goats online course.
