Housing Needs

A sturdy, well ventilated, draft-free barn is a must for your goats. They really hate to sleep outside in the cold months and they actually panic if it rains on them. Without these qualities in your barn there is a chance that your animal will become ill. So the following basic rules are essential to the well-being of goats:-

• A dry, draught free building to shelter from the elements and sufficient headroom for the goat to stand upright on its hind legs with neck outstretched.
• Enough height, also, for the goat keeper to work standing upright. 
• If penned separately, each goat should have about 4 sq. m. of floor space.
• Pen and door heights vary according to breed and 1.3 m. is a recommended average, greater/less height being necessary for some breeds/goats.
• Goats like to see each other, even if penned separately, so provision needs to be made for this in the type of partitions/gates used.
• A well-fenced exercise yard is needed at least three to four times the area of the penning. The exercise yard needs to be concreted (if it is this minimum area) or have a similar hard surface that does not retain moisture and that can be easily cleaned. Otherwise, goats can be turned out to graze/browse in a well fenced paddock during the day in all but very bad weather. Field shelters are appreciated. 

If the goats are housed in a group in the same area, a minimum of 2 sq. m. per goat needs to be provided, although more than this minimum is recommended if bullying is to be avoided. Horned and disbudded or hornless goats should be penned separately.

The minimum requirements for keeping goats are a dry area to store straw, hay and other goat feed; a fresh water supply ideally located for the goat, and good lighting not only for your goat but for you. If you milk your goats, then a clean area is an essential requirement. You will need a means of disposal of soiled bedding that meets all local bylaws, plus a lockable cupboard to house the essential veterinary equipment.

The permanent fixtures and fitting in goat pens,

• For individual pens the goats need hayracks, feed and water buckets and bucket holders. Bucket holders are useful for preventing feed and water buckets being tipped over, and need to be strategically placed to avoid contamination with faeces.
• For communal housing, water is usually piped, automatically filling drinking bowls. Feed and hay are commonly placed outside the pens. Goats feed by placing their heads through a slatted barrier. There should be a sufficient number of openings in the slats for every goat to feed at once. This prevents bullying.
• Salt lick access is necessary for all goats at all times.
• Hayracks can be bought ready made or constructed from wood or metal.  They should be placed at goat head height so that the hay cannot be soiled. A lid is preferable to stop hay being pulled out of the top and to prevent kids jumping into a rack.
• Good ventilation and natural lighting are essential, but all windows should be protected from damage by the goats. The floor area where the goat lies down must be draught free in bad weather.

For kids and goatlings a bench for them to jump on/off or lie on/underneath is a recommended feature.

Facilities for your free range goats.

This is where the goats are provided with housing at night, in bad weather and during winter, but they are allowed access to grazing. There are degrees of free ranging. An area of grass of less than 1/8 hectare for two goats can only be considered as useful for exercise, it would soon get soiled and the goats would not eat it. Areas larger than this will provide some grazing for goats, but remember goats are not as good at grazing as sheep, preferring to browse or graze selectively. As far as our goats at the Cumbrian-Goat-Experience are concerned, they have unrestricted access to grassland and mixed woodland, but most goat keepers have to manage with much less than this!

Free access from their permanent house to grassland is preferable, but if you have to put goats in fields for set periods, they must have access to shelter, preferably something purpose built. High stock fencing or electric fencing is ideal. Pygmy goats require much less space, of course. Some breeds, such as Angoras and Boers, graze better than dairy goats.

Tethering your Goats

This is the worst form of management.  It is very time consuming and is not recommended for the welfare of the goat. When the goat has trampled the grass and needs fresh grazing, and whenever rain threatens, the goat requires moving. You need to constantly ensure the goat has water and shelter from the hot sun. A tethered goat is also at the mercy of stray dogs and malicious children. If not done properly it can lead to serious cruelty and neglect, so this is best to be avoided.