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Goats

Pet goats need company

Goats are social herd animals and need the company of other goats. You should plan to keep at least two goats who get on well. Remember, it can be difficult to introduce new goats to an existing herd, so it's best to get two or more goats from the same herd, who are already companions.

In general, it’s best to keep a group made up of only females or only castrated male goats (called ‘wethers’), or a mix of the two. 

It’s usually possible to keep a mix of ages or breeds together, although we don't recommend mixing horned and non-horned ('polled') goats. Keep watch to make sure particular goats aren’t being bullied or overly dominated. 

Introducing a new goat 

When a new goat or goats are introduced to a herd – particularly unfamiliar males – there may be some aggressive behaviour. The new goat may be butted a lot and not allowed to feed at the hayrack. Goats may also rear up and clash heads. 

To avoid this, we advise putting the new goat in a pen by themselves but close to the existing herd, for a few days. That way, the animals can get used to each other safely before being allowed physical contact. 

You can also add a partition or partitions in the goat house, so goats can choose to move away from other animals.

Goats and other animals

Goats can browse in the same field as other herbivores, such as ponies, sheep, llama and alpacas. We advise you to speak to your vet before mixing them to make sure there are no health risks.

Take care to let the different species get used to each other before mixing. You could keep them in neighbouring paddocks for a few days. Once mixed, monitor their behaviour around each other. If you see negative behaviour such as goats butting other species, you'll need to separate them again.

Take care to let the different species get used to each other before mixing. You could keep them in neighbouring paddocks for a few days. Once mixed, monitor their behaviour around each other. If you see negative behaviour such as goats butting other species, you'll need to separate them again.

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