Male goats are called bucks or “billies”. Female goats are called “does” or “nannies”. Baby goats are called “kids”.
Goats have babies once a year and usually average 2 babies.
The noise you hear when they are calling each other is called bleating. Baby goats sound a lot like baby humans when calling their
mother.
Mothers and babies identify each other by their sound, site and smell.
Both male and female goats have horns.
Some female goats have beards, depending on the breed and genetics.
Goats have many uses: Grazing for fire control and land restoration, milk production, fiber, companion animals, pack animals, therapy animals,
and meat production.
Our goats are ear tagged so we can identify their birth year. The tags have our herd identification and our phone number on them plus a herd
number for each animal. Yes, some of our goats also have names.
Goats rely on their guardian dog (the big dogs) for protection and guidance when moving locations.
Goats know their dogs and respond differently to dogs they don’t know. They know the border collies are there to move them around and the
guardian dog protects them.
Goats are very clever, they can learn to come to the shepherd when he makes a calling sound. They learn very quickly how to load into the big
trailer for transport.
Most goats live around 10-12 years similar to dogs.
Goats will not eat anything, but they do eat many plants that other animals will not eat. Some landscaping plants although tasty can be toxic
making them very ill and sometimes can cause death. This is why we ask people to do not to feed the goats.
Goats love prickly weeds and plants such as thistles and blackberries.
Goats have amazing balance and can climb without falling on very high small branches and ledges.
Goats, unlike sheep, are extremely heat tolerant.
Our goats have access to drinking water at all times. It may take a few hours to supply water during a move, but it is coming. Goats are able to
go without water longer than most animals and are almost as efficient as camels and giraffes.
