Goats

Although we no longer have goats, I wanted to share the experience of the time we did. Back in the summer of 2010, we bought ten goats, mostly Boer or Boer crosses. The plan was to use them to reclaim pastures overgrown with briars and multiflora rose. It seemed like a perfect solution at first: put the goats on the overgrown areas and keep the sheep on the better pasture as a foundation for our sheep and lamb operation. Well, that plan didn’t last long! We quickly realized that goats are not sheep (shocker, right?), and goats need a much stronger fence. 

 We put up five strands of low-tensile wire and polywire around each area, typically two to three acres. But within a few days to a week, we’d find goats out of the pasture, usually up at the house. We learned, the hard way, what most goat farmers know well: goats like to wander and get bored quickly. There’s an old saying about goats and fences: “Throw a bucket of water at the fence, and that’s where the goat will get out.” That couldn’t have been more accurate. Every time a goat got loose, I’d end up chasing it back to the paddock—it started feeling like a full-time job. I even added extra grounding rods to keep the voltage high (up to 8,000 volts), but it made little difference. They just barreled through it anyway. 

 By the spring of 2012, Beth had reached her limit and wanted the goats gone. But I was finally starting to get a handle on things… or so I thought. Plus, I’d grown attached to them after we had our first kidding season in January 2011. But things took a turn when my father became ill, and I had to go help my parents for about a week. No sooner had I left than all the goats broke through the fence and made themselves comfortable right in the middle of the road. Beth was livid. When I got back, I told her I’d need to go back to my parents’ again soon, and she responded, “Not until those darn goats are gone!” So, we found a good home for them, and our marriage was saved. 

 In hindsight, the problem wasn’t really with the goats but with me. I hadn’t put up proper fencing to contain them. The goats were fun, and they did a great job clearing out the areas we wanted, but at a price—much higher than the sheep. Goats are expensive to keep, between feed costs, especially over winter (they can’t live on hay alone), medicine, and, most of all, the time they require. I spent more time on my goats than on the sheep, which were supposed to be the centerpiece of our farm operation. 

 If you’re considering buying goats, I highly recommend putting up a sturdy fence—ideally woven wire. Unless you’re prepared to install eight strands of electrified high-tensile wire, woven wire is the only reliable option. Even with woven wire, other farmers have told us stories of their goats escaping and wandering off to neighboring farms. 

 From my perspective, sheep are much easier to manage than goats. Part of our trouble may have been with the Boer breed, which isn’t really suited to the winter climate here in southeastern Ohio. I suspect that other European breeds might fare better. Boer goats are better adapted to climates that resemble South Africa, where the breed originated. 

 As for pasture reclamation, we’ve found that our Katahdin sheep do just as well as the goats did, with far less hassle. I use three low-tensile wires with our standard charger, and the sheep get the job done. They’ll even climb saplings as eagerly as goats do. The only difference is that sheep start grazing from the ground or head level before moving higher. So, you might need to keep them in an area a little longer to get them to eat the brushy stuff, but they’re up to the task.