[jscarth]

can i have a goat as a pet in brookhaven,, i live in ridge?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

What state? You need to check your municipal regulations.

[foxywench]

as already pointed out youd have to check your munciplaity...
but you CANT have A pet goat...goats are herd animals and a single goat is a VERY unhappy goat (and take my word for it, an unhappy goat is a LOUD obnoxiious goat, and a loud obnoxious goat leads to unhappy people who eventually fight your right to have your pet goat.

goats shoudl always have another goat as a buddy. a pygmy or nigerian doe and a wether or 2 wethers (neutered males) are perfect backyard pets and brush control.
(and you dont want an intact male either, they stink..no realy they pee on themselves when in rut to attract the ladies...)

[second right]

I rescued a "baby" pygmy goat one time (to save it from being fed to a snake). He stayed with me for about five months until I found a home for him and he just thought he was one of my rescue dogs. The goat would run around with the dogs as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The funny thing was seeing the goat suddenly "jump", like a pop tart as they all chased each other back and forth.

Now, that said, I was breaking the law however my neighbors just turned a blind eye to it..found it adorable.

He was eventually adopted out to a horse farm that catered to disabled children. This farm had a husky who was best friends with a goat who passed away. My goat and the husky became best of friends and the Husky's depression immediately disappeared.

I went to visit several times and was not only amazed at the bond between the Husky and the goat but the wonderful work this farm was doing to help disabled children.

Yep, pretty cool.

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by foxywench

as already pointed out youd have to check your munciplaity...
but you CANT have A pet goat...goats are herd animals and a single goat is a VERY unhappy goat (and take my word for it, an unhappy goat is a LOUD obnoxiious goat, and a loud obnoxious goat leads to unhappy people who eventually fight your right to have your pet goat.

goats shoudl always have another goat as a buddy. a pygmy or nigerian doe and a wether or 2 wethers (neutered males) are perfect backyard pets and brush control.
(and you dont want an intact male either, they stink..no realy they pee on themselves when in rut to attract the ladies...)

We kept a goat as a companion for the Thoroughbred horses... (sheep work well too). They don't need to be with another goat to be happy... just other livestock. It was free to roam in the stalls. (though I must admit I got butted pretty hard once when I wasn't looking).

[foxywench]

while a goat can be relitivly happy with other livestock, theres nothing like having another goat for companionship...
however i highly doubt the op would be going out buying a goat and a sheep or a pony ect given he/she lives in a subdivision obviously.
My goats are never as happy with other animals as they are with their own kind...goats play rougher than many other livestock so mabe thats why? either way it still stands athat you cant just have A pet goat...he/she NEEDS a buddy of some kind, preferably neer its own size and of a similar nature.
Sheep and goats have to be watched very closely as they CANNOT be fed the same diet.

[Cinebar]

Originally Posted by SuperSparkle928

They don't need to be with another goat to be happy... just other livestock.

Sorry, but I disagree. I have had goats for over thirty years, and while I believe a single goat will be less unhappy with another animal for companionship, it is much better for them to actually have another goat.

When I was selling goats, I wouldn't even sell to a home that wanted a single goat. If I knew for a fact that the potential buyer had at least one goat already, then I had no problem selling them a single.

I would often make a "deal" (at a financial loss to me) by selling a second goat for less than I could have made otherwise - just to make sure none of my goats were going to homes where they would not have goat company.

I refused to sell a single goat to one woman, who when she realized I wasn't going to sell her a single then tried to lie to me - saying that her neighbor was giving her a goat, so the goat she bought from me would have company. I can't remember how I busted her in the lie (it's been some years ago), but she was really, really angry with me for refusing to sell her a single goat. I mean, really angry.

Of course, I also refused to sell goats to people who planned on tying them out 24/7 and to anyone not prepared to provide adequate shelter.

I was pretty picky about the homes my goats went to. I still have goats but only breed now to keep a doe or two milking and I just keep the babies. I have a number of old goats (one is fourteen, half a dozen are over eleven, and seven are between eight and ten), so I can keep a couple of babies a year.

Originally Posted by foxywench

Sheep and goats have to be watched very closely as they CANNOT be fed the same diet.

I believe they can be fed the same diet (as in hay and forage - I'm not sure about grain) but the mineral requirements are different - goats need copper in their mineral supplements and I understand that copper is deadly for sheep (I've never had sheep).

[foxywench]

thats correct, they can be in the same feild, grass brows ect and hay is fine...
but pelleted feed must be fed seperatly because of the copper, goats will die without enough and sheep with die at the levels a goat needs.

[GotBackHome]

because my husband and some of his brothers had/have allergies, the only pet they had while growing up was a goat. They thought it was male when they got it (and so named it Willy) but then realized it was female! I haven't heard of any stories that Willy was particularly difficult or unhappy. they had a willow tree in the front yard that had been blown over during a hurricane, but then grew up again (resulting in a very bowed out tree) which Willy especially enjoyed climbing in! caused no end of amusement for the owner of the convenience store next door when people came screeching in saying 'there's a goat in that tree!!!'. She was fine. They had an enclosure for her but she didn't want a 4th wall and kicked/butted it down any time someone tried to put it back up (that side faced a garage, so it was sheltered from most weather). they have happy, if unusual, memories. but, yes, they only had 1 goat - and 4 boys.

[Coldjensens]

Several of our neighbors have pygm goats to trim their lawn instead of a mower.

I want to find a fainting goat. Can you buy them? Do they come in pygmy size?

Can goats be outside in the winter? (In an unheated barn).