I want to buy a goat.  What breed should I get?

    If you just want a pet that doesn't have to be milked twice a day and requires little maintenance, do NOT get a
dairy goat.  Instead, consider pygmy goats.  Dairy goats, like dairy cows, have been bred to produce large
quantities of milk at the sacrifice of their own body.  It is the owner's job to supply the nutritional demands and
closely monitor the health of the animal.  In other words, dairy goats stress easily and will get sick much faster
than pygmy goats.  Unless you are prepared to deal with this issue, dairy goats are not the best choice for you.
Pygmy goats also require less space than dairy goats for a small farm.  For more information about pygmy goats
visit the  National Pygmy Goat Association.
    I do not recommend dairy goats to anyone who only wants to clear brush from their pasture either.  A dairy goat
has a high energy demand and will rapidly go into a negative energy balance on only pasture.  On the other hand,
meat breads like Boers or Spanish goats have been bred to thrive on range conditions.  Therefore, Boer-Spanish
crosses used in a well-designed pasture management system would be an excellent choice.  Crossed animals are
reasonably inexpensive to purchase, require limited maintenance, and their well-muscled offspring could bring a
profit each year.  For more information on Boer goats I recommend visiting the American Boer Goat Association  and  Boergoats.com.
     At this point, I would like to state that both pygmies and meat goats do require basic maintenance like
deworming and vaccinating.  But overall both types of goats will stay in better health than dairy goats because they
do not put their body reserves into milk production.  Instead, they put their energy into body maintenance.
    If you would still like to purchase a dairy goat, I recommend first examining the breed descriptions.  No breed
has a definite advantage over another for a small farmer.  If you really like the appearance and description of one
breed, go with it.  One important consideration though is what breeds are most common in your area.  Additional
quality breeding stock, advice, and support are important for any farmer and are very important for a first time
goat owner.  It is certainly not a bad idea to have friendly people interested in your progress nearby.

Do goats really eat anything?

    Goats prefer foraging on brush than most grasses.
 
 

Meat Goats
1. D.F. Waldron, T.D. Willingham, P.V. Thompson, R.G. Eckhoff and B.J. May
   Age at first estrus, ovulation rate, and age at anestrus in puberal Boer×Spanish and Spanish does
   Small Ruminant Research, 31 (2) (1999) pp. 173-176
2. J. Luo, T. Sahlu, M. Cameron and A.L. Goetsch
   Growth of Spanish, Boer×Angora and Boer×Spanish goat kids fed milk replacer
   Small Ruminant Research, 36 (2) (2000) pp. 189-194
3. S.J. Schoeman, J.F. Els and M.M. van Niekerk
   Variance components of early growth traits in the Boer goat
   Small Ruminant Research, 26 (1-2) (1997) pp. 15-20
4. J.P.C. Greyling
   Reproduction traits in the Boer goat doe
   Small Ruminant Research, 36 (2) (2000) pp. 171-177
5. S.W. Malan
   The improved Boer goat
   Small Ruminant Research, 36 (2) (2000) pp. 165-170