{"id":6094,"date":"2022-08-02T13:33:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T13:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/?p=6094"},"modified":"2022-08-06T11:07:34","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T11:07:34","slug":"how-much-space-does-a-goat-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/how-much-space-does-a-goat-need\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Space Does A Goat Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Goats make great pets, and many people are choosing to keep goats as dairy and meat animals these days because even large goats need less space than dairy or meat cattle. The amount of space you’ll need to keep your goats will depend a great deal on the type of goats you choose in the number of goats you wish to keep. In this article, we explore some of the things you’ll need to keep in mind as you plan your goat keeping project<\/a>. Read on to learn more on how much space does a goat need<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider Both Indoor And Outdoor Space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Goats kept for any purpose whether it be as pets, dairy animals, meat animals or living lawnmowers need to have room to roam and shelter from the elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a general rule of thumb, a goat needs a bare minimum of about 10 square feet of indoor space and 200 square feet of outdoor space. This small amount of space is adequate, but not ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having only the minimum space required will mean that you must feed your goats every bite they eat, so you’ll be spending quite a bit on hay and grain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the negative of having a higher feed bill, keeping your goats in a small amount of space also causes problems with their health and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goats are smart animals<\/a>, so they are easily bored. A goat kept in a small space without forage will suffer psychological consequences. Additionally, lack of room to roam causes poor physical health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, small space goat keeping should be limited to goats kept as pets who will also be provided with toys, walks and lots of interaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goats kept as commercial weed eating agents could also be kept in smaller spaces if they have plenty of opportunities to go out in the community to eat weeds and clear brush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re keeping dairy goats and\/or meat goats, you’ll want to give them more space and lots of opportunity to forage. Ample space results in healthier, more relaxed animals which produce better meat and milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pasture Rotation Naturally Deters Parasites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Providing your goats with plenty of space also reduces the risk of parasite infestation. If your goats become infested with parasites, you’ll need to treat with a deworming medication<\/a>. This interferes with your ability to make use of your animals\u2019 milk or meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best natural ways to reduce the risk of parasite infestation is to have enough pasture to rotate your goats from one setting to another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll need to be able to keep your goats on one pasture for two or three months, then vacate that pasture and let it lie fallow for two or three months. This breaks the parasites\u2019 lifecycle so that they cannot take hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t have enough pasture to be able to do this, you could combine keeping your goats on pasture part time with keeping them on a dry lot the rest of the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One good way to do this is to keep them on a dry lot near the barn during the wintertime, feeding plenty of hay and grain. Rotate them out into the pasture in the springtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another possibility for rotating pasture is to also rotate the use of the land. For example, when you rotate goats out of one pasture, you could use that pasture for chickens or other poultry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternately, you might let fallen hay, goat droppings and so forth compost in place and then use that pasture as a garden until it’s time to turn the goats back onto it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/youtu.be\/LQxvQIindx8<\/a>