Daria Verfaillie: Contrary to popular belief goats do not eat everything. They are actually rather fastidious eaters. They do taste, and feel everything with their mouths since they have no hands, and in the process have been known to be a bit destructive. The only way a goat is going to eat something that is not in its natural diet is if it is somehow nutritionally deficient. Having said this, goats only eat plants, hay, and a little bit of grain and seeds and minerals. There are some plants that are not good for them, so I would not suggest keeping them where they can get into the garden. Having said that I would make the following suggestions for you: You need at least two goats. They are herd animals! They need companionship of their own kind or they will become very lonely and have more reason to be extremely loud and destructive, and you will have more attempts at escape. Depending on the size of the goats that you choose you will need to thoroughly research a pen s! olution so that you can confine your goats to a reasonably sized space. As an example I have Nigerian Dwarf goats and they do very well in a 16x16 cattle panel (4ft tall) pen that I move around my property for rotational grazing. I have bucks and does that need to be kept separate and this works best for me. Some people keep 4 of this breed in these pens, I only keep 2 and make the pens bigger with extra panels for more goats. These would also work for a dry lot scenario (stationary pen) These are reasonably priced in most areas, and we have never had an escape when the pens were closed securely with clamps or thick wire. However, be advised that kids can get out with proper motivation. For this we put chicken wire around the pens on the inside and tie it strategically so that it is very secure. For you, I might recommend a yearling that so that they would be too big for the 4x4 inch holes. Regardless of your goat breed/pen choice you will need to ensure that it is very se! cure, that you can keep it clean, and free of puddles, that t! hey have toys to entertain them..things to climb and stand on, jump over, on, through, and in. Be prepared to get creative and hone your carpentry skills :) Otherwise they will become board and attempt escape. You will also need well ventilated housing that can keep them and their food dry in rain, and if it is cold in your area you will need something that can function as a wind break. Search goat housing on the internet to get ideas and find out what works best for your situation. If you are keeping goats as pets I would recommend 2 wethers (neutered males) as they do not have a smell the way bucks do, they are reasonably priced and require little maintenance as compared to breeding animals. Either way you will need a milking/grooming stand...I promise it will make your life easier! We build our own, you can find plans on the internet! I would also highly recommend searching your area for a vet who will see goats should you ever need one, and purchasing books on Caprine ! veterinary care as you may have to perform some of it yourself in a pinch. Purchase goats from a farm that does regular testing not less than every 3 years for diseases like CAE, CL and Johnes. Doing these things may save you a ton of heartbreak. Since you have to keep your goats confined it is good to trim trees and such during spring and summer to give your goats a good variety in their diet.If we run out of trees to cut we ask the neighbors if we can trim some of theirs..it usually works out nicely.Good luck with the new loves of your life!...Show more
Keneth Mailhot: A goat? Huh that's quite random lol but no goats are baaaaaaad
Ronny Nowzari: Sure the goats will eat everything but at least the parent's won't have to worry about rabbits.
Phillip Modafferi: This is a 1st grade level question, ha.Well, what can you find in a garden? Plants!Well, what do goats eat? Plants!So, there you go.
Robin Marchione: NO!!! They eat everything and they go exact! ly where they are not supposed to go. Why don't you get chikens and you! can have fresh eggs every morning :) The breakfast of champions!! I used to work on a couple of farms that had goats in BC. You definitely need a tall fence around the garden. They do like to graze so it's nice to have some kind of outside area for them but it has to be big. If they roam on the same patch of grass though all the time they kill it.
Moises Rupinski: They're good lawnmowers, because they snip off the tips of grass and don't rip out the roots like horses do. But they will nibble on any plant, which may ruin the garden!