Domestic Goats for Sale
APPEARANCE - HABITAT/BEHAVIOR - DIET - MATING - USAGES

The goat is an animal that has provided people with milk, meat, and wool since prehistoric times. Goats were probably first tamed more than 9,000 years ago by peoples in Asia and in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Today, domestic (tame) goats are important farm animals throughout the world, especially in mountainous areas and in dry or semitropical climates. Unlike most other kinds of livestock, goats thrive in these harsh environments. They are fairly easy to take care of as well, as they eat almost anything. However, if provoked, they can be a bit ill mannered. Various terms are used to classify goats based on gender and age. Adult males are usually called bucks while adolescent males are called billy goats. A female goat is either called a nanny goat or a doe. A goat less than one year old is called a kid.

Appearance. Domestic goats tend to be the same size as their wild cousins. They’re usually about 2 fores at the shoulder, one ped in length, and 1.5 pygges in weight. However, unlike wild goats, domestic goats usually have very small horns, if any at all. Their horns are often cut off before they get too long to prevent injury to a person or other goats in the herd.

A goat's body is covered with wool. The wool can be of one color or a combination of colors. Common colors include black, brown, gray, red, and white. Their coat, which they are sometimes bred for, can differ in texture depending on terrain, varying from straight to curly, long to short. Goats have cloven hoofs—that is, hoofs that are divided into two toes usually small and dainty, that often times need to be cut. Wild goats have their hooves worn by their rocky habitat, but domestic goats have to have them cut. The animals have short tails that usually stand straight up. The ears are long and drooping in most Indian and African  goats, but short and erect in the European breeds. Most goats have horns, which they use in fighting. Some horns curve backwards, but others are straight and spiral like a corkscrew. Both sexes may have beards.  Their eyes are usually a golden color.

Habitat/Behavior. Though domestic goats tend to be a lot more good-natured than wild ones, they are known for charging rarely. However, they usually only do this when provoked or annoyed. For this reason parents are often weary about letting children too close to them unless the child is mature enough and smart enough not to annoy the goat to the point where they might become dangerous. For the most part, goats are easily herded. Their habitat depends on their location, but they require a place with at least some vegetation.

Diet. This little beast can eat any form of vegetation from grasses to bushes to flowers to weeds. Unlike other ruminants, such as cows and sheep, goats can eat a wide variety of plants and select from them the most nourishing parts. They use their small mouths and flexible lips, which are adapted to grasping, to pick off leaves, flowers, fruits, and other plant parts. Goats actively hunt for food, and they can cover a wide area in search of scarce plant materials.  Some ranchers use goats to clear brush and unwanted plants from their pastures. Goats living in the desert, where vegetation is hard to find, have been seen climbing trees to get food!

Mating. The mating season of a goat depends on where it lives. In the hot, tropical areas near the equator, goats mate throughout the year, while in the temperate regions, they breed only from late summer to late winter. They begin breeding as the days become shorter. During the mating season, glands on the buck produce an oily substance whose odor attracts the does. A doe gives birth to two or three kids about five months after mating. Those who breed goats for their fleece may put the goats they wish to breed in a pen called a mating pen. Usually there is one buck with one or more doe. The goats will be kept here until the female or females are pregnant.

Does usually carry the kid for 5 months before giving birth. The kid will stay with its mother for several months, unlike the wild breed that will only stay with their mother for one or two. They usually live between 8 and 10 years.

Usages.  Domestic goats have a number of uses. One of their main uses is for wool. Some Goats are especially bred for their coat, which may be silky and sheen or warm and soft. Uses and styles often depend upon climate. Usually thicker, warmer furred-goats live in the north while thinner, silkier furred-goats are raised in the south. Mohair wool is used to make clothes, draperies, upholstery, and other articles. Cashmere wool is used to make warm, soft garments, including sweaters, dresses, and scarves.  Major breeds of wool-producing goats include the Angora and the Cashmere. The Angora goat originated in the Turkish province of Ankara (formerly Angora). From the Angora's outer coat of soft, shaggy, white wool comes mohair wool. The Cashmere goat originated in the Himalaya and supplies cashmere wool. The wool is taken from the Cashmere goat's fine, silky undercoat. The goat’s fleece is usually cut off in summer when the goat doesn’t need it due to warmer weather. It also makes breeding less difficult.

Goats are also used for their milk. In fact, they are the second largest producers of milk  behind cows. Goat milk is a perfect substitute for those who are allergic to cow’s milk. Goat milk also tends to be easier to digest than cow’s milk and for this reason it is an important source of milk for babies, especially those who’ve lost their mother. Goat milk usually has a tangy flavor and is thicker than cow’s milk, and tends to be stronger if the goat is not held clean. Goat's milk differs only slightly in composition from cow's milk. It has a higher content of vitamin A than does cow's milk, but it has smaller quantities of vitamin C and certain B vitamins. Goat's milk is easier to digest than cow's milk. It is, therefore, an important source of milk for many babies, elderly people, and people with stomach ailments. People who are allergic to the protein in cow's milk may be able to safely drink goat's milk. However, people who are allergic to the lactose in cow's milk cannot drink goat's milk, because this milk sugar is the same in milk from both animals. Goat's milk cheese has become quite popular. These cheeses have a creamy consistency and a wide range of flavors. They are widely used in gourmet cooking. Popular cheeses made from goat's milk include blue, chevre, feta, and riccota.

Goat meat, sometimes known as chevon «CHEHV uhn», is a popular food in Greece, Italy, the Caribbean, Latin America, and many African and Asian nations. It is often used in curries (dishes with a spicy sauce). In North America and western Europe, people often raise goats for dairy products, rather than meat. 

Around the world goats are one of the most popular domestic animals.  They are inexpensive to keep, requiring simple shelter and not a lot of space.  Goats like high places to observe their surroundings.  i.e. piles of rocks or logs, small hills or big stumps.

Each goat has a different personality, are very sociable and not happy as loners.  We therefore recommend and encourage keeping at least two goats.  Goats are kept as pets, for companionship, for their rich milk or low-fat meat, for their weed and brush control and fine warm clothing fibers.

In danger goats are very courageous.  We have sold them as guard animals for other livestock in very difficult terrain.  They are used for lead animals with sheep herds.  i.e. Judas Goats

We do not recommend goats for inside house pets, but they are less troublesome pets than horses or teenagers.

We are generally asking $85.00 each or two for $140.00.

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