Goats are fun, loving and friendly animals. We get milk, meat, and fiber from
domestic goats. Goats' milk is easy to digest and many people who are allergic to cows milk can drink goats' milk with out any problems. They also make entertaining pets. They are smart and goats can be trained to pull carts or help carry packs for people on camping/hicking trips. Some children and adults enjoy showing goats at fairs and maybe someday you will too.
Mother Goats:
Mother goats are called does, just like a deer. Some people call them nannies. Mother does usually have two babies at a time. They carry their babies for five months. Most baby goats are born during January, February, or March. When the babies are born the mother makes a special milk that is very rich and nutritious and is called colostrum. Colostrum gives the babies protection against germs that could make them sick. After a few days her milk will change into regular milk that we can drink too. People like to make cheese and yogurt from goats' milk. More people in the world drink goats' milk than cows milk.
Father Goats:
Father goats are called bucks or sometimes billies. They are bigger than the does and usually have longer beards. Most people think that bucks smell bad but that is how they were created by God. The mother goats think it is a good smell. It tells her that he is a big strong buck who will be a good father for her babies.
Baby Goats:
Baby goats are called kids. They love to play just like you. They skip and hop. They climb and jump. They make fun pets. You can raise a baby goat and feed it with a regular baby bottle just like the kind used to feed human babies. Baby goats need milk until they are three months old. Baby goats also eat grain and hay.
What do goats eat?
Some people think goats will eat any thing, but that is not true. They do not eat tin cans and pop bottles. Goats are curious animals and will nibble and chew on things so that they can learn about them just like little babies put things in their mouths.
Goats are ruminants. Ruminants are animals such as deer, cows, and sheep that have special stomachs designed by God to digest diets rich in plant fibers. Like all other ruminants goats have four compartments of their stomachs. Goats chew a cud just like a cow.
Goats, like deer, are browsers. That means they like to eat things such as leaves, tender twigs, and tree bark. They will also eat tall weeds and grass. Farmers feed their goats good quality hay and some grain. They need lots of fresh clean water and minerals too to stay healthy.
Goats are ruminants. Ruminants are animals such as deer, cows, and sheep that have special stomachs designed by God to digest diets rich in plant fibers. Like all other ruminants goats have four compartments of their stomachs. Goats chew a cud just like a cow.
Goats, like deer, are browsers. That means they like to eat things such as leaves, tender twigs, and tree bark. They will also eat tall weeds and grass. Farmers feed their goats good quality hay and some grain. They need lots of fresh clean water and minerals too to stay healthy.