Debunking Common Goat Myths

If you’ve read any of my previous articles you may know that I’ve written about our Nigerian Dwarf goats.  We decided to raise Nigerian Dwarf goats for a few different reasons.  Our daughters, Ava who is nine years old and Aubrey who is five, both wanted goats.  Being small and girls of course, I wanted a smaller breed that was friendly, easy going but also a breed that was more than a pet.  I wanted a breed that gave good milk.  The Nigerian Dwarf goat fit what we were looking for.  They are small, adults average sixty-five pounds, they are very friendly and easy going, and they give excellent milk with high butter fat.

Since acquiring our first Nigerian Dwarf goats, many people have visited our herd and brought their children.  People ask a lot of questions and it has become apparent to me that there are a lot of myths about goats in general.  This article will focus on debunking the most common goat myths that exist.

Myth #1  Goats will eat anything (including tin cans).

Many people are surprised to learn that goats are very picky eaters.  If hay falls on the ground they will not eat it.  They will eat feed off the ground simply because it is tasty but they prefer it to be in a trough.  Goats are curious and will use their mouths to pick things up to examine them just as we would pick things up with our hands.  Since goats don’t have hands, they use their mouths.  So while they may look as if they are eating things such as tin cans, they are only examining or playing with them.

Myth #2  Goats stink.

This is partially true but only for intact males (male that haven’t been castrated).  Intact male goats, or bucks, do have a certain odor about them that most people would describe as unpleasant.  This smell is much worse during breeding season especially since they urinate on their beards.  The females have no odor at all.  They like to stay clean and avoid areas that are dirty.  Wethers, or castrated males, have no odor as long as they are castrated before puberty.  If you only plan to have your goats as pets then I would suggest buying only females and wethers.

 

Myth #3  Goats need to be de-wormed every month.

This is the fastest way to develop a parasite problem.  Intestinal parasites are a very serious problem for all goats.  De-worming medications are very inexpensive and easily given.  Therefore, goat owners soon started given these medications indiscriminately to all goats whether they needed it or not.  Overuse of medication will always lead to selection of resistant organisms.  It is better to have McMaster Egg counts performed by a veterinarian to determine parasite load and only de-worm the one that need it.

Myth #4  Goat milk tastes “goaty”.

If the milking procedure is not performed with care and cleanliness, then yes, the milk will taste “goaty”.  Goat milk is very similar to cow’s milk except that it is naturally homogenized so it makes excellent cheese.  Nigerian goat milk is very high in butterfat, usually in the 6-11% range.  Whole milk from a cow is 3.25% butterfat.  This makes their milk taste very creamy.  In my opinion, there is no finer milk than Nigerian Dwarf milk.  But I am probably a little biased.