Do Goats Drink Their Own Urine? (Answered!)

 

Goats are extremely intelligent and curious animals and are considered some of the smartest animals around, especially among livestock.

Goats, however, are also known for being silly due to their wacky and unique behaviors.

I’m sure you have heard the stories of goats headbutting everything in sight or peeing on themselves.

Well, if they can urinate on themselves would they also drink their own urine?

I was curious about this, so I did some research and am excited to share it with you today.

So, let’s not waste any more time and answer the question “do goats drink their urine?”

Drinking their own urine is not something that every goat does but there are a few that do.

But why would goats drink their own urine, is it safe for them to drink their own urine, and why do goats urinate on themselves in general?

We are going to explore all of these questions and more in this article as we dive deeper into the topic of can goats drink their own urine.

Let’s get into it!

 

Why do goats drink their own urine?

While an uncommon occurrence, goats do sometimes drink their own urine.

It is normal for goats, mainly male goats (‘Bucks’), to urinate on themselves during the mating process in order to attract female goats (‘does’).

 

Lack of salt and minerals

When feeding a goat, it is important that they are getting the proper type, and amount, of vitamins and minerals, so that they can stay healthy and have a balanced diet.

If your goat is drinking their own urine, or in some cases peeing on the floor and then licking it up, it may be a sign that your goat’s diet is lacking in salt or a certain type of mineral and, as a result, is trying to find it in their own urine.

If you are feeding your goat the right amount of minerals within their diet, it may be simply that they do not like what you are feeding them and are not eating it as a result.

This would also account for the lack of minerals in their diet and their behavior of drinking/ licking up their own urine.

Double-check what you are feeding your goat to make sure they are getting the required minerals.

If you are giving them the right type and amount of minerals and this behavior still continues, experiment with different types and sources of minerals so that you can find one that your goat likes.

It is important that your goat has a nutritious diet filled with the essential vitamins and minerals that they need to survive and be healthy.

 

As an accident

Goats drinking their urine might not be a conscious or intentional decision.

It could be happening accidentally as a by-product of a goat peeing on his own face.

This is more likely to happen to male goats (“bucks”), however, as they are the ones that pee on themselves more often.

Male goats do this when they are mating in order to make themselves more desirable and attractive to the female goats (“does”) that are in heat and are looking for mates but more on that later!

 

Simply because they like it

While it is possible that your goat is lacking in minerals, or it is accidental as a by-product of a different habit, it could also be that your goat simply likes doing it and considers this behavior normal.

Bucks are known for their bad odors, difficulty to control natures, and poor hygiene practices.

This may just be an extension of one of these characteristics and the only thing you can do is to train them to get rid of some of what you consider to be their negative tendencies.

A phenomenon that has been occurring recently is instances of mountain goats on trails and national parks craving and seeking out the urine of hikers that stop to relive themselves on the trail.

These goats have developed a strong and almost insatiable appetite for human pee and are actively seeking it out.

This is no different from your goat drinking their own urine as it may be a new acquired taste or something they simply just like.

 

Why do goats pee on their face?

We mentioned earlier about bucks peeing on themselves and accidentally drinking their own urine but why do they pee on themselves in the first place?

Bucks do this when they are in rut, which refers to the period in which a buck’s hormones signal to it that he is ready to mate with a female goat (“doe”).

During this period, bucks pee on their legs, bodies, beards, and faces in order to attract and get the attention of female goats who are in heat.

It is a common mating practice and is one of the main reasons as to why bucks have gotten the reputation of stinking and having terrible odours.

When a doe initiates the mating process they will usually squat down and pee.

At this point the buck will smell their urine and will sometimes even stick their faces directly into the stream, to determine whether the doe is releasing pheromones that indicate that she is ready to mate.

Goats and their urine are directly related when it comes to reproducing and attracting mates.

In addition to the urine that they spray onto their heads, legs, and beards, goats also smell bad due to their sweat glands which are located near their horns on top of their heads.

Goats normally experience ruts when the days start to shorten during July and can last for several months after it starts.

 

How to stop goats from peeing on their own face?

If you don’t want your male goats to engage in this type of behavior, the only way to stop them is to turn them into wethers.

A wether is a male goat that has been castrated and this results in a cutting off of the supply of hormones that triggers this behavior in goats.

It also has the added benefit of making your goat more docile and less aggressive.

Castrated goats are unable to mate and, as a result, have no need to urinate on themselves to attempt to attract does that are in heat.

 

 

How to stop goats from drinking their own urine?

Many goats may develop this habit when they are young or simply because they see other bucks doing it.

As a result, it is possible that they will eventually stop this behavior on their own if left to their own devices as they grow older.

Alternatively, if you are unwilling to wait that long, you can try to train your goat to not exhibit this behavior or any other behavior that you deem to be negative.

It is possible to teach goats to do all types of things including urinating outdoors instead of in the house (if you are keeping a goat as a pet), respond to their name, go for walks with a lead, and even do tricks.

As a result, if the proper techniques are used and you have a sufficient amount of patience, it is definitely possible to train your goats to not drink their own urine.

 

Is it safe for goats to drink their own urine?

The answer to this question is yes, it is perfectly safe for goats to drink their own urine.

While it is probably not the most hygienic of habits, drinking their own urine doesn’t pose any serious threat to the goat or their overall health and well-being.

As with humans, while urine is technically safe to drink and can be useful if you are in a dire situation, it is probably not the best practice to make a habit and you should discourage your goat from engaging in this type of behavior too regularly.

 

In conclusion, yes goats do drink their own urine.

While this is not a common occurrence it does sometimes happen and can be as a result of a few things.

The main reasons goats sometimes drink their own urine is due to a lack of salt and/or minerals, accidentally as a by-product of peeing on their beards and face in order to attract mates, or simply because they like doing it and have developed a habit of drinking their own urine.

It is possible to train your goats to not exhibit this behavior, however, and it is also possible that they will stop doing it on their own eventually if you leave them to their own devices.

Castrating your male goats is another way to get them to stop peeing on their faces and accidentally drinking their own urine.

In the end, you shouldn’t be too worried about this but you should attempt to get them to stop this type of behavior as quickly as possible.