There are many reasons to keep goats.
Whether you are keeping them as livestock for their meat or for their milk, or if you are keeping them as pets (which is more common than you think!), keeping goats can be an extremely interesting and rewarding experience.
Goats are extremely curious and intelligent animals and are both fun and useful depending on what you are looking for.
But how exactly do you keep goats, and do they need shelter?
In this article we are going to explore this topic and answer the question “do goats need shelter?”
The answer to this question is yes, goats absolutely need shelter. It is important that you provide them with all the basic requirements that they need, such as food and water, and ensure that their shelter is spacious, warm, and has proper bedding.
Having a proper shelter for your goat is essential to the proper raising of your goats and will allow them to live freely and comfortably.
But what type of shelter do goats need, what are the basic requirements a shelter needs, and is it possible to keep goats indoors?
We are going to explore all of these questions and more in this article as we dive deeper into the topic of do goats need shelter.
Let’s get started!
What type of shelter do goats need?
When keeping goats, it is essential to have a suitable place for them to stay in order to protect them from the elements such as rain and snow (goats aren’t waterproof!).
This can be in the form of a shed or similar structure such as a large doghouse or pole barn depending on the size and number of your goats.
Goat shelter requirements
When keeping goats there are a few requirements or specifications that your shelter should meet in order to safely house your goats in the most comfortable place as possible.
Should goat shelters be spacious?
Goats require enough space to roam around in and things to jump and climb onto.
It is, therefore, necessary to not make the enclosure too small.
It should be spacious and well ventilated and have enough room for multiple goats to move around in it freely.
There should be sufficient room for a goat to be able to stand up on its hind legs and out stretch its neck.
There should also be enough room for the goat keeper to be able to work standing upright.
Do goats need a well fenced yard?
In addition to a spacious shelter there should also be a well fenced yard for them to exercise as well as to keep them in one location.
Goats are foraging animals and will go looking for food everywhere, so creating an enclosure around them is essential to the effective raising of goats.
The quality of the fencing is also important.
Goats are very crafty animals and very good at escaping!
They also like to rub on and chew fences which can weaken and damage them.
It is, therefore, essential to have high quality fences so that they are not easily broken, climbed over, or knocked down by the goats.
Basic requirements
Besides the basic physical structures that a goat needs for a suitable structure, there are also some basic requirements that they need within the structure.
These include:
A dry area to store hay, straw, and other goat feed:
Your goat will need to have supplementary feed even if they have abundant grazing grounds (this is especially true in the winter).
It is, therefore, important that they have access to suitable feed, and it is available all of the time.
It may be worth investing in a hay feeder to make the feeding process simpler and easier.
A clean water supply: it is important that your goats stay hydrated and, as a result, it is essential to have a clean water supply nearby either in the shelter or very close to it.
Proper bedding material: Having proper bedding material is essential for your goats to feel comfortable and it also helps to keep them warm in the wintertime.
Bedding needs to be changed regularly, however, to avoid the barn smelling and attracting flies and vermin.
For bedding, you can place a few stable mats on the floor and cover them with high quality straw or wood shavings
Play structures
Goats love to climb and jump onto things.
By providing them with suitable play structures, such as sturdy platforms, will allow them to easily play and exercise, and will allow them to engage their natural instincts.
It will also make your goats happy which will help to keep the herd, and their interaction with other animals and livestock, peaceful.
Can you keep multiple goats in one shelter?
Yes, you can keep multiple goats in one shelter.
The number of goats you keep in one shelter is dependent on the size of the shelter you have available.
It is important that each goat has enough space to move around freely so you should avoid overpopulating the shed (or whatever you are using as a shelter).
If you have pregnant or lactating does (female goats), they will need their own space.
This is the same if you have kids. Kids and their mothers should be kept in the same location.
Additionally, if you have multiple bucks (male goats) it is a good idea to keep them separate as this will minimise the amount of fighting and competing between them for food and dominance and will keep the shelter peaceful and problem free.
Do goats need shelter in the winter?
Humans aren’t the only creatures that feel cold in the winter and like to stay indoors.
Winter can be a stressful and challenging time for livestock, and this is the same for goats.
They aren’t the biggest fans of the winter months and prefer to stay indoors in a warm location.
This is especially true for older goats.
As a result, you should have heating facilities in your shelter in order to keep your goats warm and dry during the winter months.
If your goats have kids, then they will require even more shelter and heating as kids aren’t able to properly control or maintain their body heat when outdoors.
A heat lamp can be used in these circumstances as a supplementary form of heat, but this should be done with extreme caution as there is a risk of starting a barn fire.
Can goats be kept indoors?
While not as common, there are people that keep goats indoors as pets.
These are usually smaller goats, such as pigmy goats and Nigerian dwarf goats, that are easier to train and simpler to house.
Keeping goats indoors is a good form of shelter as they are protected from the elements and have a warm place to stay, but there are issues and challenges that come with keeping goats indoors.
Goats can be destructive, especially to furniture and gardens.
Goats love to chew and, as a result, will chew on your sofas, clothes, hair, pillows, and anything else that they can get their teeth into!
Goats also love to jump and climb on to things.
This means that you are liable to find your goat climbing on the counters and tables and generally being in places that you don’t want them to be.
Goats are also extremely noisy and messy.
Goats, unlike cats and dogs, are not able to hold in their waste and, as a result, defecate frequently, usually exactly where they are standing, which can make keeping them inside the house a challenge.
They also like to be heard and can be excessively noisy.
How to keep goats indoors
In order to keep goats indoors, they will have to be house trained and housebroken.
This means teaching them not to do the behaviors that you deem to be unsatisfactory as well as teaching them to relieve themselves outside.
House training goats is not as hard as it sounds but it requires patience, trust, and consistency.
It is definitely possible though as long as you stick with it!
To sum up everything, goats absolutely need shelter, and it is important that you provide them with suitable shelter if you are keeping goats.
There are a few basic requirements that all good shelters have regardless of their size, and it is vital to include all of them in your own shelter.
Goats need to have enough space to roam and move around, comfortable bedding, and constant access to food and water.
They also require additional shelter in the winter months in order to stay warm and this should be taken into consideration when housing goats.
It is also possible to keep goats indoors, but this has its own requirements and requires you to house train and housebreak your goats.