If your intention is to buy goats to keep as pets, and not necessarily for milking or, in the case of Angora goats, for the production of mohair, then you won’t pay much more than $250 USD to buy your goat.
As far as goats go, that isn’t all that expensive.
However, the initial cost of purchasing the goat is likely to be the lowest cost you’ll encounter.
Everything that comes after, both initial set-up costs and long-term maintenance costs, will be a lot higher.
That said, you don’t need to be rich to keep goats—you just need to be accountable for all their needs.
Space, usually, is the number one expense.
How many Angora goats can you have per acre?
Goats are ruminants and browsers.
Like deer and unlike sheep and cattle, they like to spend most of their time roaming around a large pasture looking for forage.
It’s really important that they have ample space to roam around, both for the food itself and for the exercise and enrichment of looking for it.
Goats won’t be happy in a little garden.
The pasture itself will also need to be rich in plants and foliage, and not simply a grassy field, so they can feed on leaves and weeds and other things.
Furthermore, Angora goats won’t be happy on their own.
You’ll need to have at least 2, preferably 3, to keep them happy.
Goats are highly social herd animals, so even if you stayed with your goat 24/7, they still wouldn’t be entirely happy.
They need members of their own species.
So, start from this point.
Think about how many acres you’re going to need for 3 goats.
The general rule of thumb for goats is that one acre is enough space for about 6 goats.
So, for 3, you will need at least a half-acre of actual pasture for them to roam.
So, if your whole property is half an acre, this won’t be enough.
That half-acre would need to be entirely green pasture.
They are also going to need an indoor space to sleep, and take shelter from the rain.
Angora goats like to have about 4 square meters each of space to sleep.
They will need individual sleeping pens of around this size.
Their shelter will also need somewhere they can stand together when they want to get out of the rain, or even just have some time to themselves.
Finally, it’s usually a good idea to have space in the shelter to store feed and equipment.
If you don’t already have something like this on your property, you’ll need to build it, and also, you’ll need to consider that this will encroach on their pasture space.
After you’ve built the barn, they still need to have their two acres to roam in.
If you need to build it, this is likely to be your single biggest expense.
Even if you do, you’ll need to have it maintained over the years.
How much does raising an Angora goat cost?
So, you’ve bought your goats and built a barn for them to sleep in.
Now let’s look at how much their daily and long-term care will cost.
Feed will, naturally, be the most recurring expense.
Exactly how much this costs will depend on the quality of their pasture.
If they have a large pasture with a good variety of available forage, they will eat less of everything else.
Your pasture should, in theory, be self-sustaining as well.
Things that your goats like will grow there.
However, if there isn’t as much quality forage available, you’ll need to feed them more hay.
Angora goats eat around 2-4 pounds of hay per day.
Grass hay is fairly cheap, and will be just fine if your goats have plenty of good quality pasture to roam.
However, milking or kidding does will need a higher calcium diet whether or not they have good pasture—usually, this is achieved by switching to Alfalfa hay.
Alfalfa hay is a bit more expensive than grass hay, but it will provide all the nutrition your goats need when milking or kidding.
You can also supplement your goat’s diet with alfalfa pellets, which are a little cheaper and will still provide the necessary minerals.
The average cost of feeding a goat for a week is between $10-$20 USD, depending on several factors.
Finally, Angora goats will live for at least a decade if given all the best care.
So, you’ll need to consider the cost of raising it over that lifetime.
Angora goats are fantastic pets and companions.
They’re very social and full of energy and personality.
You need to consider carefully that you can provide everything they need to be happy—from food, to space, to companionship in other goats.
You’ll need to decide whether Angora goats are right for you and whether you are right for them!
After all, you can’t put a price on friendship.
More in Angora
- Are Angora Goats Easy To Look After?
- Are Angora Goats Friendly?
- Are Angora Goats Good For Meat?
- Are Angora Goats Good Milkers?
- Are Angora Goats Hardy?
- Are Angora Goats Profitable?
- Are Angora Goats Rare?
- Do Angora Goats Need To Be Shorn?
- How Long Do Angora Goats Live?
- How Much Does An Angora Goat Cost?