Goat
Capra hircus

Goats are bovids, like cows, but generally smaller and better adapted to steep, mountainous areas. Their wild relatives—including Bezoars and Takins—still roam the planet today. Goats were first raised by humans 10,000 years ago. Today, more than 200 breeds provide milk, cheese, meat, hides, and fibers, and help carry heavy loads.

What They Eat
Goats are browsing herbivores. They eat leaves, twigs, vines, and shrubs. Because goats have 4-part stomachs and ruminate, or chew their cud, they can digest plants other animals cannot. On farms, goats are typically fed cracked or ground corn mixed with oats, hay, and alfalfa.

Where They Live
Goats live on every continent except Antarctica. The largest numbers of domestic goats live in Asia. Wherever they live, breeds have been adapted to the environment.

What They Do
Goats spend much of their time eating and chewing their cud. They are browsers, reaching up and around for food. In contrast, their sheep relatives eat plants on the ground.

How They’re Doing
Because they offer so much and require relatively little care, goats are among the world’s most numerous domestic animals. Some specific breeds however are declining. And some wild relatives of goats, including the Takin (found on the Zoo’s Northern Trail), are threatened.

Goat

Contrary to stories, goats do not eat tin cans. Even though they have 4-part stomachs and a taste for bitter plants, they prefer twigs to tin.

Around the world, more people drink goat’s milk than drink cow’s milk—or the milk of any other single animal.

Goats are prized for their ability to eat weeds, bushes, and vines, thus clearing land for farming. But that same talent gets goats into trouble. Left unchecked, goats can destroy groundcover and cause soil erosion.

Helpful hints for viewing the animals

The Farm is open from April through October. During those months, visitors can pet, feed, and groom goats—with the help and supervision of Zoo staff and volunteers.

A schedule for special events at the Goat & Sheep Barn is available at the Zoo’s Guest Services desk.

Kids, or baby goats, are normally born in springtime. Guest Services can tell you when large numbers of new kids are in the Goat & Sheep Barn.

Allow plenty of travel time to get to the Goat & Sheep Barn from the Zoo entrance. Access to the Wells Fargo Family Farm is about halfway around the 1.4 mile Northern Trail Loop.

 

  

Goat

A small herd of domestic goats lives at the Goat & Sheep Barn. When the Wells Fargo Family Farm is open, visitors can see kids (baby goats) playing and yearlings butting heads. With the help of Zoo staff and volunteers, visitors can also feed, groom, and pet the goats.

Meet the Animals

The Zoo's herd includes French-Alpine goats of various colors, white Saanen goats, and smaller Pygmy goats.

To see a wild relative of the domestic goat, circle around the Northern Trail, where the Takin is on exhibit—part of the Zoo's commitment to helping rare and threatened animals survive.

Home on the Farm

The Goat & Sheep Barn includes a fenced area for goats to enjoy the fresh air outdoors.

Inside the barn, you’ll find a kidding pen for female goats and a separate lambing pen for ewes (female sheep). There is also a billy pen for male goats and a ram pen for male sheep.

Care at the Zoo

Goats at the Zoo are cared for from birth through breeding.

If allowed, does (female goats) look for a safe place in the brush, far from predators, to hide their newborn kids. At the Zoo, however, does give birth in the kidding pen, where they and their babies will stay for the first few days.

Kids weigh 6-10 pounds. at birth. They are most often born as twins, although single births, triplets, and quadruplets are not uncommon.

Mothers first nurse their kids on a super-rich milk called colostrum. Colostrum contains antibodies kids need to be healthy. Kids unable to nurse on their own are bottle-fed by Zoo staff.

Once kids are weaned, they are fed milk replacers and later switched to dry feed and water. Goats at the Zoo eat a diet of cracked or ground corn mixed with oats, hay, and grass.

Male and female kids are generally housed separately from the age of 12-14 weeks until they are old enough for breeding. Does generally are ready for breeding between 6 months and 1 year, while bucks are ready at 3-10 months of age.

Breeding occurs most often in late fall or early winter. Young are born in the spring. Gestation lasts about 5 months, or 148-156 days. Just before giving birth, a first-time mother grows udders, and those udders fill with milk.

After giving birth, a doe can produce 3,000-5,000 pounds. of milk in a year. The Zoo’s dairy breeds—the French-Alpine and Saanen goats—are particularly strong milk producers.

Not all goats born at the Zoo become part of the herd. Most are sold to market in the fall after weaning.

 

Goat

What’s a Breed?
A breed is a group of animals or plants sharing common ancestors and many of the same traits.

All domestic goats are believed to be descended from the wild goats of Asia. Goats were tamed, or domesticated, about 10,000 years ago. There are now more than 200 different breeds of domestic goats worldwide.

Among the breeds exhibited at the Minnesota Zoo are French-Alpine dairy goats, Saanen dairy goats, and Pygmy goats. The Minnesota Zoo is also home to one of the domestic goat’s wild relatives, the Takin, on exhibit at the Northern Trail.

So Many Kinds
People have created different breeds for different purposes. They may want goats that produce creamy milk or abundant meat. They may develop a breed that can survive by foraging for plants.

Some domestic breeds—including Angora and Cashmere goats—are attractive because their long silky hair can be shorn for mohair, cashmere, and other fibers. Still more goat breeds are used as pack animals, as pets, or in scientific testing.

When developing a breed, goat farmers select individual animals with particular traits. Then they breed those animals, carefully selecting offspring with the desired traits for further breeding. Over time, this practice of selective breeding enhances the desired traits and results in a new breed.

In general, Swiss goat breeds excel at producing milk. Indian and Nubian (Middle Eastern and North African) breeds offer dual-purpose, milk- and meat-producing goats. Breeds from Spain and South Africa tend to be raised mostly for their meat.

Turkish Angora, Asian Cashmere, and Russian Don goats are prized for their silky hair. Dwarf, or pygmy, breeds from Western Africa are more and more often raised today for use as pets or for laboratory testing.

Breeds at the Zoo

French-Alpine Dairy Goat
Pygmy Goat
Saanen Dairy Goat
Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat
Toggenburg Dairy Goat
Nubian Dairy Goat

French-Alpine Dairy Goat

This medium to large breed of dairy goat comes in a range of colors, from all white to mixes of black, red, gray, and other shades. Although the breed is generally short-haired, males often have longer hair along the spine and long beards.

Grown female French-Alpine goats are usually about 30 inches. tall at the withers and weigh at least 135 pounds. Males are taller—35-40 inches. at the withers—and heavier, not less than 170 pounds.

The French-Alpine breed, also called the Alpine Dairy breed,  originated in the French Alps. In this area and in the neighboring Swiss Alps, many top milk-producing goat breeds were developed.

French-Alpine goats are thought to have come to the United States in 1922. They soon became popular for their friendly, curious personalities and milk production.

Pygmy Goat
Originally called the Cameroon Dwarf goat, the Pygmy breed traces its roots to West Africa. These compact goats were raised as a dual-purpose breed, providing both high butterfat milk and meat.

As a breed, Pygmy goats are short and squat. Mature goats stand 16-23 inches at the withers. Their weight can vary considerably.

Pygmy goats have a full coat of relatively long hair. The coloring of Pygmy goats ranges widely, but most have a grizzled coat—called agouti—that mixes bands of light and dark hair.

Considered exotic, pygmy goats were brought to Europe and exhibited in zoos. The breed first came to North America in the 1950s—again for zoo exhibits. Over time, however, Pygmy goats have grown in popularity as pets. They are also sometimes used in medical research.

Saanen Dairy Goat
These medium to large goats usually are all white or light cream in color. The Saanen’s hair is typically short and fine, but individuals may have a fringe of longer hair along the spine and thighs.

Bigger than other domestic goats at the Zoo, Saanens stand 30-35 inches tall and weigh 130-170 pounds.

The Saanen’s ears stand up straight and tend to point forward, giving the breed a friendly, alert appearance.

Saanen goats are often pink-skinned and thus sensitive to sun. They excel in cool climates where they have access to shade.

Like the French-Alpine breed, the Saanen dairy goat originated in Europe. The breed’s history can be traced to the Saanen Valley in Switzerland.

Sometimes called “the Holsteins of the goat world,” Saanen goats are excellent milk producers. The breed was brought to the United States in the early 1900s. Today it is one of the most popular breeds among commercial dairy goat farmers.

Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat
The Nigerian Dwarf breed originated in West Africa.  These small goats average only 17-20 inches in height.  Their average weight is about 75 pounds.  Unlike pygmy goats, dwarfs are considered a dairy goat breed and can produce 4.5 pounds of milk a day at about eight percent butterfat.  Dwarfs are quickly gaining popularity due to their gentle and playful temperament as well as their ability to change color from birth to adulthood.

Toggenburg Dairy Goat
Much like its European valley cousins, the Toggenburg Dairy goat breed also originated in a valley.  The breed came from the Toggenburg Valley of Switzerland and is known as the oldest dairy goat breed.  Ranging in color from a dark cocoa to a light brown with white markings, these dairy goats are known for their high milk production.  These goats are also popular because they can adapt to cooler climates. On average, a Toggenburg doe will weigh in at one hundred and twenty pounds, making them a medium dairy goat breed.

Nubian Dairy Goat
Known for their bell-like floppy ears and rounded roman noses, Nubians have very distinct faces.  They are named after the northeastern African region of Nubia.  With female does weighing approximately 135 pounds and male bucks weighing 175 pounds, Nubians are considered a large dairy goat breed.  Developed in England by crossbreeding Indian and African bucks with British does, Nubians are known as one of the best all-around goats.  Many are used for milk production but others are also used for their meat and hides.  

  

 

Goat

If you want to know more about domestic goats, look no farther. This Goat Handbook contains general information on domestic goat and specifics about the goat herd at the Minnesota Zoo’s Wells Fargo Family Farm.

To help you navigate through the wealth of information, here’s a quick topic finder:
What Is a Goat?
Goat Products
Goats at the Zoo

What Is a Goat?

Domestic goats, along with several other barnyard animals—including sheep, cows, horses, and pigs—are ungulates. As ungulates, they belong to the very large scientific order of  mammals with hooves.

Goats are ruminants, animals with 4-part stomachs. They chew plants, partially digest that plant food, then chew it again—a process called chewing the cud.

Both goats and sheep belong to the family Bovidae, which also includes the much larger cows. Members of the bovine family are very adaptable and can live in diverse climates. They tend to have horns. Their teeth are well suited to pulling at grasses and plants.

Goats and sheep are members of the subfamily Caprinae—as is the Takin, on exhibit at the Zoo’s Northern Trail. But both goats and sheep have been domesticated for thousands of years, while Takins are wild.

The word goat covers more than just the domestic goats on display at the Minnesota Zoo. Goat is the correct term for any one of several species in the genus Capra. These include domestic goats, the Bezoar, and the Ibex, among others.

Some differences between goats (genus Capra, species hircus) and sheep (genus Ovis, species aries) are under the skin. Goats have 60 chromosomes, while sheep have 54.

Other differences are easily visible. A goat’s tail generally goes up, while a sheep’s tail goes down. Goats mostly have hairy coats. Sheep generally grow wool that must be cut, or sheared, each year. Goats naturally grow horns, but many sheep have no horns at all.

Goats are very intelligent and adaptable, particularly when it comes to eating. Goats can survive on bushes, trees, desert scrub, and herbs. They thrive in areas with poor pasture where sheep and cattle would starve.

The domestic goat is descended from wild goats of Asia, most likely from the wild Bezoar. This endangered animal still lives in Asia and on two Greek Islands, while its domestic descendant, the goat, can be found worldwide.

It is not easy to determine whether goats or sheep were domesticated first. Archaeological evidence to date suggests that goats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Middle East, even before humans began to farm the land. Those first domestic goats were raised for their meat and perhaps for use in religious ceremonies.

Humans quickly found uses for all parts of the goat, drinking the animal’s milk, making water bags out of goat skins, and shaping tools from goat horns. When humans began to farm, goats helped in the process by eating leaves, brush, and brambles from fields that could then be planted or used as pasture.

Goat Products

Goat have been used for many purposes over the thousands of years during which they has been raised by humans. People have relied on goats to provide them with fuel to burn (goat dung), milk to drink, cheese and meat to eat, and jugs (made from goat skin) to fill with water or wine.

Well-adapted to steep, mountainous areas, goats have also helped humans carry things to remote places. Some goats have been raised for use in religious ceremonies.

Today, goats are raised primarily as a source of dairy products (milk and cheese, called chèvre). Worldwide, more people drink the milk of goats than the milk of any other single animal. One female goat can produce 3,000-5,000 pounds of milk annually. One or two goats can provide ample milk for a farm family.

Goats are also raised for meat, fiber (including cashmere and mohair), and leather (kidskin). In some parts of the world, goats are still used as pack animals. Still more goats are kept as pets. Goats have also found their way into modern laboratories, where they are used to advance scientific research.

Goats at the Zoo

Domestic goats at the Minnesota Zoo live in the Goat & Sheep Barn,  sponsored by Alfred and Ingrid Harrison. This 40 foot x 28 foot shed contains a lambing pen for ewes (female sheep) and a kidding pen for female goats. There’s also a billy pen for male goats and a ram pen for male sheep.

The red-walled and green-roofed building has 3 metal ventilators on the roof. These ventilators came from a farm in South Dakota. They are sometimes referred to as cupolas (COO-poh-lahs) by farmers.