Goat Lingo & FAQ

In no particular order:

Buck - Male goat

Doe - Female goat

Kid - Baby goat

Kidding - Goat giving birth

FF or First Freshener:  Goat having kids for the 1st time.  Second Freshener, second time, and so on.

Wether - Neutered male goat

Q:  Do All Goats Have Horns?  Yes and No. 

  • Most - bucks and does -  are born with the ability to grow horns.  Some are born without this ability or are limited - these goats are considered polled.
  • Polled - The goat naturally has no horns, this is genetic trait and the goat is born that way.
  • Some choose to disbud their kids so that the naturally occurring horns never grow on the adult goat. 

This is a hotly debated topic with valid pros and cons - do your research and decide if horns are desirable on your goats or not.

Q:  Can goats really eat anythingThey might try, but there are many things that can harm a goats digestive tract such as plastic, toxic plants, too much grain, and string.  They can however eat many forms of weeds and vines and are very effective at clearing unwanted vegetation.

Rumen:  One of four special stomachs that a goat has that enables it to digest its food by a process of fermentation. 

Scours:  Goat Diarrhea

Can all goats be milked?  Probably, but some, known as dairy goats, are better suited for the job. The ADGA recognizes the following dairy breeds:  Alpine, LaMancha, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen, Sable and Toggenburgs

ADGA:  American Dairy Goat Association. 

Why do some goats faint?  Some myotonic goats, also known as "fainting goats" have a genetic condition called myotonia congenita which causes their muscles to lock up when they become startled.  They do not actually faint, but sometimes they do fall over.