Written for Australian conditions, by people still learning it the hard way. No sign-up, no email required — it's all on this page.
Two, minimum, and three is better. A lone goat screams, paces fences and escapes looking for company — a dog or a horse is not a substitute. With three, losing one doesn't leave you scrambling to find a companion at short notice.
Far less than people expect. Two or three Nigerian Dwarfs do not need acreage — they need secure fencing, dry shelter and something to climb. Space is rarely the limiting factor; fencing almost always is.
[Your spec — mesh size, height, post spacing, hot wire.] Being small, they go under and through rather than over, so a fence built for cattle or sheep will not hold them. Fix it before they arrive: the first escape teaches a lesson that is very hard to un-teach.
Two wethers, for most first-time buyers. Calm, affectionate, inexpensive and uncomplicated. Does if you want milk or kids. Bucks only once you have a breeding programme that needs one — they smell genuinely appalling in rut and need their own fencing and companion.
Wethers from $[X], doelings $[X], milking does more again, bucks $[X]. The animals are the cheap part — fencing, shelter and the setup are where the money actually goes. And if you have been quoted for one goat, you have been quoted for half a setup.
Does roughly 43–57cm at the withers, bucks roughly 43–60cm — knee to mid-thigh on most adults. Ask for the parents' actual heights rather than judging from a photograph next to a bucket.
Around [X] a day at roughly [X]% butterfat — markedly richer than a standard dairy goat, which is why it makes such good cheese and soap. But milk means breeding, kidding and a twice-daily schedule that does not care about your weekend.
No — you need access to one. Most small breeders are better off using someone else's. [Explain how you handle joinings for buyers.]
Yes — unlike cattle, goats will not stand in weather. A three-sided shelter, dry underfoot, out of the prevailing wind, reachable quickly from anywhere in the paddock. It does not need to be large or beautiful.
Goats browse rather than graze — hay constantly, plus branches, leaves and weeds. Grain far less than people think. A paddock of good grass is not the complete diet it looks like.
Castrated males are prone to urinary calculi, and too much grain is the usual cause. [Your feeding and mineral guidance.] It is entirely preventable, and it is the single most important thing to get right if your goats are pets.
Every [your interval], more often on soft ground. Look rather than count — the wall should sit flat with the sole, not curl around it. Overgrown hooves change how a goat stands and eventually cause lameness.
Generally yes — small enough not to loom over a child, and affectionate when well handled. Two caveats: horns catch children at head height even by accident, and a buck in rut is not an animal to have children near.
Does and wethers, no — not noticeably. Bucks in rut, yes, and far more than you are imagining. People underestimate this and then cannot un-smell it. If smell matters to you, do not buy a buck.
Less than people fear, if they have company and enough to do. A lone goat is very noisy. A doe in season is loud and obvious for a few days at a time. Worth knowing if you have close neighbours.
Registered means recorded with a registry, with a number and a pedigree that transfers to you. It matters enormously if you intend to breed and not at all if you want two wethers as pets. Do not pay for what you do not need.
Parentage confirmed by testing rather than by a paddock note. The registry is moving to require it. If you are paying a premium for a pedigree, verification is what makes that pedigree worth paying for — so ask. [Where your own herd sits.]
They reliably carry a premium and they are genuinely striking. They have nothing to do with the animal's udder, temperament, health or milk. Pay for them if you love them — just know that is what you are buying.
[Your drenching, vaccination and mineral schedule.] Plus hoof trimming on a rhythm. None of it is dramatic; all of it is constant, and the goats that get into trouble are almost always the ones whose routine slipped.
They can share a paddock with plenty of things, but only another goat counts as company. Watch feed — what is safe for a horse or a sheep is not always safe for a goat, particularly around copper.
The questions above in full — and the ones that don't fit in a paragraph. We add to these as things come up on the farm.
Two, minimum, always — and there is a reason we will not bend on this one.
The single most consequential decision a first-time goat owner makes, and most people get advised badly.
Assume every goat is testing every fence every day, because it is.
Enough to matter, less than a full-size dairy goat, and richer than either — with a commitment attached.
Purchase price, ongoing costs, and the expenses first-time owners forget entirely.
Colour and eye colour move prices more than almost anything else. Here is what is worth paying for.
Small enough to surprise you, and the numbers matter more than the word "dwarf".
Browse first, hay always, grain rarely — and one warning that matters a great deal for wethers.
They do not need much. They are, however, entirely unreasonable about rain.
A twenty-minute job every few weeks that new owners put off, and then regret putting off.
Generally yes, genuinely — with two caveats worth knowing before you buy.
What a registration actually buys you, and when it genuinely does not matter.
The registry is tightening up, and it is genuinely good news if you are the one buying.