This is a quick check list to help you decide if a goat is really the right animal for you.  Please consider each question carefully,  so that you don’t purchase a goat and then decide later that it was a mistake.
1.  Why do you want to purchase a goat? Do you want it for a pet, for showing, as a family milker, as a weed eater?
2.  Do you have a veterinarian in your area that has experience treating goats?
3.  Are you willing to keep other pets that might hurt your goats separate? Goats need to be kept with other goats. They are herd animals. They are not a good playmate for your dog. Do your neighbors have dogs that might be a threat to your goats? Are there wild predators in your area that might kill your goats. We truly feel that everyone needs to have livestock guard dogs with their goats. But some people use  donkeys and llamas.
4.  Do you have the time to care for your goats properly? Goats need to be dewormed regularly. They need to be vaccinated yearly and with any injury or pregnancy. They need their hooves trimmed at least every eight weeks. Depending on the climate in your area, they may need to be clipped at least once during the summer. Barns need to be cleaned often. This means a lot of time and hard work on your part, not to mention frequent trips to the feed store for bags of shavings, which aren’t cheap. You need to keep good quality hay out all the time for your goats. This means estimating how much you will need and purchasing enough at one time so that you don’t run out during winter when hay is hard, if not impossible, to find and expensive in the off-season. Goats need mineral mix fed free choice and a good quality feed. They need plenty of clean water available at all times.
5.  Do you have adequate shelter for your goats, such as a well-ventilated barn? The ideal barn for goats has many windows for ventilation and natural light and ceiling fans to keep the air circulating. A temperature controlled electric attic fan is also a good idea to help in cooling. Heat lights should be used in cold weather.
6.  Do you have adequate fencing for your goats to keep them in and predators out? Is the wire spacing small enough to keep them from getting their heads caught? Four-foot high fencing is usually adequate for Nigerians. We use hog panels purchased from our local Co-op. They are 52" high and 16’ long and $23 a panel. They have smaller wire spacing at the bottom and increase the spacing width towards the top. In some cases these panels still need to be lined with wire. Fencing a pasture adequately is not cheap, but is imperative.
7.  Is it legal to keep goats where you live? Make sure there are no restrictions on the keeping of livestock in your area.
8.   If you are thinking about raising goats, consider whether you have adequate space on your property for a separate buck pen, doe pen and kidding pen. Also, remember that bucks have a strong smell for almost half the year, and neighbors might complain. They are also much noisier than the does. You might want to consider paying stud fees for the use of bucks instead of purchasing your own, or purchasing does that are already bred.

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