Amazing facts About Goats

Goat is a member of the Bovidae family, which consists of 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals. Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. They fall in the category of goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. It is interesting to know that sheep is also a member of the same family. Goats have been domesticated by humans since ages now and have been used for milk, meat, hair and skin all over the world. They are also popular as pets, though the practice of petting them started as late as the 20th century. While female goats are referred to as does or nannies, male goats are known as bucks and billies. The offspring are known as kids. Read on to explore some more interesting facts and amazing information on goats.

At one of our associate farms in western UP, India there is an amazing Buck which is giving milk. It means that this buck has complete reproduction potential as well as milking udders like a female goat.

1. Goats are great swimmers.
2. Goats were domesticated around 7000 B.C.
3. Domestic goats are found worldwide.
4. Anything you make with cow’s milk, you can make with goat’s milk.
5. Goat’s discovered coffee beans.
6. Goat milk has higher butterfat content than cow’s milk.
7. Goats are browsers, not grazers.
8. Goats are extremely picky about what they eat.
9. Goats DO NOT eat tin cans.
10. Goats have only bottom front and side teeth, the top jaw does have a large back molar for crushing things.
11. Goats have rectangular eyes – this allows them to see very well in the dark.
12. Wild goats don’t sleep.
13. Goats use straw to scratch their backs.
14. Goats catch colds and can succumb to pneumonia.
15. The fat molecules in goat milk are five times smaller than the fat molecules in cow milk. Goat milk is broken down in the stomach in twenty minutes; it takes an hour for the stomach to break down cow’s milk.
16. Goats are great as stock animals. Goats are easier on the trail than other pack/stock animals. Properly conditioned, a goat can carry up to 25%-30% of its body weight.
17. Goats are ruminants, which mean they have four stomachs and they digest their food in a unique way. They can eat almost any type of diet, as their digestive system allows more or less every organic substance to be broken down and used as nutrients.
18. Goats have a reputation of being very intelligent and extremely curious. It is pretty easy to train them to pull carts and walk on leads. They tend to test fences simply for the reason that they are tough to climb on. Goats are also known to be very coordinated and are able to climb trees.
19. Goats communicate with each other by bleating. Mothers will often call to their young (kids) to ensure they stay close-by. Mother and kid goats recognize each other’s calls soon after the mothers give birth.
20. Kids can follow their mothers almost immediately after being born. They are very close to their mothers and are weaned after around 6 months.
21. Goats are very intelligent and curious animals. Their inquisitive nature is exemplified in their constant desire to explore and investigate anything unfamiliar which they come across.
22. Goats have excellent coordination. They have great balance and are thus able to survive in precarious areas such as steep mountains.
23. Goats can climb, run, crawl under fences and some breeds of goats are able to jump heights of over 5 feet. It should be noted as well that most goats will also stand on their back legs to reach tree branches and shrubs.
24. Goats are very sociable, lively, inquisitive and independent animals. They are also quite intelligent and can learn how to open latches on farm gates. Goats are also herd animals.
25. The kids will prefer to remain nearby their mother, even if separated for years and reintroduced