01 — Fencing and feeding
Adequate fencing is the foundational requirement for keeping goats; adequate browse and minerals are the foundational feeding requirements
Experienced goat keepers describe fencing as the single most important infrastructure decision, and the reason is behavioral: goats are persistent fence-testers by nature. They push against fencing, lean through gaps, stand on anything near a fence to improve their reach over it, and will squeeze through openings that appear too small. Chicken wire is entirely inadequate. Field fence (woven wire) can contain most goats if it is 4 to 5 feet tall and stretched tight with no sag or gap at the bottom; some keepers add a strand of electric wire at goat-nose height to discourage pushing. No-climb horse fence with 2-inch by 4-inch openings provides good containment when properly tensioned. Buck (intact male) containment typically requires heavier gauge wire and electric because bucks are more aggressive fence-pressers than does and wethers (castrated males).
Goats are browsers rather than grazers. They prefer leaves, bark, brush, shrubs, and woody weeds over grass, and they are selective: a goat will refuse food that has been walked on, soiled, or allowed to fall on the ground. Providing browse through rotational access to brush areas, hanging hay feeders that keep hay off the ground, and supplemental browse piles directly reduces feed waste and meets the animals' natural feeding behavior. All goats and sheep need access to a loose mineral mix formulated for their species; goat minerals differ from sheep minerals because goats need copper and sheep are copper-sensitive. Never feed sheep-formulated mineral to goats or goat-formulated mineral to sheep.
- Fence height: minimum 4 to 5 feet of woven wire, tight to the ground. No-climb horse fence or field fence with electric wire at nose height. Goats that escape become a habit.
- Goats are browsers that prefer woody browse, leaves, and weeds over grass. They are selective and will refuse dirty or fallen feed.
- Hang hay feeders so hay stays off the ground. Feed on the ground is contaminated quickly and refused or wasted.
- Use goat-specific loose mineral, not sheep mineral. Goats require copper; sheep are copper-sensitive. Mixed minerals can either deficiency-starve goats or toxify sheep.
02 — Parasite management
FAMACHA scoring uses lower eyelid color to detect barber pole worm anemia, guiding targeted treatment rather than blanket deworming
Haemonchus contortus, the barber pole worm, is the primary internal parasite threat to goats and sheep in warm, humid regions of the United States. It is a blood-sucking parasite that lives in the abomasum (the fourth stomach compartment), causing progressive anemia. The FAMACHA system was developed at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and introduced to North America through the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC). It provides a practical field method for assessing individual animal anemia without laboratory testing, using the color of the conjunctival mucous membrane visible inside the lower eyelid.
The FAMACHA score card rates the inner lower eyelid on a scale of 1 to 5: Score 1 (cherry red) indicates a healthy, non-anemic animal; Score 5 (white) indicates severe anemia requiring immediate treatment. Scores of 1 to 2 indicate no treatment needed; Score 3 is borderline, warranting a recheck in 5 to 7 days; Scores 4 to 5 require treatment now. OSU Extension notes that FAMACHA scoring must be done in natural daylight rather than artificial light, which can make membranes appear paler than they are. The critical reason for targeted treatment rather than blanket deworming is resistance: Haemonchus populations have developed resistance to most dewormers in areas where livestock have been treated indiscriminately. FAMACHA preserves a population of worms that have never been exposed to dewormers (refugia), which dilutes the resistant population and slows resistance development. Formal FAMACHA training and certification through ACSRPC is recommended before using the system, as the official score cards are only available to trained users.
- FAMACHA Score 1 to 2: do not treat. Treating non-anemic animals accelerates dewormer resistance without benefit.
- Score 3: recheck in 5 to 7 days. A borderline animal may deteriorate or recover; the recheck determines the action.
- Score 4 to 5: treat immediately. Severe anemia from barber pole worm can be fatal without prompt deworming.
- Always score in natural daylight. Artificial light makes membranes appear paler than they are, causing over-treatment.
- FAMACHA only detects Haemonchus (barber pole worm) anemia. Other parasites such as coccidia or brown stomach worm require fecal egg counts to assess.
- Formal training is required for accurate use. Contact your local extension office or ACSRPC for training workshops and to obtain an official score card.
03 — Dairy milking and hoof care
Dairy milking is a twice-daily commitment with no flexibility; hoof trimming is a regular obligation every 4 to 8 weeks
Dairy goats must be milked on a consistent schedule, typically every 12 hours, because the interval affects both milk production and udder health. Missing a milking causes the udder to overfill, which is painful for the animal, can damage milk-producing tissue, and signals the body to reduce milk production. Each milking session takes 10 to 20 minutes including setup, milking, and cleanup. Equipment needs are modest: a milking stand that restrains the goat comfortably with a stanchion and feed trough at the front, a stainless steel or food-grade bucket, a strip cup to catch and examine the first milk from each teat for clots or discoloration (early mastitis signs), and a teat dip or spray applied after milking to close the teat canal against bacteria. Milk must be chilled rapidly to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit within 2 hours of milking and pasteurized or consumed within a few days for safety.
Hoof trimming is as regular a task as feeding. Goat and sheep hooves grow continuously, like fingernails, and on soft pasture or in confinement they overgrow and fold under the hoof, trapping moisture and organic debris that promotes bacterial infection. Untrimmed hooves produce foot rot or laminitis, both of which cause lameness and severe discomfort. On rocky terrain goats may self-wear their hooves adequately, but most small-farm situations require trimming every 4 to 8 weeks. The tools are simple: a hoof pick to clean the crevices, hoof trimmers (like heavy shears), and optionally a hoof knife for removing pocket areas. The goal is a flat, even surface on the sole with walls trimmed parallel to the coronary band (the hairline at the top of the hoof). Learning correct trimming technique from an experienced keeper or extension video prevents common beginner errors that can cause bleeding or leave the hoof worse than before.
- Dairy goats must be milked every 12 hours without exception. Missing milkings reduces production, causes discomfort, and risks mastitis.
- Use a strip cup for the first milk from each teat at every milking. Clots, stringy milk, or discoloration are early mastitis signs that need immediate attention.
- Chill milk to below 40°F within 2 hours and pasteurize before drinking. Raw milk from a healthy animal is consumed by many smallholders, but food safety practices are identical to commercial dairy standards.
- Trim hooves every 4 to 8 weeks. Overgrown hooves fold and trap debris, causing lameness. Rocky terrain may reduce the interval; confinement increases it.
Quick reference
- Fencing: minimum 4 to 5 ft woven wire, tight to the ground. Goats test every weakness. Field fence or no-climb horse fence with electric wire at nose height.
- Feed goats as browsers: hay off the ground, access to browse, goat-specific loose mineral with copper. Never use sheep mineral for goats or vice versa.
- FAMACHA: score 1 to 2 = no treatment; 3 = recheck in 5 to 7 days; 4 to 5 = treat now. Natural daylight only. Detects barber pole worm anemia only. Formal training required.
- Dairy milking: every 12 hours, strip cup first, chill milk rapidly. Hoof trimming: every 4 to 8 weeks to prevent lameness.
Primary sources
- Ohio State University Extension: FAMACHA Training for Barber Pole Worm: FAMACHA system description; score card scale (1 to 5); natural daylight requirement; rationale for targeted treatment over blanket deworming; resistance preservation through refugia.
- American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC): FAMACHA: training and certification requirement; official score card availability; system origin (University of Pretoria).
- Penn State Extension: Goats: fencing requirements for goats; browse preferences; mineral supplementation; copper requirements vs. sheep copper sensitivity; dairy goat milking protocols; hoof trimming frequency and technique.
- University of Minnesota Extension: Goat and Sheep Management: feeding behavior (browsing vs. grazing); feed management to reduce waste and contamination; parasite management overview; milking equipment and hygiene; hoof care schedule.