Goats are a Challenge as Livestock

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Goats are a special challenge for livestock producers because they’re so clever. Sheep are considered docile for a reason, you can put them in almost any enclosure and they’ll happily stand there all day chewing their cud. But not goats – they are the animal world’s equivalent to the escape artist Houdini. Growers must use special size wire that won’t allow goats to reach for the other size of the fence greener grass, they can get their horns through but then can’t retract them due to the curvature of those appendages. They’re naturally, curious, too, and will stand on top of any structure in their living space.   There’s a hobby farmer near me who has discarded refrigerators in his goat yard, it tickles me to see these animals perched atop an old appliance looking as if they had climbed the Eiffel Tower.