When you think of common pets, goats don’t tend to come up in that thought. However, if you have the means to properly care for them, goats actually make for pretty great pets! Some types of goats are very friendly, personable, adorable, and can provide you with a steady and humane source of milk if that’s something that you’re interested in. If you’re thinking about investing in one of these creatures, it’s very helpful to know how much goats actually cost.
We’ve calculated that a goat costs between$500 and $1670 for the first year of ownership and all of the essential supplies, and between $250 and $490 for each additional year of ownership.
Table of Contents
Goat Cost Breakdown
When calculating the total cost of a goat, you need to consider a lot of factors aside from the cost of the goat itself. Quite a few supplies need to be purchased to make sure that your goat is properly cared for. Housing, food, and medical care are all aspects of ownership that need to be factored into the total cost.
In the table below, the column labeled “Initial Cost” highlights what costs you’ll incur during your first year of goat ownership, including one-time purchases that are made before actually acquiring the goat. Then, the “Yearly Cost” column shows what costs are recurring and gives a range for how much each year of goat ownership costs.
| Product / Service | Initial Cost | Yearly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Price | $100 – $300 | |
| Fencing | $50 – $500 | |
| Housing | $50 – $300 | |
| Grooming | $20 – $50 | |
| Water Trough | $30 | |
| Food | $200 – $300 | $200 – $300 |
| Minerals | $20 – $30 | $20 – $30 |
| Bedding | $10 – $30 | $10 – $30 |
| Dewormer | $20 – $30 | $0 – $30 |
| General Medical Care | $0 – $100 | $0 – $100 |
| | | |
| Total | $500 – $1670 | $250 – $490 |
Cost Of Purchasing The Goat Itself
A large portion of the initial costs of goat ownership will come from the purchasing of the goat itself. Goats typically cost between $100 and $300 depending on factors such as breed, sex, and age. Females are typically worth more money than males, and purebreds sell for more than mixed breeds. This allows for a lot of room for choice when you’re selecting which goat to bring home.
If you’re getting a goat strictly as a pet, a mixed-breed male would be more than acceptable and won’t cost you much money. However, if you’re looking for a milk-producing goat, you’ll want to spend more money on a high-quality line. There are many different types of goats, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re aware of the individual characteristics of each goat.
You can also take the approach of bringing home a baby goat. Typically goats that aren’t yet weaned will sell for about $50, with weaned babies going for $75. It’s generally a better idea to go for weaned goat as it’s less stressful for them and easier for you to deal with.
It’s important to note that you can’t own just one goat! Goats are herd animals and thus must be kept in groups of at least two in order to be happy. Note that each additional goat will multiply several costs in the table, such as the overall purchase price, grooming supplies, and every consumable and medical good. This can make goats a bit pricey, but it’s well worth the cost.
Goat Enclosure & Accessories Costs
It isn’t possible to just bring home a goat and expect it to live like a dog or cat would. These creatures have special needs that need to be met with their enclosure and several accessories. Fortunately, these supplies are one-time purchases, meaning that they’ll only cost a lot initially and will only incur additional costs if they need repair or replacing.
Fencing
The best way to house goats is to allow them to free-roam around your property as they like the freedom and enjoy being around you. However, even if you can supply this to them, they’ll still need a pen that can act as a home base and a way to keep them secure at night and when you’re not around. This pen should keep them contained, safe, and secure while still giving them plenty of space to move around and exercise.
A pair of goats will need at least about 500 square feet of space, which is equivalent to a square fenced-in area with 22.4 feet of fencing on each side. Therefore, 100 feet of fencing is a healthy amount for a good good enclosure, but you can always utilize more if desired. This fencing should be at least 5 feet tall to prevent escape, but should optimally be 6 feet. Additionally, the grids should be small enough to prevent a goat from sticking their head through.
There are many different places that you can get this fencing, so prices can vary greatly. It’s possible to find used fencing for well under $100, or you can purchase a new roll for anywhere from $100 to $300. An adequate amount of sturdy posts will also be needed, typically ranging from $10 for wooden posts to $50 for metal.
Housing
Within the fenced-in area, it’s a good idea to provide a shelter to protect the goats from the elements and help them feel more safe and secure. For smaller goats, a large dog house would do a great job providing them with shelter, and that only costs between $50 and $100. However, larger goats need a bit more creativity and thought.
It’s not expensive nor difficult to build a good goat house. Many people craft sturdy 3-sided houses using wood posts to structure the walls and then boxing it in with fence boards or similarly long pieces of wood. When you do this, make sure that everything is secured well and that the roof is slanted to allow rain to drain off of it.
DIY goat housing can be done cheaply and it can be done expensively. Some owners spend as little as $20 for the wood necessary to build it, while others can spend over $200 creating an intricate and aesthetically-pleasing shelter.
Grooming
Like most hairy pets, goats also need to be groomed. Fortunately, it isn’t expensive to acquire the necessary supplies. First of all, you’ll need effective hoof trimmers to keep your goat’s hooves in check. Goats require about 4 hoof trims a year, so the $10 investment for a good pair is well worth the money.
Goats should also be brushed occasionally to help keep them clean and healthy. Like horses, goats require more of a sturdy brush, so you’ll have to spend between $10 and $15 to get one that’s effective enough.
Water Trough
Goats are living creatures, therefore they need water. A well-sized water trough should be placed inside of their shelter to provide a clean and consistent source of drinking water. It should hold several days worth of water in case something comes up and you can’t provide your goats with water for a short period of time.
The trough only needs to be around 15 gallons as it’ll be cleaned and refreshed quite frequently. A high-quality trough of this size will only cost around $30 and will easily last a lifetime, so it’s a low cost of ownership.
Goat Consumable Costs
While there are goat supplies that only need to be purchased once, there are some supplies that are consumable and need to replenished. This is where the recurring costs of goat ownership come from. It may be tempting to get lower quality products here to save money in the long run, but cheap products typically come with downsides that aren’t worth the savings that they bring.
Food
Goats may be stereotyped as animals that will eat anything that they’re given, but that simply isn’t the case. Many goats are actually quite picky with their food — even refusing something if it’s fallen on the ground! Fortunately, it’s quite easy to feed goats, and that ease comes with a cheap cost.
Owners will typically opt to feed their goats primarily alfalfa hay, which is a staple of their diet. It’s absolutely packed with nutrients that goats need, and the long hay strands help to aid with their general digestion. Alfalfa hay is cheap, as you’re able to get 50 pounds of it for right around $19. With each goat requiring about 3 pounds of hay per day, that equates to 180 pounds over the course of a month for two goats.
Some owners change things up by supplying alfalfa pellets, which is just alfalfa hay in pellet form. When purchasing large bags, prices typically stay around $1 per pound of alfalfa pellet. These won’t be fed nearly as much as the raw hay, but it will still contribute to costs.
Minerals
Goats absolutely love their alfalfa hay, but that can’t be the only thing that they eat. Their diet needs to be supplemented with special minerals to provide them with all of the essential nutrients that their bodies need. Such supplements are great sources of calcium, salt, phosphorous, protein, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals.
A large bag of loose minerals can be purchased for between $10 and $20. Considering that a goat only needs about 1/4 ounce of minerals per day, a several pound bag will last for a very long time.
Bedding
Comfort is important for goats, but it isn’t hard to make their enclosure comfortable. All that you need to do is provide them with a thin layer of straw on the ground inside of their shelter. The straw doesn’t need to be of a particular type, so you can shop around to find the cheapest yet still effective option. All that it needs to do is provide a softer material to lay on and absorb the goat’s waste.
Average-sized bundles of hay will typically cost around $0.50 per pound, with cheaper prices coming with bulk purchases. Since only a thin layer is needed and the hay only needs to be replaced every few days, hay costs stay surprisingly low. Save money by spot-cleaning the waste from the hay daily!
Goat Medical Care Costs
As goats are living creatures, they have different medical needs that need to be considered when calculating their total cost. The total amount of money that you spend on medical care is entirely dependent on the health of your goat. While you can control their health to an extent by practicing good husbandry, some health problems are entirely the result of luck and chance.
Because of this, it’s recommended that you have a small emergency fund put aside to deal with problems as soon as they come up.
Dewormer
Goats are kept outside, so they’re exposed to a few different things that could potentially harm them. Of those things, worms are some of the most prominent; they love goats! Fortunately, there are extremely effective and affordable remedies that will quickly get rid of whip, hook, round, and tapeworms.
You can purchase an effective dewormer for around $30, and the bottle will last for several treatments. Note that you should only administer the dewormer if you notice worms. Giving this to your goats regularly could potentially result in serious health problems or death! It’s good to be proactive, but picking and choosing your battles is key.
General Medical Care
There are several other problems that goats can encounter in their lives, regardless of if you’ve been an attentive owner or not. It’s important that you read up on all of the diseases that goats can develop so that you know what to look for and can take immediate action.
Each problem will require a different treatment, and that comes with different costs. Treatments may range from a $10 supplement to a $1000 surgery — it entirely depends on what your goat is ill with. One thing is consistent, though, and that’s the fact that vet visits typically cost between $100 and $200.
Are Goats Cheap Pets To Own?
Overall, goats are surprisingly cheap pets to own! The initial cost of purchasing a goat and all of their supplies may be quite high, but it quickly levels out to a very manageable $300 average cost of ownership per year per goat. Recurring costs simply include food, minerals, straw, and medical care as needed.
The cost of a goat doesn’t vary much throughout their lives. While baby goats will require slightly less space and eat less hay, the cost differences between babies and adults are still not very large. Plus, goats tend to mature quite quickly, so baby goat prices are not very long-term.
So, in short, goats are slightly pricey to initially purchase but don’t cost a lot of money to maintain. With how fun these creatures are to own, in addition to the great utility that they bring if you’re using them for their milk, the prices that you have to pay are well worth the payoff!