Foundations of Goat Husbandry

This unit introduces essential knowledge and skills for raising goats, covering breed selection, basic anatomy and behavior, housing, feeding, fencing, health recognition, breeding and kidding basics, and primary goat products (milk, meat, fiber). It establishes practical husbandry practices and decision-making frameworks to prepare students for more advanced management, health, and production topics in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze major goat breeds, production purposes (dairy, meat, fiber, show), and individual operation goals to recommend appropriate animals for specific management plans
• Apply principles of stocking density, shelter design, fencing requirements, and feeding strategies to create a basic site-specific herd management plan
• Demonstrate routine husbandry and health practices, including grooming, parasite control, recognizing normal versus abnormal behavior, basic first-aid responses, and preparatory steps for milking and kidding
• Evaluate primary product pathways (milk processing, fiber harvesting, meat production, and show/market options) to identify value-added opportunities and basic on-farm processing considerations