American Survival Guide – October 2019

[ASGMAG.COM] AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE 95

doa minimumofthreedistinguishablydifferenttasks.Inthecaseofgoats,theycanclearbrush
anddensevegetation;theycanprovidemilk,whichcanbeusedforeverythingfromconsump-
tiontomakingsoap;theyareanexcellentsourceofmeat;andgoatpeltscanbeusedtomake
clothing,equipmentandshelter.

‹Aboveleft: When

buildingyourgoat

habitat,bearinmind

thattheyprefertohave

anelevatedporchor

shelfthattheycan

accesstoloungeon

duringtheday.

‹Aboveright:Goats

thatarebornwithout

hornsarecalledpolled.

Thisisa genetictrait

carriedbya dominant

gene.Polledgoats

musthaveatleastone

polledparenttobe

bornthisway.

“INTHECASEOFGOATS,THEYCANCLEAR

BRUSHANDDENSEVEGETATION;THEY

CANPROVIDEMILK,WHICHCANBEUSED

FOREVERYTHINGFROMCONSUMPTIONTO

MAKINGSOAP;THEYAREANEXCELLENT

SOURCEOFMEAT;ANDGOATPELTSCANBE

USEDTOMAKECLOTHING,EQUIPMENTAND

SHELTER.”

can weigh between 20 and 220 pounds at

adulthood and male goats, bucks or billys,

can weigh between 27 and 275 pounds when

mature.

RAISING GOATS

The goat is a hooved mammal belonging to

the cattle family just like sheep and cows. From

homesteading and supplementing your food

supply to a pack animal that can haul your gear,

a goat is one of the most versatile animals you

will fi nd. Their tendency to be gentle, friendly,

curious and intelligent are among the positive

traits of goats. It is no wonder that goats were

one of the fi rst wild animals to be tamed and

herded by humans dating back over 9,000

years.

There is a common stereotype that a goat will

eat almost anything but, in fact, that is simply

not the case. The truth is that goats are quite

picky eaters, particularly when it comes to food

that looks and/or smells bad, and they have

been known to choose starvation rather than

consume food that does not appeal to them.

As ruminants, meaning cud-chewing animals,

goats prefer cracked corn, hay, grass and oats.

I provide about an acre for every three goats

I have. My land is covered in hardwood trees,

saplings and a wide variety of greenery and a

natural fresh water source so these animals

could do well even without my help. I choose

to supplement their diet with alfalfa pellets,

access to a crushed mineral block and addi-

tional fresh water that I add electrolytes to

during the hotter months of the year.

BREEDS, SIZE AND LIFESPAN

Goats, much like dogs, have a broad subspecies and vary signifi cantly from breed to breed. There
are over 200 breeds of goats living around the world today. The average lifespan of a goat is
between 10 and 12 years and they can live over 15 years. The female goat, known as a doe or nanny,

GoodForYourHealth

3 oz. Cooked

(roasted) Calories

Fat

(grams)

Saturated Fat

(grams)

Protein

(milligrams)

Iron

(grams)

Goat 122 2.58 0.79 23 3.3

Beef 245 16 6.8 23 2.9

Pork 310 24 8.7 21 2.7

Lamb 235 16 7. 3 22 1.4

Chicken 120 3.5 1.1 21 1.5

Source: USDA Handbook #8, 1989, Nuritive value foods, Home and Garden Bulletin #72, USDA, Washing-

ton, DC, US Governmen. Printing Office 1981

Goat meat is 50% to 65% lower in fat than similarly prepared beef but has a similar protein

content. The US Department of Agriculture also has reported that saturated fat in cooked goat

meat is 40% less than that of chicken, even with the skin removed.