Goats
Indoor housing and paddock space, feed, bedding and the guides behind the numbers — everything for keeping backyard goats.
Who this is for. These tools are designed for pet and backyard goat keepers, not commercial dairy or meat producers.
Need a vet that sees goats?
Most vets only treat dogs and cats. Our directory lists clinics whose own websites say they treat goats, across the UK and the US.
Goats at a glance
The headline figures, each traced to its source on the page it links to. Starting points for planning, not a substitute for the calculators.
- Indoor housing
- 2–2.5 m² per goat (UK, RSPCA guidance, midpoint used)
- Needed 24/7 regardless of paddock access. US: no legal minimum; extension guidance gives 15 sq ft/goat with outdoor access, 25 sq ft/goat confined indoors.
- How much space a goat needs →
- Outdoor paddock
- At least a quarter-acre per goat (UK, RSPCA guidance)
- Goats browse rather than graze, so they need real land, not just an exercise yard. US: 25 sq ft/goat exercise area is an extension-guidance minimum, well below true browsing land.
- How much land goats need →
- Company
- At least two, always
- Goats are herd animals — a single goat can become stressed, destructive or excessively vocal. RSPCA guidance also cautions against mixing horned and polled goats in one group.
- Do goats need a companion? →
- Running cost
- Budget for a pair from day one
- Feed roughly $20–30/month per goat; vaccinations ~$20/year and worming ~$30–35/year per goat; hoof trimming every 6–8 weeks.
- What it costs to keep a goat →
Planning to keep goats? Work through it in order
8 steps, each a couple of minutes — click a step to open it.
01Think hard before you buy+−
The RSPCA says goats live 12+ years and recommends castrated males from smaller breeds, or females, for pet-keeping — the wrong choice is genuinely harder to manage.
Buying a pet goat →02Check you're allowed to+−
Land-use rules, minimum plot size, and fencing standards that specifically catch goat keepers out — check before anything else.
Can you legally keep a goat? →03Work out the space+−
Indoor housing and paddock land for your herd size, against RSPCA guidance (UK) or university extension guidance (US).
Goat housing calculator →04Plan for at least two+−
Goats are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone — budget space and cost as a pair from the start, plus the RSPCA's guidance on herd composition and introducing a new goat.
Do goats need a companion? →05Build a fence that actually holds+−
Goats climb, lean and push at weak points relentlessly — standard fencing that holds sheep often isn't enough.
Backyard goat mistakes →06Work out feed and bedding+−
Feed scales with your goat's own weight rather than one flat figure; bedding starts from a sourced depth shared with sheep.
How much does a goat eat per day? →07Check the running cost+−
Purchase price for a pair, fencing, feed, vaccinations, worming and routine hoof trimming — a cost most other backyard animals don't have.
Cost of keeping a goat →08Learn the day-to-day health checklist+−
Vaccinations, parasites, hoof inspection between trims, and the signs that mean a call to the vet, from RSPCA guidance.
Goat health and vet care →
Calculators and tools
These cover all nine species — following a link opens them with goats already selected.
- Plan My Setup
Housing, outdoor land, bedding, feed and running cost together in one place, for a species and headcount.
- Feed Cost Calculator
Estimate daily, weekly and monthly feed cost from a headcount and your local feed price.
- Water Calculator
How much water your animals drink a day and a week, from the published figure for each species.
- Bedding Calculator
How much bedding to start with, based on your floor area and species.
- Cost of Keeping Calculator
Feed, vet allowance and other ongoing costs, by species — a weekly, monthly and yearly running-cost estimate.
- How Much Land Do I Need?
Indoor housing plus outdoor paddock or run space combined — the total footprint, not just the pen size.
- Breeding & Hatching Due-Date Calculator
Enter a mating or egg-set date and get an expected due/hatch date, by species.
- How Much Hay Do I Need?
Daily hay and a winter total for goats, sheep and horses, with a waste allowance and bale count.
- Compare Animals
Which backyard animal needs the most space, land or vet budget — a side-by-side comparison of all nine species.
- Sources & Methodology
Every figure behind every species' housing calculator, traced to its source, what it applies to and when it was last checked.
Goats guides
- How Much Space Does a Goat Actually Need?
Why goats need housing every day regardless of pasture access, why they should never be kept alone, and how much land they genuinely need to browse.
- Can You Legally Keep a Goat in Your Backyard?
What decides whether backyard goat-keeping is allowed — land-use rules, fencing standards, and the escape-artist problem that catches people out.
- How Much Does It Cost to Keep a Goat?
A realistic breakdown of what backyard goats actually cost — purchase price for a pair, feed, fencing and setup costs first-time keepers underestimate.
- 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Keeping Backyard Goats
The practical surprises first-time goat keepers run into — from fencing that actually holds to the plants in your garden that could kill them.
Common questions about goats
- How much space does a goat need?
- In the UK, RSPCA guidance gives 2–2.5 m² of indoor housing per goat (needed 24/7, regardless of paddock access) plus at least a quarter-acre paddock per goat for outdoor grazing. In the US there's no legal minimum; university extension guidance gives 15 sq ft/goat indoor with outdoor access (25 sq ft confined indoors) plus 25 sq ft/goat exercise area.
- Can I keep a goat in my backyard?
- It depends where you live — goats are treated as livestock in most places, which typically rules out the smallest residential lots. Some jurisdictions also set specific fencing standards for goats, since they're notorious escape artists. Check with your local planning authority about goats specifically, not just livestock in general.
- Can I keep just one goat?
- Not recommended. Goats are herd animals and can become stressed, destructive or excessively vocal if kept alone — plan space and cost for at least two from the outset.
- How much does it cost to keep goats?
- Budget for a pair, not one: pet-quality goats commonly run $150–500 for a pair to start, plus feed (roughly $20–30/month per goat), vaccinations (~$20/year) and worming (~$30–35/year) per goat, and hoof trimming every 6–8 weeks. Fencing is often the real cost centre, since weak fencing costs more in repairs and escapes than building it properly once.
Want to see what keeping goats is actually like?
Try My Backyard — a simple interactive simulation. Adopt one, feed it, play with it, keep its bedding clean, and see how it gets on.
Play My Backyard →