Goat News: May/June 2025

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Researchers Study Ways to Aid Rumen Development in Early-Weaned Goats

In a recent March 2025 study published in the Translational Animal Science journal, researchers investigated how early weaned goats may face fundamental issues related to incomplete rumen development when transitioning from liquid feeds to solid feeds.

The review focuses on nutritional strategies and feeding methods to enhance the proper rumen morphological development (muscle thickness and organ size), fermentation efficiency, and microbiota structure (beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms) in young goats.

Using these nutritional strategies to improve rumen development can affect overall health status and decrease mortality rates and susceptibility to disease after weaning.

In the abstract, the researchers write, “A wide range of areas were summarized including liquid feed management in pre-weaning goats (colostrum, milk, and milk replacer), solid feed management (concentrate and roughages), endogenous and exogenous volatile fatty acids and ketones, plant extracts, prebiotics and probiotics, as well as rumen microbial contents that can be incorporated into the kids as an alternative to antibiotics to avoid pathogens and enhance the proper establishment of microbial community.”

The researchers conclude with, “The early solid diets for the pre-weaned goats can provide more VFA (volatile acids or volatile fatty acids are short chain fatty acids, which are especially important in the digestion of ruminant animals, where they result from the action of rumen microorganisms, and are absorbed as an energy source by the animal).

The VFAs modulate the digestive tract microbiota to drive the development of rumen epithelium (tissue lining) and the rumen absorptive function, reducing the goat’s full dependence on milk and the stress of weaning transitions.

“However, an abrupt solid diet during the sudden weaning could attenuate gut injury and decrease the social interactions between the young kids and their dams. Plant extracts could modulate the rumen microbiota and metabolites, depending on the type and dose of administration. Probiotics and rumen microbial transplants could enhance the gut microbiota of the early weaned goats and can thus reduce gut inflammation and enhance the integrity of mucosal barrier and growth performance.”

Dr. Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez, DVM, MSc, PhD professor at Autonomous University of Chihuahua, who’s devoted to ruminant production with a special emphasis on the use of new technologies and nutrition, says that there are a few things that can be done to help.

• Keeping an eye on the nutrition of early weaned goats is fundamental for their future production performance.
• The supply of concentrate and roughages is crucial to improving rumen development in young goats.
• The early inclusion of solid feed helps to improve rumen development in goats
• Plant extracts, probiotics, and microbial inoculants can improve rumen development in goats.

To view the full study, visit https://academic.oup.com/tas/advance-article/doi/10.1093/tas/txae164/8063786

Moringa Oleifera May Improve Goat Milk Quality

In a study published in Food Chemistry, researchers evaluated the effects of Moringa oleifera silage on milk quality in lactating goats. They aimed to produce a nutritionally enriched product with health-promoting compounds. In line with this goal, milk from moringa-fed goats exhibited higher fat, protein, and lactose contents, along with a significant reduction in somatic cell count, compared to those fed clover hay.

Moringa is a nutritionally dense superfood for humans and livestock. Folk medicine has used the leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots of this plant for centuries. The seeds of moringa can help filter water. In addition to propagating by seed, trees can be grown from cuttings. They thrive in well-drained, sandy soils, grow quickly, and are drought-resistant. The University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, predicts that this plant will be invasive and doesn’t recommend growing it.

Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814625010374?via%3Dihub

A Restaurant with Goats on the Roof

You don’t have to visit Sweden to see goats grazing on a sod-covered roof. You only need to visit Wisconsin!

Al Johnson’s is an authentic Swedish family-owned restaurant that has been around for nearly 60 years. Two goat cams are mounted on the rooftop of the restaurant. The goats usually go onto the restaurant’s sod roof at the start of each tourism season, in late May, continuing through mid-October.

This practice started in 1973 when the restaurant was renovated; a special underlayer was put on the roof, and it was seeded with grass. Later that year, the first goat — Oscar — was placed on the roof to start the mowing process.

The annual Roofing of the Goats Parade will happen at the start of the season, with 5 to 7 goats added to the grazing team. The goats are also happy to pose with tourists.

Learn more at https://aljohnsons.com/

Study Claims Goats are Smarter Than Sheep and Alpacas

Scientists from the University of Aberystwyth tested the ability of three animals — sheep, alpacas, and goats — to process information. Object permanence, numerical competence, and categorization were tested. The animals were tasked with finding objects hidden under cups. Initially, the objects were hidden under cups, and then the tests became more difficult with the cups moving around, requiring the animal to track the object. Animals were given treats for correct answers. The scientists found that goats had the greatest success in the tests, while the sheep and alpacas struggled to track objects when the tasks became more complicated.

Let’s not forget the quote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” So maybe sheep and alpacas just aren’t good at following a three-card Monty-type game? And maybe they excel in a category where goats don’t.

Read the full study here and try it at home! https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85180446502&origin=inward&txGid=bbda650de9864047c6c826f63f3da30c

Texas A&M AgriLife Reports Sheep and Goat Prices to Rise as Supply Tightens

Jake Thorne, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service sheep and goat program specialist, says, “Sheep and goats both have fairly seasonal breeding patterns. Most breed in the fall and give birth in the spring, leading to a higher supply of lambs and kids in late summer.”

Thorne adds, “That influx often depresses prices, but this time of year, we see lower supply, which helps keep the market strong.”

Current market conditions remain favorable, with some premium goat prices exceeding $4 per pound.

Read the full report and 2025 forecast here: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2025/03/11/texas-sheep-and-goat-prices-rise-as-supply-tightens/

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KENNY COOGAN lives on a permaculture landscape and runs a carnivorous plant nursery. His educational TV series “Florida’s Flora and Fauna with Conservationist Kenny Coogan” will come out summer of 2025. Listen to him co-host the “Mother Earth News and Friends” podcast at www.MotherEarthNews.com/podcast.

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Originally published in the May 1, 2025 digital issue of Goat Journal