Reader Letters September/October 2025
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Do you have a question or a comment about your goats, their feed, housing, or an article you’ve read here?
Feel free to email us at goatjournal@gmail.com
I’m new to goats, and I’m not sure how much hay I should buy. Any advice?
– Jamie W.
I won’t have an exact answer for you because the answer is: it depends. Do you have little Nigerian Dwarf goats or big Alpines? Wethers? Bucks? Pregnant does? Just a couple, or an entire herd? Do you live in a place where winters aren’t too cold, or does it get below freezing and stay that way for months? All of that will determine the answer. It could be anywhere from 3 to 5 pounds of hay a day per goat. Goats in colder climates will eat more to stay warm. Don’t forget the waste. They will pull some out and throw it on the ground, and once it’s on the ground, it no longer exists. No, they don’t see the hay they’ve scattered around and are standing in; they have no idea what you’re talking about. I would aim for 5 pounds a day per goat, figure out how many bales that is, and then buy a little more than that. It’s better to have a little too much hay than not enough. It’s a desperate feeling to see only a handful of bales left, and still two or three months until hay season starts.
-Audra
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Can I give pumpkin guts to my goats?
-Emily Hayden
Absolutely! You can give goats the innards (the seeds are really good for them) and the rest of the pumpkin to them too, as long as it isn’t rotted. So if your jack-o’-lantern has been sitting on the porch getting progressively more gross, I wouldn’t offer that to the goats. But they generally love pumpkins, and you can break them open and offer the whole thing. They also enjoy other forms of winter squash, such as butternut or acorn.
-Audra
What are the best goats to get for first-time goat owners?
-Julie
What’s best will depend on what you intend to do with the goats because the answer will vary widely depending on that. Do you want meat? One of the meat breeds would be best. Are you hoping to get lots of milk? Then a dairy breed is best. Do you want a smaller size? Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmy, or one of the mini breeds is your best bet. Are you dreaming of spinning wheels and yarn? Then one of the fiber breeds would be the best fit. Just for pets? That can be any of them. It will truly come down to what you see in the future for you and your goats. And, those goals and dreams may change over time. You may start with meat, decide later you also want dairy, and several years down the road, decide you just want a couple of pets.
-Audra
Do you have any advice for keeping my goats from climbing the fence? They keep getting out and getting on the cars and the porch.
-Deanna
I’m not sure what kind of fence you have, but one of the quickest ways to teach them to stay off the fence is to run a strand of hot wire along the top and another about nose level inside the fence. It will teach them to respect the boundary. Be prepared, though, goats (like cows and horses) can figure out when the hot wire is on and when it isn’t.
-Audra
(After finding out that Goat Journal has moved to digital only.)
It makes sense. Print is a lot. It’s unfortunate, though, as I did enjoy the printed versions I did receive!!
Still great content even if it’s digital. Thank you!
-Junko Yoshimaru
