Just to show that I'm not completely biased, I did a lot of research to determine the most common concerns and misconceptions about keeping goats in the city. As you'll see, most of these anti-goat arguments simply aren't true, or they have very simple solutions.
- Goats are smelly
Un-castrated billy goats are well known for being smelly, therefore they are not appropriate for the urban setting. However, female goats, baby goats, and castrated male goats are not smelly. In addition, goat droppings are very dry and do not smell, unlike dog and cat feces.
- Goats are noisy
Most goats are no louder than neighborhood dogs or children.
- Goats carry and transmit disease
Goats have no more potential to negatively impact human health than dogs and cats. Serious illnesses in people due to infections from goats are rare and disease risk can be reduced through proper sanitation and good husbandry. Dogs and cats can also transmit disease to humans (e.g. rabies, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, cat scratch fever, lyme disease, fleas, worms, etc.), but for all animals, proper care and common sense go a long way towards preventing disease.
- Goats are escape artists
Goats are very curious and nimble, making them capable of escaping when improper and/or insufficient fencing is used. For example, poultry netting (a.k.a. chicken wire) is fairly flexible and lacks the strength required to safely contain goats. Therefore, strong and resilient fencing intended for livestock, chain-link fencing, or solid wood fencing should be used.
- Goats are dangerous
Goats are common fixtures at children's petting zoos because they are such docile and friendly animals. They pose very little threat to children, certainly no more than a dog or cat. As with any animal, young children should be supervised when interacting with goats (more for the goat's safety than the child's). To prevent accidental bumps and bruises, goats can be dehorned or disbudded.
No comments:
Post a Comment