Top Five Anti-Goat Arguments

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.


Pro-Goat Argument 19: We should be tolerant of each other's hobbies

Here's a quote from Jennie Grant on her Goat Justice League website.

Jennie asks "why should cities have rules on their books that keep people from doing what they like when it doesn’t bother anyone, even if it what they want to do may seem strange?" 

I think this is one of the best arguments out there for legalizing urban goats! If they don't hurt or bother anybody, then what is the big deal? Even if someone's hobby seems quirky, why needlessly keep them from doing the things they enjoy?

Pro-Goat Argument 7 through 17!

I copied a section of an amendment made to the Seattle, WA municipal code that was added to legalize miniature dairy goats. Some of the Pro-Goat Arguments that I have already mentioned are repeated here, but it's great to see how they are presented in a legally binding document.

"AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning and the keeping of small

animals, amending Sections 23.42.052, 9.25.022, 9.25.030, 9.25.050,

9.25.052, 9.25.080, 9.25.084, 9.25.100; and 9.26.020 to allow the

keeping of miniature goats and providing for the licensing and

licensing fees therefore.

WHEREAS, goats, along with dogs are the earliest animals domesticated

by humans, roughly 10,000 years ago; and

WHEREAS, numerous cultures worldwide keep goats and more people

worldwide drink goat milk than any other animal's; and

WHEREAS, many immigrants from all over the world are familiar with

keeping goats; and

WHEREAS, miniature goats are considered excellent pets due to their

good-natured personalities, friendliness, faithfulness, and hardy

constitution; and

WHEREAS, miniature goats are no bigger than a number of species of

large domestic dogs; miniature goats average around 24" tall and 50-

100 pounds, compared to some large dogs that average around 30" tall

and can weigh up to 200 pounds; and

WHEREAS, miniature goats can be a sound way to provide milk and

cheese to families if the milk is properly pasteurized prior to

consumption or cheese production; and

WHEREAS, there are numerous benefits for urban sustainability that

goats provide including that their manure is an excellent source of

garden compost provided it is properly composted to reach

temperatures that will destroy potentially harmful pathogens, their

hair is a renewable source of fiber, and goats can provide an

alternative to lawn mowers; and

WHEREAS, goats are valuable for controlling noxious weeds and

clearing brush and undergrowth; and

WHEREAS, serious illnesses in people due to infections from goats are

rare and disease risk can be reduced through proper sanitation and

good husbandry; and

WHEREAS, female and neutered male goats do not generate significant

odors, and

WHEREAS, municipalities including Portland, Oregon and Everett,

Washington have codes that permit miniature goats to be kept..."

Pro-Goat Argument 6: Make your own dairy products

With access to fresh creamy milk, you will be able to make butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream whenever you want. In addition to the milk itself, you now have 5 things you can cross off your grocery list!

Pro-Goat Argument 5: Goat poop has great potential

Goat feces are dry, and do not smell. Unlike dog or cat feces, goat feces are safe to compost and can be used directly in the garden. Therefore, goats don't add to the municipal garbage stream as do most household pets.

Due to all the roughage they consume, goat droppings are full of plant material and make great compost. As an avid gardener, I would welcome an added source of manure for my garden! Why go to Home Depot and buy bagged manure shipped across the country when a backyard goat herd could provide you with "locally grown" manure?

Pro-Goat Argument 4: Goats are space-efficient food producers

Goats do not require much space, so they can be kept even on small properties. 

After gathering information from a pile of books on goat keeping, I average all their numbers and found that each goat needs 10 to 25 square feet per goat (depending on size) of sheltered area. In addition, an outdoor exercise area of at least 130 to 200 square feet should be provided.  200 square feet is about the size of two regular parking spaces. As you can see, goats are quite "compact" animals.

The smallest lots in the Lansing area usually at least one tenth of an acre or ~4,356 square feet. Of course, some of this square-footage is taken up by the house, garage, driveway, front yard, etc. After taking into account any setback guidelines that may be imposed (guidelines to regulate how close the goats can be kept to neighboring property lines and homes), there still may be plenty of space leftover in a small backyard to keep a few goats (and plenty of space if you have a larger backyard).

Pro-Goat Argument 3: Goats are just as quiet and gentle as dogs

So you're saying I can't have a miniature goat, but my neighbors can have a backyard full of aggressive, snarling, barking rottweilers?  I'm not saying all dogs are dangerous, but you sure never hear news reports about goats attacking toddlers or postal workers.

Goats are just as quiet and gentle as dogs. Miniature goats weigh about the same (or less than) a labrador retriever. And since goats live outdoors, you don't have to worry about them peeing on your carpet or shredding your couch cushions.

Pro-Goat Argument 2: Save money on your grocery bills

So lets say you read my last post about factory-farmed cow's milk, and you decide you don't want to buy it any more. What are your other options?

Organic and/or Hormone-free cow's milk or goat's milk is much more expensive to purchase than regular cow's milk, if it can be found at all. Keeping your own dairy goat is more economical in the long run.

According to Story's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats (2010), a gallon of store-bought goat's milk costs at least $11 (although I've heard prices much higher than this). On the other hand, after factoring in feeding costs, goat's milk can be produced at home for approximately $2.25 per gallon (which is also less than regular store-bought cow's milk, not to mention organic cow's milk).

Introducing: The Lansing Urban Goat Movement!

I thought I'd share a post I wrote today for my other blog, Green Zebra Market Garden, to advertise the Lansing Urban Goat Movement:

"To some of my readers, this might sound a little out-there, but I've become quite interested in the possibility of raising miniature dairy goats in my backyard. However, it's currently not legal to do so in my city and county. So I'm here to introduce the Lansing Urban Goat Movement! I decided to start a blog about my path to goat legalization (assuming I'm successful). For all I know, I'll meet a lot of resistance and the "movement" may fizzle out pretty quickly, but it's worth a shot! More than anything, this blog will be a place to keep my thoughts organized and a place to document all the steps I take towards my goal.


Here's a little bit of background about why I'm doing what I'm doing:
 In 2009, my county amended its Animal Control Ordinance to allow for the keeping of backyard chickens on residential-zoned land (hence, the backyard flock you've heard me blog about). As a strong supporter of the local/slow food movement, I'd like to continue the process of legalization of miniature dairy goats. I feel that miniature dairy goats have just as much right in the urban backyard as chickens (or dogs and cats, for that matter) and would make an excellent addition to any urban garden or homestead. The Lansing Urban Goat Movement site will attempt to cover as many pro-urban-goat arguments as possible, as well as dispel the common anti-urban-goat arguments. 




Access to unadulterated, humanely-produced, and reasonably-priced milk is limited for most Lansing residents. Backyard dairy goats take up very little space, are just a quiet and gentle as dogs, and are a logical and economical source of milk for citizens who care where and how their food is produced!"

P.S. I think this post serves as a good summary of the Lansing Urban Goat Movement, so I'm planning on sharing this announcement on several community websites and Facebook groups.

Pro-Goat Argument 1: Support ethically produced milk

I'm generally not one to preach about the moral and ethical issues behind commercial food production, but I would be missing a huge pro-goat argument if I didn't mention the problems with factory-farmed milk.

Lansing residents have few options when it comes to purchasing milk. We are basically forced to buy factory-farmed milk at the grocery store.

• This factory-farmed milk generally has hormones, antibiotics, and other unnecessary additives in it that may cause human health effects.
• This milk is either pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized. The choice to drink raw milk has been taken away from the modern consumer even though raw milk has been consumed for thousands of years.
• The living conditions for cows on factory-farms vary widely and are generally not nearly as good as what could be achieved in a backyard dairy goat herd. Factory-farm cows may never set foot on grass or see natural sunlight.
• Store-bought milk is a mixture of milk from thousands of individual cows, therefore monitoring for quality and disease is much more difficult than if your milk came from just a couple backyard animals.

In addition, hormone-free cow's milk or goat's milk is much more expensive to purchase, if it can be found at all. Keeping your own dairy goat is more economical in the long run. According to Story's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats (2010), a gallon of store-bought goat's milk costs at least $11 (although I've heard prices much higher and much lower than this). On the other hand, after factoring in feeding costs, goat's milk can be produced at home for approximately $2.25 per gallon (which is also less than store-bought cow's milk).