11 Of The Most Fun Goat Facts

Here at Southern Oregon Feed And Mineral, we love our goats! We breed and goats in our own barn, so we know they’re pretty quirky animals. Which is why, today, I wanted to share some fun facts with you about all things goat.

• Goat meat is called chevon.

• Chevon is the most commonly eaten meat in the world per capita. Why? Because goats are durable, inexpensive to raise, and don’t need very flat terrain to live on!

• Bucks are male goats and does are females. If they’re under a year old, they can be referred to as bucklings and doelings.

• Goats were some of the first animals to be brought to America! They came over on the Mayflower.

• Goats were also some of the first animals to be domesticated. They were first domesticated over 11,000 years ago.

• A goat birth is called “kidding”.

• Goats’ pupils are rectangular, so they can see 320 to 340 degrees. Since they’re pray animals, this is an important evolutionary survival tactic.

• Goats burp a lot! They’re ruminants, so the different stomach compartments produce gas during the fermentation process. Which is released as burps.

• Goats won’t eat just anything. They have very sensitive lips, which they use to feel through potential food sources for the perfect bite of food.

• So will they mow your lawn for you? Probably not. But they will eat your shrubbery! Goats aren’t grazers, they’re browsers. They prefer roots, fruits, leaves, and shrubs to straight grass.

• There are over 300 breeds of goats!

Did you learn something new about goats? Comment below! Or do you have another fun fact that we didn’t list?? We’d love to hear it!