Husbandry - Goat Farm

Our Goat Farm

We currently have a small herd of goats on the farm that help us with clearing and managing the land. Each year we welcome a small set of kids and next year we hope that our new generation of mixed breed goats will enable us to have Goats milk on the farm.

The goats are very friendly and have come from various farms across Galicia. We have found it very challenging finding goats that we can trust have particular genetics for dairy and can comfortably integrate with our herd. So, we are always on the look out for goats and developing our herd into a beautiful hybrid group of goats for dairy and meat.

Why we do not have Boer or Galician Goats

The simple fact is that our farm is small and our land is not suitable for very agile goats that need to roam. We have therefore opted for smaller goats that are mixed with Saanen and we are looking to purchase more.

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Fun facts about goats

  • Female leaders

    Goat herds are matriarchal. Yes that is right! The Billy Goat might be a handsome smelly fellow but he is by no means the boss or the protector.

    Our Flock Queen is called Mabel and so far she has given us 4 very healthy young goats that also have similar personality traits to Mabel and rank higher than other goats under their mother queen. Mahla is one of her daughters and she is the next in-line and probably our most friendly and vocal goat, when it comes to communicating with us.

  • Communication & Social Intelligence

    Goats build strong relationships with their husband/goat-keeper. They will learn facial expressions, vocal sounds and even detect your mood and if you are unhappy with them. Like dogs, they need a good alpha carer they can trust and respect with the flock. Building this relationship requires rules and understanding through routine and good boundary expectations. Once this is achieved the herd will be much more stable and you can move them around the land with ease knowing that they will respect and follow you.

  • Biology of a goat

    Eyes:

    Goats have very strange pupils giving them 360 degree vision so they can see predators across a horizon without moving their heads when eating.

    Four-Chambered Ruminant Stomach:

    Goats have one stomach split into 4 complex chambers designed to ferment and extract nutrients from fibrous plants. The first chamber the Rumen can hold up to 6 gallons, fermentating poor quality forage ready for the next chambers. So if you think your goat or ours look very wide at the end of the day, the likelihood is that the Rumen is very full and ready to break down all the cellulose from the forage!

How to start a goat farm!

In Spain and Galicia you need a farming license to own and buy goats. You will also need a transport license to move or collect goats. The process of setting up a farm license is very straightforward and can be done at your local agricultural office. We often use Lugo because they know us there and understand our farm project.

Goats need to be registered and wear ear clipps or chappas as we call them in Galicia. This number is very important and each goat will be periodically tested for desease by the vetinary sanitation department. You will see that many of our young goats do not have chappas in their ears yet. We generally wait until they are more than six months old to make sure we do not rip or damage the blood vessels in the ears. By this age the goats really know us and we can make sure it is as stress free as possible!

Visit the farm and volunteerNeed support setting up your goat farm? Send us a message

Dairy and Meat

As we found out, farm animals come with more responsiblity than Instagram would lead you to believe. Animals cost money, care and a lot of time. Their needs are extensive and we do not have all the time and money in the world to care for them. We have however managed to bring in a few goats and give them an exceptional quality of life her on our farm and we are very proud of that. We are not a sanctuary or a charity business asking for money to keep animals in care. We are a community of people and animals on a small farm which is 365 days of the year work and care.

Our goats add value to our farm and sometimes they don´t!

When we breed our goats, we often have to make decisions on who we sell, and who needs to leave and sometimes this involves Meat. We have been Vegan and Vegetarian before but we now eat meat in conscious moderation as a small farm. We recognise that farming is a complex and responsible role on the planet and we take our role within this very seriously. And yes, you can love animals and eat meat. As humans we have an ethical responsibility and at the Wild Trails Farm we take that very seriously in a realistic and practical way. Animals want to breed and reproduce, we see it everyday. It is their purpose to create and pass down their genetic heritage. Animals also recognise the need for social order and balance. It is the farmers responsibility to manage and care for that order. We are not industrial and we are not going to ever find this role easy. All manner of things happen on a farm and even the medical care side of things is really hard on the heart. It is what we do and we are proud of it!

Dairy

We bought 2 goats last year that have the potential to be dairy goats due to their breed mix. They are beautiful goats but they have also been exposed to some really rough treatment. Our plan is to nurture the new generation for home dairy and keep working with the older girls.

When we do get dairy, we will be very excited and we can then look at ways to use that dairy to support us and our sustainability.

Meet the goats!