Animal: Goat

Nickname: Billy

Characteristics:

Farm goats are one of the oldest farm animals. For thousands of years, goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. Female goats are called does or nannies, males are bucks or billies and their babies are called kids.

Goats are very inquisitive and intelligent, they will explore anything new or unfamiliar in their surroundings. They poke about with their upper lip and tongue. They investigate items such as buttons, camera cases or clothing (and many other things besides) by nibbling at them, occasionally even eating them. They also can learn how to open latches on farm gates. Maybe you would have to lock the gate with a key.

Height & Weight:

Depending on their breed, female goats weigh between 22 to 220 pounds, whereas male goats weigh between 27 to 275 pounds and are bigger and shaggier in appearance than females.

Where they live:

There are over 210 breeds of goats with an estimated 450 million goats in the world. The majority of the world goat population can be found in the Middle East and Asia.

What they eat:

Goats will eat almost any grasses, trees and plants. Their plant diet even includes some poisonous weeds. This makes them valuable for controlling noxious weeds and clearing brush and undergrowth. They will seldom eat dirty food or contaminated water unless they are starving.