# Suburban Goats?



## Augustmomx2 (May 25, 2011)

I've had chickens for over 2yrs and I'm in love w/"homesteading" on my suburban lot (about 1 acre).  Now, I'm thinking about moving onto goats, for milk purposes  (not until next Spring), but I've been lurking around here & I'm not seeing a whole lot of folks who keep goats on a suburban lot?  I have already verified that my city allows this and have an area I'm thinking about using (a large area behind our pole barn).  Any suggestions or comments for this newbie?  Any info on breeds, housing, experience would be GREATLY appreciated!


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## elevan (May 25, 2011)

I would choose a small breed or at the very least a quiet breed for a suburban setting.

Small = Nigerian Dwarf
Quiet = Oberlahaslis or LaManchas
Best of Both = Mini Mancha

Keeping a buck probably isn't a good idea in your setting.

Housing can be as simple as a very large dog house.

There are at least a couple of people who have suburban goats since this is probably the 3rd topic I've seen on it.

Best of luck to you


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## ThornyRidgeII (May 25, 2011)

good luck.. I have what one would call suburban goats too.. my house sits on city lot in a development and land that goats and barn sit directly behind house/lot in county area.. I would recommend a smaller goat but a quiet one.. I have nigerians and some of them are LOUD!!!  I also have a couple roosters down there.. neighbors have got used to the commotion.. I put up with their yapping beagles that bark nonstop.. they put up with my mini farm.. and technically here in my area there were no ordinances and animals are not even considered in city limits despite sitting about 20 feet from it-less in some areas.. and well I also piped the city water down to barn.. cheaper than diggin a well!!!  if you live in an area with people.. get in good with them though so that they don't get nasty later on!! also make sure you have  a place to deposit clean up (poopwasted hay) makes for great compost but builds up fast and does not compost down that quickly!  offer to neighbors.. I do.. had a lady in development bring me buckets because she was excited I had "manure" chicken and goat to give her for flower beds!!!


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## AlaskanShepherdess (May 25, 2011)

I have Nigerians small and quiet. Love em to death as well. My girls (4 adult, 1, 4 wks) are currently in an appr 12 x 12 pen with a appr 10x2 or 3' house on the outside of the pen. This is plenty of room for them and they do very well in it. My bucks are about 20 ft away in an appr 10x8 pen with a 4x2 house inside the pen. This is also plenty of room for my yearling buck and 4 wk old buckling, and actually fit the the whole herd fine for a couple weeks in an emergency situation. 

I only have to clean out the pens once a month, and even then smell is minimal. Our neighbors have never complained about the animals even though we went through a rather noisy period with separating the bucks from the girls.


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## Veriende (May 25, 2011)

I have two does and seven chickens on 3/4 acre (I think next time DH goes on a business trip, he might come back to a rabbit hutch 

My girls are mini LaManchas, and they are the best of both worlds.  We get good milk production and they are very sweet and easy to handle. For nine months out of the year, they are very quiet--when they have kids, it's alot noisier. The only problem I have is that I have yet to find a buck that close by and not related to them.  As Elevan points out, we don't have enough space for our own buck.  I wish I had looked into that more before buying, especially since purebred kids seem to sell much better. I bred to a Nigerian Dwarf buck this year.  Nigerians are very popular around here, so are Kinders.  

Contrary to everyone's advice, even with such a small yard, we didn't ask/tell the neighbors that we were planning on getting goats.  It's legal here, and my reasoning was that I was going to do it anyway, so why ask permission?  Turns out, everybody loves our goats (at least that's what they say).  

Our shed is pretty small, it was perfect for our girls....until they had babies.  It's a tight fit for 6 goats.  Having at least two stalls would make my life so much easier. 

Good luck!


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## 20kidsonhill (May 25, 2011)

Heck, I live out in the country and one of my neighbors hates our goats, complains about how loud they are all the time. Oh well, to bad for them. They should have built their house on the other side of the hill, instead of right on top 50 feet from my fence line. They have like 30 acres over there. But you know have to  put the house with the best veiw. Now they can look over my entire farm and hear my goats, since sound travels up hill.

But a word of warning Nubians are very very loud. especially when they have their babies. They are always screaming at the kids. and they are big, they may produce a lot of milk, but they eat a lot too.


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## julieq (May 25, 2011)

Some friends of ours have six acres right in the center of town with homes on small lots surrounding it completely.  They have a large flock of chickens, meat goats and alpine dairy goats and do fine.


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## freemotion (May 25, 2011)

My goats are in the 'burbs!  The lots in my neighborhood are only 75' wide!  I do have some land behind the other houses so I have a larger pasture and some woods, but my barn and small paddock and compost pile, etc, are within the 75' strip that we all have.  

I have full-size goats.  I have a full-size appetite for lots of milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, shakes, hot chocolate, etc!

Some of my goats are loud and moo like cows (Nubian mixes, no surprises here!) but the Alpine doe and the La Mancha/Alpine can barely be heard, they have such soft little voices.


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## Squirrelgirl88 (May 26, 2011)

We have two acres inside city limits. We've got five hens and a rooster, and soon to add our two baby Nigerian dwarf does. the neighbors don't complain about the rooster or the chickens, so I'm not worried about the goats being a problem. 

The house had a small block building/barn when we bought it. It had previously been used by a blacksmith/ferrier. We just added stalls, roosts and nest boxes to half. 

I have considered my neighbors feelings. I have always wanted a donkey, but will not get one due to the noise factor. We will also limit our herd size to just a few goats. Our chicken numbers will not pass the current 6 in our flock. 

We plan on not giving them anything to complain about. We have repaired the old fencing to keep everyone in their own yards, and have made every effort to improve the view so to speak from when we bought the old house. 

I won't ask my neighbors for permission, but I am considerate of their feelings.


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## Bicycle (May 26, 2011)

I hope to be getting goats next year (probably will be a longer wait than that lol). I have a supposedly 2 acre lot, which I think may actually be 3 acres, no neighbors for about half a mile in any direction, and is zoned rural estate. Contrary to what I thought before, I'm unincorporated, and the county laws don't say I can't have goats. The laws do say that I can do "all other agricultural uses" on four acres lots. I'll have to do some more searching to find out if I can get a variance or something in case someone complains. Sound doesn't travel very well around here, I haven't even gotten any complaints about my 4 roosters, but I will try to find particularly quiet goats just in case. A guy down the road has a lamancha and an oberhasli, and I've never heard them. Is it easier to get a variance for mini goats than full size?


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## phoenixmama (May 26, 2011)

Our house sits on a little under an acre.  Our town says that one must have 5000 sq. ft. per goat, but doesn't differentiate between full size and small breeds.  I keep Nubians, (I have 4 right now) and as long as they are fed on a regular schedule they are quiet.  And they are always quiet at night.  I maintain a good rapport with the neighbors by telling them about any changes that might affect them (such as letting them know when kidding season is going to start).  They all have my phone number, and know that if there's a problem I will fix it.  

Mainly for keeping goats in an urban or suburban area...know the laws like the back of your hand, keep on good terms with the neighbors, and be extra diligent about cleanliness and flies.


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## Bicycle (May 28, 2011)

Not to be thread hijacking, but how do all of you with small lots (less than 2 acres) get around zoning laws?


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## freemotion (May 28, 2011)

Zoning for different animals is different in each town.  I live in a group of small houses with 75' wide lots....but I have a chunk of land behind three of those lots that sticks into an old, old farm.  So somehow I am zoned for animals.  In this town if you are zoned for animals, there is still a limit as to how many of each species you can have per acre.  You need to go to your town hall and find out what the laws are for your town and what is the zone for your property.

If you are not zoned for goats but feel you could have them without bothering your neighbors, and if your neighbors all agree, you could apply for a variance.  I got one once to have a home-based massage therapy practice in my home (it was even a rented apartment at the time!) and I had to argue as to why I should get the variance.  Got it.  I also testified for a friend who bought land to build a barn for 2-3 horses in a small town, but because the street that he was on went from the middle of town to the rural areas outside of town, his address was not zoned for animals.  It was ridiculous.  I gave a good argument and they got their variance.  It can be done.


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## Christina's Dream (May 29, 2011)

I live in a suburban area I guess.... I'm about 3 minutes outside of town.  There are farms all around me but hubby keeps telling me we are not zoned for it....  But the zoo is less then 5 minutes walking distance, and farms all around.  I figure if I ever get caught I'd kick up a huge stink "red head style"  

I have about 60 ducks, and about 30 chickens, and way over 200 quail (they are just waiting to grow out and lose their heads) and just 1 goat and 2 dogs... I'm planning on getting a mini pig and another goat soon.  I live on just under an acre of land it it works out great.  
Goat thinks she is a duck... or a person not sure.  She goes every where with me...to work, to town for icecream, with my son to school.  I treat her more like a dog then a goat.  And all is good.  She is quiet until she sees me then she runs screaming....

I find all is well, so do it and enjoy it....


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## Augustmomx2 (May 30, 2011)

Thanks everyone for all the info and words of encouragement


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## MommaBugg (Jan 26, 2012)

not trying to hijack either, but in my web searching on this topic, i googled and this thread came up. Im still trying to find out exactly what I am zoned without putting myself on the radar so to speak. I have been all over the internet but it seems I just wont be able to find a zoning map without peaking the curiosity of obnoxious zoning officials snooping on my property. I have had chickens for about a year, no complaints thus far. There was a neighbor who had a cow and a horse down the road but they didnt stay long and I never met them. Any advice?

My fear is that too many questions to the wrong ppl may mean I lose my chickens. In times like these, my livestock will be my familys staple source of food. I am completely at a loss!

Thanks to anyone who can help


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## autumnprairie (Jan 26, 2012)

MommaBugg said:
			
		

> not trying to hijack either, but in my web searching on this topic, i googled and this thread came up. Im still trying to find out exactly what I am zoned without putting myself on the radar so to speak. I have been all over the internet but it seems I just wont be able to find a zoning map without peaking the curiosity of obnoxious zoning officials snooping on my property. I have had chickens for about a year, no complaints thus far. There was a neighbor who had a cow and a horse down the road but they didnt stay long and I never met them. Any advice?
> 
> My fear is that too many questions to the wrong ppl may mean I lose my chickens. In times like these, my livestock will be my familys staple source of food. I am completely at a loss!
> 
> Thanks to anyone who can help


If you live in a pretty big population and they don't know you. you can go down to cityhall zoning and ask what the neighborhood is zoned for, or call but ask what a neighborhood is zoned not just your property.


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## MommaBugg (Jan 26, 2012)

autumnprairie said:
			
		

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I thought of that. We live in a pretty small town. We just found a house for sale down the street.. Thinking about calling the realitor and asking them.


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## autumnprairie (Jan 26, 2012)

MommaBugg said:
			
		

> autumnprairie said:
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that would work,


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## pattonfarm (Jan 26, 2012)

I have a La Mancha. He is very quiet. He is also very smart. He can get out of the gate by watching us open the gate a few times. He also thinks he's a person. If you tell him he will jump in the backseat of the truck to take a ride. We got him when he was a baby and bottlefed him. He is our kid's pet. His name is Oreo. That's what the kids named him because he is black with white stripes. Oreo is the coolest goat ever!


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## Rose N Lynne Farm (Jan 26, 2012)

Hey  I own 2 does on our 3/4 acre of land. They are kept in a large dog run and each are treated like a Saint Bernard. Big sloppy dogs  Their pen is a mess... Anyways Nellie is a purebred Nubian, and Laylie is a purebred Alpine. I don't know much about breeds except for Nubian and Alpine (who reach 100+ pounds!), so I can't really help you there. Housing? Hmm well they need shelter which you probably already knew. They should have a very sturdy fence and jump really high. TOYS! They need to be able to entertain themselves when you are not out there! I'm probably now much of a help, but mind as well share some info while I'm here. Hoped I helped!

xx Emmadipstik


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