Anyone seriously in the city with goats in their backyard?

[StrawberryCutthroat]

Hola,

I am new to this forum...just doing some research before hopefully becoming a goat owner. I live in the city, I have a large fenced backyard, but not acreage by any means. We have chickens that we just let roam the entire yard, I was thinking of doing the same thing with a pair of dairy goats. Any one else seriously have a "backyard herd."

 

[secuono]

Are you allowed to have them? If not, in a city, it'd be very fast before someone complains or cops see them and you are ticketed and the animals taken.

 

[Goatherd]

Farm animals are sometimes permitted in city confines if you have minimal acreage designated by your city. In Pittsburgh, PA it is 3 acres. You also need a permit to have these animals.
Contact your city government and get a direct answer from them.

 

[Catahoula]

Yes, do check your City Ordinance to see if you are allowed goats. City like San Francisco, Denver (surrounding areas) allowed goats. You just have to make sure your goats are not nuisance...making too much noise (just like dog barking) or attracting flies (shelter/yard need to be clean) and secure fencing so they can't escape. Finding a good goat vet is also important. Many dog/cat, even large animal vets don't know about goats. I know someone who live in the city on a 7000 sq foot lot with two small goats, 6 chickens, three ducks and one dog. She lives on the corner lot so she was able to place her goats on street side. Since she also get along with her neighbors and shares her eggs, her neighbors never complained about the goat noise either. Good Luck!

 

[Suburbanfarmer]

Yes, we are on 1/3 acre and have 2 goats, 2 bunnies, 6 chickens and a dog. We are just outside of Seattle and are allowed to have 12 animals (goats/foul/etc) I don't know if our dog counts toward that number, but the bunnies do not. So we are well under. Try the website for the Goat Justice League. www.goatjusticeleague.org It is a lady in Seattle who has goats within the city limits. Great info for urban farming.

You definitely should check the zoning on where you live before getting goats.

Good luck!
-Kristin

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Do not quote and respond to spam. It makes it harder to get rid of.

 

[Luckiest]

I'm wondering this myself! We live in Austin, TX and are allowed miniature livestock breeds, so I'm looking into a dwarf goat breed, possibly as dairy goats. We have chickens that just roam the yard, and I'm thinking about converting an unused garden shed into a kind of barn. We have a large yard but are truly in the city, neighbors on all sides, super developed, urban area.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Do not quote and respond to spam. It makes it harder to get rid of.

Oops sorry didn't know.

 

[Melanchaweiz]

You should look at the July cover of Bee Culture Magazine! That is what I want my backyard to look like!!!

 

[Symphony]

Yes, checking you City Ordinance is key.