Worst aspects of having goats?

[MTKitty]

In preparation for eventually having goats, I want to steel myself. Prepare myself. What have you found to be the worst (or most humorous, or whatever) part of having goats?
Is is the escaping? The eating things they shouldn't? Something I have yet to imagine? Tell me!

I don’t have goats yet, but the thing I’m steeling myself for is how prey animals like goats, chickens, etc., go from fine and healthy to dead so fast.
In spite of knowing they act fine as a survival mechanism, I anticipate a certain amount of guilt for not seeing things or not being able to save them.

 

[BarnOwl]

I've had Nigerian Dwarf goats for about a year. We live in hot, humid Tennessee. So far, I've found parasites and the threat of dewormer resistance to be the biggest drawback of owning goats. The time and expense of sending in goat pellets for fecal exams is not my favorite goat chore. I would like to learn to do my own fecals (probably the fastest and most cost-effective solution), but this summer I've been putting up fencing, building a 2nd chicken coop, and other projects....just don't have the energy to take it on.

Being able to easily and frequently rotate pastures would be the most helpful in controlling parasites in my location I think. Something I need to work on. :-/

 

[Nommie Bringeruvda Noms]

Many of my local goatie friends have a saying, "goats are born looking for the most creative way to die. " My and my husband's hearts have been broken many times, in the 3 1/2yrs we've been raising them. We had a wicked run-in with coccidia, a year and a half ago, losing 3 Nubians and a Boer in as many months, because it's hot & humid, and our terrain is rocky clay, with little soil for the water to soak into, so it harbors parasites in a huge way.

We lost a fifth one, two months later, because my "Houdini" herd king made another escape, and took his new little buddy out with him. Before we even knew they'd escaped, the younger one found some moldy deer feed, from the previous summer, and gorged himself on it, dying that night.

Don't ever put two adult horned bucks together, who didn't grow up together. They will fight until they can't, and your chances of getting between them(without putting your own safety at great risk) and breaking it up before they badly hurt or kill each other are slim to none. Don't even. It sucks and is terrifying to watch. In my defense for that bit of highly dangerous stupidity, they'd been in adjacent paddocks, and had only shown mild, seemingly friendly social interest in one another, for a while, before we put them together, and we got the 2nd buck to keep the 1st one company during milking seasons. One ended up with a sprained ankle, the other had one of his giant horns knocked loose, in the socket - we saved the horn, though it's at a slightly jaunty angle, now, and both boys are fine - but will never be intentionally put together, again.

Kidding - at least so far, for us - can be a craps shoot. We are at precisely a 50/50 success rate, so far. Then again, we have only had 4 pregnancies, so that's probably not a good assessment. We've had 1 rejection and one preemie/ stillborn, but we've also had 2 wildly healthy, happy, hilarious, sweet, bouncy, snuggly bucklings.

All that said... I wouldn't trade it for anything. They're smart, funny, friendly, incredibly sweet little characters (my Nigoras are very hardy and healthy!), and I love them to pieces. They follow us around like puppies, are visibly excited to see us, when we come outside, call to us, and are so VERY affectionate. We absolutely adore them!