If you decided to embark on a lifestyle of keeping livestock, one of the most important things to figure out is what size of animals you are comfortable with. Different species can run the gamut from truly tiny, like chickens, to humongous like horses.
The size of an animal affects how much room it needs, but also how dangerous it can be and how hard to handle. Let’s look at goats, for instance. What’s the average weight of a goat, anyway?
The average weight of an adult goat is about 120 (54.4 kgs) pounds, though the actual weight of different breeds is highly variable. As a rule, bucks will weigh more than does of the same breed, and goats may weigh as little as 60 pounds (27.2 kgs) or as much as 350 pounds (158.7 kgs).
Turns out that even though goats are one of the smaller livestock you can own, small is still a highly relative term. Some goats are truly petite and easy to wrangle, but others are big, stocking brutes that can give a fit, grown man a run for his money.
Obviously, picking the right breed for your circumstances and experience level is going to be very important, so keep reading to learn more…
How Much Do Bucks Weigh on Average?
Most bucks will weigh about 150 pounds (60 kgs) on average. Bucks, like the males of most mammalian species, tend to be quite a bit bigger compared to the females, with a longer, broader, and taller build, thicker bones, and a lot more muscle. And, of course, longer and stronger horns!
However, like all goats, bucks are also quite variable in terms of overall mass depending on the breed, and they can weigh anywhere from 100 pounds in the case of Dwarf goats to a staggering 350 pounds in the case of Boers.
How Much Do Does Weigh on Average?
A doe will weigh about 110 pounds (49.8 kgs) give or take. Females tend to be smaller, shorter, and pack on far less muscle compared to the bucks, although their horns can still be pretty substantial in the case of breeds that aren’t polled.
And as with the bucks above, the breed makes a huge difference: the ladies of the most petite breeds might weigh as little as 60 or 70 pounds (30 kilograms), whereas the largest could weigh around 250 lbs (113 kgs) or a little more.
What’s the Average Weight of a Kid?
Goat kids are, of course, tiny at birth with an average weight of about 7 or 8 pounds. They aren’t very big at all, especially considering how big they will get in the case of the larger breeds!
And as with the adults, the breed is a big determining factor with the smaller breeds turning out kids that might weigh just three or four pounds, whereas larger breeds are whoppers by comparison, weighing up to 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms). That’s a pretty big baby!
When are Adult Goats Done Growing?
Goats will put on a lot of weight within a year’s time, but don’t be too hasty to put a pin on their grown weight just yet. Goats are still physically developing going into year 2 and with some slower-growing breeds even into year 3!
This can be an important distinction if you care about the maximum size of an adult goat in your herd which can be important for plotting performance metrics and other vital characteristics pertaining to your lineages.
However, most adults, being raised for meat, are certainly ready for slaughter well before they are truly and fully mature physically…
Do Different Breeds Have Different Average Weights?
Yes, and do they ever! As mentioned above, goats as a species are highly variable in terms of weight, and the breed is the single most important factor in determining how big your adult goats are going to get.
On the larger end of the spectrum, we have Fainting Goats, Toggenburgs, and the aforementioned Boers, with adults weighing anywhere from 200 pounds (90.7 kgs) to a comparatively gargantuan 300+ pounds (136+ kgs) in the case of bucks.
But goats can be a whole lot smaller, too. Truly tiny breeds like Pygmy goats will rarely way more than 50 pounds even when fully grown and completely mature physically.
Nigerian Dwarf goats are another itty-bitty breed, and a few boutique varieties are genuinely miniature: They can weigh anywhere from 20 pounds in the case of the smallest adults, or up to a maximum of 60 pounds or a bit more.
And as expected, you’ll have weight ranges everywhere in-between those two extremes, with some medium-sized goats like the ever-popular Nubians tipping the scales anywhere from 135 to 175 pounds.
Make sure you research the typical and maximum weight of your chosen breed before you commit! It wouldn’t do to wind up with some monster goats if you’re already worried about your ability to handle smaller ones.
What Else Affects their Weight?
Something else to keep in mind is that other factors affect the weight of a goat, and depending on the specifics of their care, environment, and overall health the estimates I’ve given you or the breed standard for any variety might be considerably different.
Nutrition is, obviously, a biggie as goats that have a highly nutritious diet and get plenty of calories will put on more muscle and fat compared to those that are forced to do without. Scrawny, underfed goats weigh less, of course!
Overall health is another one. If goats are sick or plagued with stomach or intestinal parasites you can expect them to steadily lose weight over time, and often an entire herd can be infested if you aren’t performing regular checkups.
Your animals might not be small for their breed at all, but instead could be ailing from various kinds of worms and other nasty creatures!
Make sure to take care of these afflictions or at least account for these factors before establishing your baseline.
Tom has lived and worked on farms and homesteads from the Carolinas to Kentucky and beyond. He is passionate about helping people prepare for tough times by embracing lifestyles of self-sufficiency.