Sharing a city backyard with goats?

[Brittney Hantak]

First off - livestock is allowed in Chicago, with no limits.

That being said, would I be crazy to share my backyard with two Nigerian Dwarf goats? We have a detached 2.5 car garage, and I’d convert half of it into a pen for them, so indoor space isn’t a concern. We have a fully fenced yard (already have chickens that free range in the evenings when not in their chicken castle). We have a fairly large city lot, but we are still located in Chicago. So, fairly large is a 5,500 square foot lot. We have a small house and front yard, so the green grassy space (not counting our large deck or the space taken up by the chicken coops or my raised garden beds) is about 20’ x 30’.

So my questions are:

1.) is that enough space for two goats?
2.) is it reasonable to think that we can ‘share’ the backyard with them? I’m okay with cleaning up daily as I already do with the chicken poop.
3.) will they kill all the grass? We have a toddler and he loves our backyard. And I know he would love having goats. But I don’t want to have goats at the expense of our green space.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH Brittney, from NE TX! So glad you joined us. As long as the city doesn't mind, then by al means go for it if you wish. Nigies are pretty small and can be kept "contained" within a small space (dry lotted) and allowed out to roam when you wish to supervise. A 20' x 30' space could likely be cut in 1/2 to create a 10' x 15' fenced in outdoor area adjacent to the garage where they will be kept indoors. That way you'd be able to keep an equal area of grass for the toddler to call his/her own. The goats will have their fenced in area down to bare dirt in a matter of a couple of weeks. You'll need to provide all of their food needs year round. Unless you plan to breed/milk, I suggest you get 2 wethers (neutered goats). I would also recommend (you have a toddler) that they be disbudded (horns removed). Goats prefer to browse rather than graze, so leaves/branches/tree bark/evergreen needles/shrubbery/fruit trees/your garden/valued landscaping ornamentals, are all on their preferred menu. When you let them out, you'll need to watch them carefully.

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