Smithsonian National Zoological Park l Friends of the National Zoo



Caring for Goats

In the Morning

The goats are led from the barn to their yard at about 7:30 a.m. Their yard has already been prepared with fresh hay and water. The goats also have grass to graze on in their yard.

Keepers replace dirty shavings in the goats' stalls with fresh shavings. Then they rinse the water buckets and fill them with fresh water. Finally, they fill each hay rack with fresh hay, and the stall is ready! It takes the keepers a little over an hour to prepare both the Nigerian dwarf and Nubian goat stalls.

At the End of the Day

At about 4 p.m., the goats are led back into the barn for the night. Once inside, their collars and leads are removed and they are free to munch on their hay. Each stall is also stocked with a salt and mineral block. The goats lick or nibble on the block as needed.

Keepers go out to the goats' yard and clean up any feces and leftover hay from the day. Cleaning the goat yard takes about 45 minutes.

A Secure Barn

Goats can undo latches and escape through gates. Keepers check all doors, locks, and fences to keep the goats from getting out when they're not supposed to.

Hoof Trim

Goats' hoofs are like toenails—always growing. The Kids' Farm goats get hoof trims at least every three months.