Goat Facts for Kids
Capra hircus · KAP-ruh HUR-kus
A curious, sure-footed farm animal that loves to climb.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 20 to 250 lb9.1 to 114 kg1
- 📏 18 in to 3.5 ft46 cm to 1.1 m1 tall
- 🎂 10 to 14 years10 to 14 years2
- 🍽️ plants
- Not on the Red List (Not assessed)
A goat is a farm animal that loves to climb and jump. Goats say maa. A baby goat is called a kid.
Goats are great climbers. Each hoof has a hard edge and a soft, grippy middle, a bit like the bottom of a sneaker, so goats can stand on rocks and steep hills. Goats are curious and nibble things to find out what they are, but they don't really eat tin cans.
Goats were among the very first animals people kept on farms, a long, long time ago. They are browsers, which means they like leaves, twigs and bushes as well as grass. A goat's pupils are shaped like a sideways rectangle, which helps it see a wide view around it while it eats. Goat milk is made into cheese, and the soft hair of some goats is spun into yarn.
How big is a goat?
Goat in numbers
| Length | no checked number yet |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 18 in to 3.5 ft46 cm to 1.1 m1tall, from the smallest dwarf goats to the biggest dairy goats: 18 to 42 inches |
| Weight | 20 to 250 lb9.1 to 114 kg1from the smallest dwarf goats to the biggest dairy goats: 20 to 250 pounds |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 10 to 14 years10 to 14 years2up to |
| What it eats | leaves, twigs, grass and hay |
| Where it lives | farms and hills all over the world |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Not on the Red List (Not assessed) |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A goat's pupils are shaped like sideways rectangles.
- Goat hooves have a grippy middle for climbing.
- A baby goat is called a kid.
Compare the goat
Friends and neighbours
Sheep
Horse
ChickenThree questions
Books about the goat, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the goat for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, goat, checked 6 November 2026.
- UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, small-acreage landowners: meat goats, checked 6 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Goat (Q2934), checked 30 October 2026.