Male vs Female Goats: 3 Key Differences

There are 200 different species of goats in the world. Each species has characteristics that make them milk producers, meat goats, pets, and/or companion animals. Here we’ll take a look at the contrast between male vs. female goats.

Male Goats

Adult male goats that are still intact are called bucks or billies. The term for a castrated male goat is wether. Immature male goats are bucklings. Male goats reach sexual maturity at four to six months of age.

The male of the Caprine species is typically larger than the female. The males grow longer beards and horns. The male horns will have a narrower base and less curvature. They use their horns when battling other goats over territory and when other animals threaten.

Male goats protect the herd from predators. They are less social than the females and often prefer to be alone, especially during the mating season.

Female Goats

The female goats are called does, like female deer, before they have their first pregnancy, and nannies after their first pregnancy. Goats that have not reached the age of maturity are called doelings. Female goats reach sexual maturity at six to eight months of age.

Female goats have horns like the males unless they are a breed of goat that is typically hornless. A goat that does not grow horns is called a polled goat. Female goats with horns will have shorter horns that are further apart at the base. The curvature of the horns on a female will be greater than that of a male.

1. Male vs. Female Goats: Temperament

Males

Bucks are the protectors of the herd. They are more aggressive than the females. Males do not like to be petted or touched as much as females. Male goats will headbutt or attack anything or anyone they feel is threatening the rest of the herd.

Females

The females and nannies are calmer than the bucks. The buck protects the herd, but the herd leader is always the dominant female in the group. The females are more affectionate with the other goats and with their owners.

Females do get angry with each other and with other animals. When they are in the estrous cycle, they are as aggressive as the males.

2. Male vs. Female Goats: Health

Males

The health concerns for male goats that differ from female goats are urinary calculi and Clostridium tetani infections. Urinary calculi are caused by kidney stones forming and blocking the goat urethra. This condition can be fatal if not corrected. Male goats that consume too much grain often suffer from this urinary condition.

Clostridium tetani infections can happen to males or females if they have suffered a wound, but the most frequent cause of this condition is castration. To protect goats from infections, owners vaccinate them before they are castrated.

Females

Female health issues that do not affect males are primarily related to pregnancy and childbirth. Mastitis, pregnancy toxemia, and uterine prolapse are the three main health concerns that males do not have to deal with. Keeping the goat udders clean will help prevent mastitis. Other mastitis preventions include milking the nanny to relieve swollen udders.

Proper nutrition and housing will lower the chances of pregnancy-related toxemia, and breeding the doe to the proper size buck so that she does not carry large kids will reduce the possibility of uterine prolapse. To further reduce the possibility of uterine prolapse, do not let the nanny push for an extended period without going in and helping her birth the child.

3. Male vs. Female Goats: Pets or Therapy Animals

Male goats do not make the best pets unless you have them castrated. The hormones present in an intact male goat cause aggression and violent behavior. Males are bigger and stronger than females, so they can injure you even when they are playing with you. If you want a male goat as a pet, have the animal castrated.

Male goats have a stronger pungent odor than female goats. The male urinates on his beard during the mating season. Female goats find this scent attractive, but humans do not. Intact male goats will attempt to mount other animals, other males, and sometimes humans.

Females

Female goats are better as pets than intact male goats are. Nanny goats are calmer, they are loving, and they are very social animals. Female goats can wear diapers to help protect furniture and carpets from urine contamination. They are also not as vocal as the male goats.

The hormone differences make female goats easier to train than male goats. Female goats are more content in their pens and pastures and less likely to try to tear out of an enclosure. Goats make great pets and have distinctive personalities.