Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour and goat AIBU?

203 replies

Reggit99 · 31/01/2021 08:56

Help please! AIBU?????

We have neighbours who are perfectly fine normally. They moved here before covid so early 2020 I met them a few times then, all seemed fine. They were nice to my husband, they incited us for coffee but we Haven’t been because of covid.

About six months ago, they appeared to purchase a goat. At least we assume they did as it suddenly appeared in their garden. After a shot while, they obviously got another as there were two. They seem to be kept in the back garden, no pen or anything, they just roam the garden.

This hasn’t been a big problem until now. We are being woken up often before 7am by the noose these animals make, additionally the neighbours garden is becoming a mess. We are potentially thinking about the possibility of moving and we do not want there to be any issues, I think this would put off perspective buyers.

We haven’t approached the neighbours yet, because we haven’t seen them for a while and they refused to join the street whatsapp. I want them to get rid of these goats but I’m really not sure what to do!

OP posts:
SirVixofVixHall · 31/01/2021 09:59

Blackdog19 those were the ones I helped to look after. They would get bored of being petted and were very clever at escaping into the exciting outer world of the zoo with its shrubbery and dropped food items. One of them was the cleverest and fattest, she was always getting out. They are very entertaining.

THisbackwithavengeance · 31/01/2021 10:00

It depends.

Goats in a rural setting, well looked after with shelter and grazing, small holding type set up. No problem.

Goats kept in a small back garden in the middle of a town, without proper facilities with the probable intent to slaughter illegally at some point? Absolutely not.

BertramLacey · 31/01/2021 10:00

I'm Team Neighbour, purely because they refused to join the street Whatsapp. Who has a street whatsapp? It sounds like something from a modern day Stepford.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 31/01/2021 10:01

Goats are bastards.

Greedy, too clever for their own good, easily bored and very smelly, just like free range outdoor teenagers,

Thehop · 31/01/2021 10:01

We had a pet goat as kids she was lovely.

Sigh

Misses point

sapnupuas · 31/01/2021 10:01

I've always wanted a goat called Gabby.

Thanks for making me realise my dreams can come true, OP!

Seriously though, that sounds hell and really unfair on the goats.

MagpieSong · 31/01/2021 10:01

If the person is registered to keep Goats (even as a pet) DEFRA will know based on their address, so you could call them. It does depend where you are though. I'm in a very rural village and so it's normal for people to have big back gardens and animals in them. If we called DEFRA and there wasn't a concern about welfare or some such, then it would look a bit odd as several people have goats or have had them in the past and many more have ducks/chickens (including us). However, DEFRA have good advice and can do checks as poorly kept animals can spread disease and all owners need to be notified in the case of any outbreaks that would affect them in order to update their hygiene protocol where needed. If you're in a city, it's going to be a bit different though as we live close enough to a farm to hear the donkeys and the cockerel (every sunrise) so if you don't like the noise, you'd be bonkers to live here! It may be that in a big back garden that fills the space requirement to keep them, whereas a 'pen' would not. They are browsers, so need the hedgerow plants etc. rather than the focus being mainly on grass as it would be for sheep. You could just have a chat with them over the fence while they're seeing to the goat and get an idea of whether this is something they're clued up on and able to do well or if it's an impulsive decision that could go wrong. If you ask them conversationally something along the lines of "I've always wondered how people find out about potential outbreaks, you know, like with Foot and Mouth. Is there something you have to do or do you just keep an eye on the news?" If they tell you DEFRA would contact them, they're probably registered. If they don't know, you know they're not. You do have to be quite organised to keep them - they need a separate food prep area, footwear should be disinfected after going in the animal area (in this case the garden) etc, you need to know how to look for disease and your local farm/smallholding vet as well as who would collect the animal if it fell ill and died (apart from DEFRA - which is only if due to an outbreak) among other things. Someone keeping goats doesn't bother me (as we moved here partly in order to do that in the future), however keeping them poorly would be a big problem. I'd definitely have a chat with the neighbours first to get an idea of where they stand with it all and then make decisions based on that.

SirVixofVixHall · 31/01/2021 10:04

Dds favourite book as a toddler.

Neighbour and goat AIBU?
EveryDayIsADuvetDay · 31/01/2021 10:04

with red letter days, you can pay £50 for a goat experience (45 minutes)
think how much you're saving Grin - and no travel

Terminallysleepdeprived · 31/01/2021 10:06

In the UK you have to have a livestock license to keep goats, perhaps a chat with the local council is in order.

RosyPrimroseDoll · 31/01/2021 10:09

I like goats well enough but why keep as pets? Or are they more livestock to the owners? In which case what are they "giving" them? Milk (can you even milk Pygmy goats?) or will they be slaughtered for meat? So many questions....

ProfYaffle · 31/01/2021 10:09

@LizFlowers - I'm easily incited to coffee so didn't really raise an eyebrow at that part!

IthinkIm · 31/01/2021 10:10

Unless they've got the goats babysitting the children I wouldn't get involved Wink

LizFlowers · 31/01/2021 10:10

@BertramLacey

I'm Team Neighbour, purely because they refused to join the street Whatsapp. Who has a street whatsapp? It sounds like something from a modern day Stepford.
I sincerely hope my street never has a street app. I will hide if they do!
Updatemate · 31/01/2021 10:10

So by the sounds of it they are illegally acquiring these goats? I wouldn’t even know where to start to go buy one!

No. It's perfectly possibly to own goats and keep them in a residential garden perfectly legally. I know a few people who have done it.

WRT covenants on your house forbidding it, they may well but getting them enforced can be impossible- the "benefactor" of the covenant is the only person able to do it and finding them can be virtually impossible.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 31/01/2021 10:11

I wouldn't even bother finishing the viewing if I found out there were goats next door as I'd have no intention of buying because they stink. If it was just the unkept garden it wouldn't worry me quite as much as I'd want the highest fence legally permitted but noisy, smelly goats, no way!

(I am assuming this is in a town, not the rural countryside BTW)

Unsure33 · 31/01/2021 10:11

You need quite a lot of land even to keep one Pygmy goat let alone two standard goats .@MagpieSong is correct the goats should be registered. You can’t just buy them and plonk them in a garden.

Give them a call and check the address out .

Sunnydays999 · 31/01/2021 10:14

I would love it , but then I have chickens . My neighbours possibly hate me

LizFlowers · 31/01/2021 10:14

"We are potentially thinking about the possibility..."

Erm, I rather think that might be vague.

OverTheRainbow88 · 31/01/2021 10:15

My life dream is to own goats!!!

Serin · 31/01/2021 10:16

I hope they aren't going to attempt to home butcher them.

mootymoo · 31/01/2021 10:16

I looked into having goats when I lived with my exh. Yes there's regulations but nothing insurmountable, the main thing you need is adequate space (1/2 acre is what i estimated to avoid buying too much food) and a large shed to house them. We didn't really have enough space I decided. It was an older house and no covenants. Current house forbids livestock even chickens

MissBaskinIfYoureNasty · 31/01/2021 10:18

Is it a council house? I think you get a free goat with a council house.

Zoomies06 · 31/01/2021 10:18

See it wouldn't bother me as long as they were being kept correctly with enough space and being cared for responsibility. But I live rurally and a lot in my village including myself keep hens , don't know about goats.Now my head hen when she wants to can be noisy and they do wreck your grass. But if you are in a built up area in would be more concerned with the animal welfare than the snobby I don't want goats next door to me.

PricklesAndSpikes · 31/01/2021 10:19

I love goats, they are hilarious with such mischievous personalities, but they can be really noisy and they stink!

But, what sort of garden is it they are kept in? Small terrace or large-gardened rural property? They still need the appropriate licence, but it would make a big difference to whether I was bothered or not. Can you hear them? Smell them?

Don't know if it's relevant to your neighbours, but it's Eid in May...

Swipe left for the next trending thread