• The goat is uncommonly curious and alert and can assess and take advantage of new situations surprisingly quickly.
• Goats are daring climbers and jumpers and prefer high places where they can observe their surroundings.
• Goats browse (rather than graze) more than any other domesticated ruminant.  They select the most nutritious parts of plants and leave much waste.  They have high tolerance for bitter tastes and so they enjoy bark, leaves and branches.
• Goats ruminate in a semi-somnolent (half sleeping) state and random noises can cause rumination to go off.
• Goats are well adapted to limited water intake and if they are cool enough they can sometimes get adequate amounts from herbage.  If they are lactating however, they need lots of water!

.

• Goats prefer a varied diet with lots of brush and weed species that have higher protein and mineral content and have difficulty with one sided diets where nutrients are unbalanced.
• Goats spend a lot of time walking around and reaching up looking for the tastiest and most nutritious morsels
• Goats reject any plants with the scent of their own urine or faeces and this limits parasite infestation.  If forced to consume contaminated herbage they become very susceptible to disease.
• Goats establish a social hierarchy in flocks and dominance is established by factors such as relative age, play fighting and hornedness.
• Goats do not like rain, puddles or mud!  They are otherwise, hardy animals that weather heat and cold comparatively well if they are provided with a well constructed shed.  Heat is not a problem but high humidity causes stress