# Goats in the dark



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

This may be a dorky question. How do goats feel about being in the dark? Right now their goat house has no electricity (hopefully next week). There are 2 large windows with screens that have been open since we moved here because it really keeps a nice breeeze going through the house. One window is in the chicken area seperate from the goats. Well yesterday it rained and I had to close the window because it was blowing in. Their door was open. Then when we left to go out for supper I had to lock them up and realized it would be totally dark in there!  I went inside and closed the door to see how dark and sure enough..almost pitch black. And they are looking at me like "mommy don't leave us in the dark it's not nighttime yet!". So I opened the window and let it rain in. The rain wasn't that bad but now I will have a puddle to clean this morning. Sorry this is soooo long for such a simple question! At our old place I left a night light on for them. 
Anyone keep the goats in the dark?


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## catdance62 (Dec 7, 2008)

We dont lock our goats in at night--our barn is fairly big with a breezeway through it--but we dont leave a light on either. It is natural for goats to sleep in the dark, with just moonlight (or light pollution from nearby city), but I dont know about being locked in a room with no outside light at all.


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## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

All of my shelters have a open door and the night lite filters in...Mine are put in their pen at night but not closed up. They have room to move when needed and have plenty of shelters to go to in their pens. I think they can see better in the dark than we can , like other prey animals...Leaving the window open let in some light and even in total darkness they can still see. They just need circulating air or they can smother if too many animals are in together.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Dark at night is perfectly natural and restful for all animals. Darkness during the day would be temporarily ok(though not preferable) but longterm is unhealthy and depressing.


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## jil101ca (Jul 2, 2007)

My barn is pitch black at night and they seem ok with that, all is quiet at night.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Oh I keep my goats in the dark, they dont need to know anything hahaha

When I first brought mine home I put them in a bldg for a couple days with no night light.
One night I sat in there with them without the lights on, they went to the hay rack & munched away. Or so I heard.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

For a high school experiment, I taught my smallest miniature goat how to turn on and off the light in the barn. She would turn the light on every night and I would turn it off in the morning.  One night my dad came in from working in the workshop of the barn and said, "Your goats are having a rave down there". Confused at what he meant, I went down and found out that Giselle loves to switch on an off the light switch rapidly at night, giving a slow strobe light effect.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

mygoat said:


> For a high school experiment, I taught my smallest miniature goat how to turn on and off the light in the barn. She would turn the light on every night and I would turn it off in the morning.  One night my dad came in from working in the workshop of the barn and said, "Your goats are having a rave down there". Confused at what he meant, I went down and found out that Giselle loves to switch on an off the light switch rapidly at night, giving a slow strobe light effect.


LOL! That is too funny!
Well, my problem is solved. My wonderful hubby put a glass window in way up high for them today. :bouncy: It's really nice! brightens up the whole house for them.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

mygoat said:


> For a high school experiment, I taught my smallest miniature goat how to turn on and off the light in the barn. She would turn the light on every night and I would turn it off in the morning.  One night my dad came in from working in the workshop of the barn and said, "Your goats are having a rave down there". Confused at what he meant, I went down and found out that Giselle loves to switch on an off the light switch rapidly at night, giving a slow strobe light effect.


BWAHAHA!!!


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

mygoat said:


> For a high school experiment, I taught my smallest miniature goat how to turn on and off the light in the barn. She would turn the light on every night and I would turn it off in the morning.  One night my dad came in from working in the workshop of the barn and said, "Your goats are having a rave down there". Confused at what he meant, I went down and found out that Giselle loves to switch on an off the light switch rapidly at night, giving a slow strobe light effect.


:rotfl:

What, no disco ball??? What kind of goat owner are you LOL!!!!


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

On a moonless night in the woods a human cant see the hand in front of their face but...
a goat can run through the woods to escape a predator without bumping into a tree!!!!!
Goats do not have lousy human sight. Dark is as natural to them as day!

Burning electric for goats or chickens or any farm animals ,IMO, is a waste of energy.


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

I never allow my goats to watch or read any horror stories or anything else scary so they've really never acquired the "night terrors". I know, they're sheltered and sometimes I do worry about socialization and mainstreaming into real society but they're doing so well academically that I'm ok with the trade-offs.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

cjb said:


> I never allow my goats to watch or read any horror stories or anything else scary so they've really never acquired the "night terrors". I know, they're sheltered and sometimes I do worry about socialization and mainstreaming into real society but they're doing so well academically that I'm ok with the trade-offs.


yes, I am raising mine the same way...and no TV either!


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## Bricheze (Jun 21, 2008)

Why no TV?? I don't see how it's harmful, and it's really nice to distract them....


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

My goats have never had a light on in the barn or any of there out buildings, I don't think they mind the dark at all.
Sometimes on a night with a full moon I see them out there roaming around but they can come & go out of there out buildings into a penned area when ever they want to.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

My goats have a light at night (((blushing)))

I also have hopes it will deter the coyotes roaming down by the river. I have my chicken palace lit up like daytime too, for the same reason. Just a 60 watt bulb, safe from hay or dry wood for fire reasons.

The truth is the light is for ME lol. I'm in a new place as of June and am not sure about how bad the predator problem is yet. They are in safe pens but still . . . it's worth the 3 or 4 cents per day per lightbulb to give ME my silly, unreasoning comfort


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## uri (Jun 22, 2004)

My goats have a night light and I also leave a radio on 24/7. I don't know if they like it or not, but it makes me feel better about predators. They can go outside at night in a pen, but I shut them off from he field.


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