Approximately 6 million sheep are used for meat and wool production in the United States and 2.5 million goats are used for meat, milk and mohair production. On this page, you will find information on breeding, husbandry, care, housing, nutrition and health, and management for these species.
Sheep and Goats
| Spotlights |
Small-scale U.S. Goat Operations (PDF | 873 KB)
USDA. APHIS. Veterinary Services. National Animal Health Monitoring System.
This June 2011 report provides information on small-scale goat operations (defined as operations with fewer than 500 goats).
American Sheep and Goat Center
Mission is to assist the sheep and goat industries by providing information to enhance and market sheep and goat products in the United States.
Maryland Small Ruminant Page
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. Western Maryland Research and Education Center.
Provides information for sheep and goat producers and anyone else interested in sheep and goat production. There are original documents, images, and a comprehensive list of links.
Illini SheepNet & Meat GoatNet
University of Illinois. Department of Animal Sciences.
Includes numerous online publications about sheep arranged topically under the Papers button. Also includes an Ask the Expert function.
U.S. Sheep Experiment Station
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
The mission of the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station is to develop integrated methods for increasing production efficiency of sheep and to simultaneously improve the sustainability of rangeland ecosystems.
Sheep and Wool
USDA. Economic Research Service.
Market analysis and research on the sheep industry in the United States. Includes recommended readings and a monthly newsletter.
Sheep Breeds
Oklahoma State University. Department of Animal Science.
Information and images on breeds of sheep from all over the world.
SheepGoatMarketing.info
University of Maryland; Cornell University.
Information on marketing sheep and goat products with emphasis on ethnic/religious markets including calendar of religious holidays, information on slaughter procedures and related educational resources.
Goat Housing and Equipment (PDF | 686 KB)
Penn State. College of Agricultural Sciences. Cooperative Extension.
Provides some historical plans for goat housing.
National Goat Handbook (PDF | 964 KB)
University of Maryland.
Contains articles on a variety of goat topics with material contributed from collections at the National Agricultural Library.
Goat Breeds
Oklahoma State University. Department of Animal Science.
This page contains information and images about goats, one of the earliest domesticated animals.
Meat Goats
North Carolina State University. Cooperative Extension.
Links to meat goat publications covering marketing and economics, management, health, nutrition, and reproduction.
Feasibility of Goat Production in West Virginia: A Handbook for Beginners (PDF | 214 KB)
West Virginia University. Department of Animal Science.
Detailed production and marketing information. Includes bibliography.
Goat Research & Education
University of Kentucky. Animal and Food Sciences.
Links to web sites, marketing information, and a newsletter about raising and breeding goats.
E (Kika) de la Garza Institute for Goat Research
Langston University. Agricultural Research and Extension Programs.
Links to scientific articles, abstracts, and fact sheets about goats and goat production.
On-Farm Marketing of Slaughter Goats
Empire State Meat Goat Producers Association (ESMGPA).
How to market animals directly from farm to consumers.