What Is A Group Of Goats Called? Interesting Facts For Kids

Deepthi Reddy
Apr 12, 2023 By Deepthi Reddy
Originally Published on Nov 22, 2021
Edited by Lara Simpson
White goats in a meadow of a goat farm
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.7 Min

Goats were first brought to the Americas in 1493 by Columbus.

Interestingly, there are around 210 breeds of goats in the world. Approximately 450 million goats are found around the world.

Male goats are called buck or billy, and the female goat is called a nanny or doe. The baby goat is known as a kid. Farmers often see female goats can have one to six goats per litter.

The giving of birth by a female goat to a baby kid is known as kidding. A healthy baby kid can stand the moment after it is given birth. Goats have 24 molar teeth, but they do not have teeth in the upper front jaw. They love to eat grass and clover. Unlike some other animals, they do not like to eat unhealthy things like tin cans, clothing, and garbage. The goats are acrobatic animals and can jump over 5 ft (1.5 m). 

It's funny but true! Goats don't like to get wet in the rain (like most cats) and will immediately run like rabbits to seek shelter when it starts raining. Goats have a lifespan of 8-12 years, and some can even live for 15 years. They were the first animals to be used by humans to get milk.

To learn more about this fascinating animal, here is a piece of information about what is a group of goats called? If you enjoyed reading our article, you could also read about a group of dolphins called? And what is a group of ducks called?

Different Names For A Group Of Goats

A group of goats is officially known as a herd, trip, or tribe. The term trip of goats is believed to have originally come from the Middle Dutch word 'trippen,' which means hop or skip.

Because goats are known to hop around as they romp among their companions, maybe that's why this term is used to call their group. Another fun fact: a group of otters is called a romp!

The proper collective nouns for the group of goats differ from some other similar creatures. For instance, a group of sheep is known as a herd, a drove, or a flock. These words perfectly fit to describe a group of goats.

All animal names are interesting; some other animal names in collective nouns you can learn are: a group of sloths is known as a bed, a group of alpacas is known as a herd, a group of porcupines is known as a prickle. Also, we say a colony of bats, a tower of giraffes, a colony or army of ants, a pack of mules, a troop of monkeys, a pack of wolves, a swarm of jellyfish, a troop of baboons, a troop of apes, a clowder or clutter of cats, a pack of dogs, a gang or rafter of turkeys, a school of fish, a colony or warren of rabbits, and a business of flies; there are many more fun examples!

Collective nouns are generally used to describe a group of goats. The different names for a group of goats are trip, tribe, flock, herd, and drove. Next time when using such a word in a sentence, you can say, 'look at the flock of goats,' where the flock is the collective noun which means a group.

So, next time when you see a group of goats, you can use any one of the above-mentioned collective nouns - drove, trip, tribe, flock, or herd - to describe a group of goats.

Collective nouns are fun to learn!

Most Common Name For A Group Of Goats

Just like you, a newborn goat baby is known as a kid. It is not uncommon to find a female goat with her twin kids or triplets. When all the goats are together, we call them by a specific group name.

The most common term used for a group of goats is a herd. Also, the term herd is used to describe a large group of goats.

To learn and know the collective name for a group of goats is undoubtedly fascinating!

When you are near the countryside or go to the zoo, you often use the terms like a herd or flock to describe a group of animals. Most creatures in real life wander around in groups. When you describe such an animal group, you can use a collective noun.

The term flock can be the best alternative to describe birds, while the term herd can be used for other animals in groups, such as elephants.

The term tribe is also a collective noun and is used to describe a group of goats. You can use the term tribe if many goats are present together. For example, when you write an essay about goats, you can use the term tribe to describe a group of goats. You are sure to score higher on your paper.

Also, goats are known to graze in large flocks accompanied by a shepherd to look after them. Here you can use a collective noun to express the goats walking and grazing around. The term trip perfectly fits to express the group of goats moving around.

Another collective noun used to describe a group of goats is tripe. This term refers to the stomach of animals and can be used explicitly for herbivorous animals. The stomach of the herbivorous animals comprises four different regions. Therefore you can use the term tripe to describe a group of goats.

What is a group of baby goats called?

Two little funny baby goats playing

The father goat is a buck or billy, and the mother goat is a doe or nanny. Their newborn child is known as a kid.

Often you may find female goats roaming around with their kids. A group of goats roaming around together is known as a herd or a tribe. The kids, through their mother and the tribe or herd as a whole, receive protection. Goats are very vocal creatures and usually like to call each other when they call for help from their herd or play with them. And thus, the herd raises all their kids together, and the kids are not naturally left to form separate groups by themselves. However, a group of baby goats can be called a litter of kids.

When a kid is born, if it is healthy, it will stand and wander around within its herd the minute it is born.

Why is a group of goats called a trip?

Goats are very social animals and usually live in a herd. Up to 20 goats, or sometimes, even more, can live in a herd in the wild.

Mountain goats are more social during the winter season, whereas they can wander around solo in the summer season until the mating season. There is a dominant female in a herd all through the year.

In some other animals, you find behaviors as collective nouns, like an unkindness of ravens, drunk ship of cobblers, and obstinacy of buffalo. Similarly, a group of goats is known as a trip because it skips and hops.

In the famous old Norwegian folk tale story, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, the word trip is often related to goats. The story is about three billy goats that want to go to the hillside to make themselves fat. It is a famous story among kids, primarily because of its modern adaptations and animations designed for children.

So next time when you see a group of goats, use the word trip to describe them. Even the U.S. Geological Survey calls a group of goats a trip or tribe. The proper collective noun to describe a group of goats varies even from the similar creatures like sheep. For instance, a group of sheep is known as a herd, a flock, or a drove and is never called a trip or tribe.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what is a group of goats called, then why not take a look at what is a group of penguins called or angora goat facts.

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Written by Deepthi Reddy

Master of Business Administration

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Deepthi ReddyMaster of Business Administration

With an MBA under her belt, Deepthi has discovered her true calling in content writing. Her writing repertoire is diverse, covering travel, movies, pet care, parenting, animals and birds, and more. Her joy of learning and creating has helped her craft well-written and engaging articles. When she isn't writing, Deepthi enjoys exploring new cultures, trying different foods, and spending quality time with her two children aged 7 and 12.

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