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Unless you are above tree-line, the goats will thrive on native brush, woody browse and various leaves and evergreen needles. The only concern is to watch out for resource damage. Goats moving about browsing leave little trace that they were there. But, goats camping in one spot for long periods of time can destroy it. As they begin to run out of their favorite foods near camp they will begin to eat small trees, strip bark from bigger ones and generally leave the area looking trashed. Just the type of thing a land manager would jump on as an excuse to restrict future pack goat use in your area. Obviously if you are packed back into the middle of nowhere, two miles from the nearest trail then it isn't as big of an issue as it would be if you were camped in a well used area. Near trails or places where others frequent, we now tie our goats in camp and take them out several times a day to browse in nearby brushy patches. This spreads their feeding around and prevents any negative resource damage.
I know there has been a lot of things written about goats and hypothermia but I have to admit that after 20 years of packing I've never had a goat get that cold. They are perfectly content to stand under a big tree when it is raining and do fine in most types of weather. If you want to put something up for a really wet stretch of weather then a simple tarp is fast and easy to string up. Many folks are dropping the bulky tarp in favor of light weight coats for their goats. They are light and easily store in the bottom of a pannier until they are needed. One exception to the goats hardiness would be a goat from a hot dry area transported up the mountain where it is wet, snowy and cold. That goat doesn't have enough hair for that much of an environmental change and I would definitely recommend a goat coat. A tarp isn't going to help it hold in body heat.
I know there has been a lot of things written about goats and hypothermia but I have to admit that after 20 years of packing I've never had a goat get that cold. They are perfectly content to stand under a big tree when it is raining and do fine in most types of weather. If you want to put something up for a really wet stretch of weather then a simple tarp is fast and easy to string up. Many folks are dropping the bulky tarp in favor of light weight coats for their goats. They are light and easily store in the bottom of a pannier until they are needed. One exception to the goats hardiness would be a goat from a hot dry area transported up the mountain where it is wet, snowy and cold. That goat doesn't have enough hair for that much of an environmental change and I would definitely recommend a goat coat. A tarp isn't going to help it hold in body heat.
