So my friend has land and wanted goats to eat the brush overgrowth and for some property tax exemption. They now save hundreds yearly on property tax.
I wanted goats as pets but couldn’t have them on my land. Their land was mostly fenced, I bought $400 in fencing. They bought an additional $200, and we both put it up.
The shelter was made from scrap we collected.
There are 10 goats, and the total cost to purchase was $1,000.
The friend gave me $250 to contribute to the purchase of the goats. I paid the remaining $750. I also am the one who located the sellers.
I pay for 100% of all the hay/feed/minerals and parasite prevention. The friend does not care for the goats at all, I do all chores. I’ve spent over $500 for hay, feed, minerlas, and parasite prevention since June of 2025. The goats quickly ate all the brush, within just a couple of months, and now I must pay for hay and minerals.
The friend is saying the goats are 50/50 ownship, and when I get more land next year, I can only take 5. I would leave 3.
EDIT more information. The friend went to make big money working out of state, they been gone 3 months, and intend to be gone another 4 to 6 months. Its far enough away they do not come back during days off.
UPDATE: After a talk with the friend’s neighbor, I was informed they had goats previously, and they died. Dogs got a couple, and one was chained to a tree and eaten, and a couple more died for no reason.
I talked to this friend again, and they admitted that they don’t particularly care for animals and just wanted to save money on property tax using this AG business thing they did. They did agree to pay for the next 6 months of hay, and I can take the goats. They will get some cheap goats from an auction barn when they are back from out of state. They said they would take better care of them this time. They asked that I don’t report them. I made them aware that I knew they were supposed to have goats for the last 5 years in order to be getting tax deductions, and they also purchased things and got tax deductions claiming it was for their goat farm, when all their goats had been dead within just a few months of getting them..
If you didn’t write anything down, not sure why it wouldn’t be 50/50. Why do you want to take more than 5 goats when you get your own land? Just take the 5 and stop doing any chores or caring for your friends five goats
Well , we had a verbal agreement, and if I stopped caring for them , they’ll die because they went to work out of state. They’ve been gone 3 months, and probably be gone another 4 to 6 months. They only have weekends off, and they don’t want to come back on weekends due to the long distance.
Stop caring for them after you get your own land. Then it’s a clean split. I don’t think you’re in the wrong at all here, but this is an unfortunate lesson about money and friends.
But you’re fine leaving 3?
So its okay as long as only 3 die? Nice.
You need to track how much you’re paying for everything, and how much it would cost to house them elsewhere. They should at least be paying half of all that (which, the goats being on the friend’s property does have value) but it’s likely not half.
I absolutely have proof of everything ive bought
ESH – Your friend does not deserve 50% ownership, but it doesn’t sound like you made any specific agreements. If you expected to completely own the goats, that should have been in writing.
YTA. He’s HOUSING “your” goats! You can always say you’d be willing to start paying him a boarding fee now that they can’t eat his yard.
Nah, OP’s buddy wanted the goats there for land clearing. Some people with a lot of remote property actually pay to rent goats for this exact reason.
NTA. You spent $100 per goat. Your friend contributed 2.5 goats’ worth. Plus you paid more for the fencing (which stays on their land) AND for the maintenance. The arrangement is one which would be in place if they were your goats that the friend is housing, with a nominal contribution from the friend to reflect the benefit they get from the goats being on their land but nothing more. So theres nothing here that says this was ever a 50/50 situation.
You got ripped off & used.
Do you have paperwork indicating you bought all 10? Is there any paperwork stating YOU cate for thengoats on his property?
$1000 for 10 goats. I’d sell 7. Let him have 3 instead of the 2.5 he paid for. Then tell him they’re his responsibility & report him to ASPCA for pet/livestock abandonment.
NTA
YTA for making me do the math here.
NTA but just take seven goats. What’s your friend gonna do.