Aspects of social behaviour and activity budget in the Icelandic goat (Capra hircus) were studied by observing two herds at two farms. At one, the herd (N = 170 adult goats) roamed freely on a large pasture that connects to the farm. The other herd (N= 20 adult goats) was held at a small pasture which includes a stable the goats could enter. Time budget was estimated for both groups and regular observations of the location and identification of goats in the free-roaming herd allowed us to describe group types with respect to size, genetic relations and stability.

The time budget analyses showed that the goats in the free roaming herd spent most of their time foraging and less time resting while the smaller herd spent equal time foraging and resting. This difference can be due to more spacious pasture and more time consuming foraging in the free roaming herd. The smaller herd had noticeable differences in activity and resting periods by months while that was not the case for the free roaming herd. In July, the goats in the small herd were most active in the mornings and late evenings, while in August they were most active in late afternoon.

The main results for the group formation analyses were: i) the average number of goats in a group was 5.59, ii) groups usually consisted of unrelated individuals and their offspring’s, iii) related adult female goats did not seem to prefer more related individuals to associate with, iv) the groups were relatively stable during each day, but after a shower groups would reform and individuals in a former group did not necessarily form a group again.