Aiming to understanding the goat industry in the State of Rio de Janeiro, from 1998-2000, this study was carried out in 48 goat farms, 72.9 percent of which with an area of less than eight hectares. Also, 62.5 percent of the farms had irregular topography, and 69 percent of them kept Saanen breed in a confined system (93.7 percent). Animals were housed between 16 to 24 hours/day in suspended wooden stalls, and 83.3 percent were dairy goats