I’ve been raising goats since 1998, and I’m still not tired of them. In fact, I can’t imagine my life without them. Talk to any other serious goat keepers and you hear that after they get “in your blood” you have to have at least a couple.
When you get a sense of goats’ many uses and get to know their unique qualities, goats will get in your blood, too. Goats are more than livestock, they’re friends and helpmates, and they’re entertaining as heck.
In fact, the popularity of goats, especially dairy goats, has grown in the United States in the past decade. That doesn’t mean that the same people now have bigger herds. In fact, the average size of a goat herd went from a little over 29 heads in 2009 to almost 20 heads in 2019. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Goat Study, small herds of 5 to 19 goats are not just pets; more than half of all dairy and meat goat farms and ranches have small herds. Dairy goats are becoming even more popular, increasing 57 percent in just ten years, but almost one-quarter of goat owners surveyed said they own their goats for more than one reason, such as milk, brush clearing, packing, or as pets.
Goats have been called the poor man’s cow but a better name for them would be the “green” cow. They take up less space, cost less to feed, and even contribute less to global warming because they don’t emit as much methane gas. On top of all that, they’re smart, friendly, and easy to manage with the proper setup. This chapter introduces you to the benefits of raising goats and lets you know what you can expect from the experience.
Finding Goat Basics
Goats are intelligent and friendly animals. They come in all sizes (but only one shape) and can help you in numerous ways. After you decide what you want to accomplish with them, you have a lot of breeds to choose from. (Most goat owners have their favorite, which they can talk about endlessly.) Check out Chapter 3 for a rundown of goat breeds.
Goats are unique animals within the ruminant classification. Ruminants are also known as “cud-chewing” animals, or as having four stomachs. You can find out more about their digestive systems in Chapter 2, as well as how to tell them from sheep, what makes a healthy goat, and how goats communicate with you and each other.
Being responsible for goats is a serious undertaking. I say “goats” because goats need a herd to be happy, so you shouldn’t get just one goat. You can read more about why you need at least two goats and other ways to keep them happy in Part 2.
THANK GOATS FOR COFFEE
According to legend, goats in the charge of an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi failed to return one evening. When he found them the next morning, they were excited and dancing next to a shrub covered in red berries. He investigated, trying the berries, and discovered that they were responsible for the goats’ excitement. The goats had discovered coffee.
When the goatherd took the berries to the town monastery, the abbot disapproved and threw them into the fire. When he smelled the pleasant odor they gave out as they roasted, he raked them out of the fire, ground them up, and mixed them with water. Coffee’s use as a stimulant drink gradually spread around the world.
Goats still enjoy coffee, and some goat owners use it to stimulate labor and give energy to a doe (female) that is kidding.
These critters can live for ten years or more, so getting goats is like getting a dog — you may be taking care of them for quite a while. Chapter 2 tells you about their life expectancy.
Identifying the Benefits of Owning Goats
Goats are fantastic animals that have been domesticated for more than 10,000 years. You get a lot from a relatively small animal — you can milk them or eat their meat, use their fiber and their skin for making clothing, and even use their dung for fuel (if you are so inclined). In the past, goat hide was made into bags for carrying water and wine and parchment for writing on; it is still used to make drums in some countries.
You may want to raise goats for a variety of reasons. Whatever brings you to goats, you’re guaranteed to find additional benefits to owning these critters after you start working with them.
Becoming more self-sufficient
Goats are not only a great way to become more self-sufficient — they can give you milk to drink and food to eat, and even help you carry your belongings when backpacking — but they teach you in a very direct way where your food comes from and give you an opportunity to affect its quality. If prices go up (and don’t they always?) you are less affected if you’re supplying some of your own food.
And imagine not ever having to cut down blackberries or kudzu again. You can get your friendly goat to do it for you, while growing fiber for hats and sweaters and providing you with milk, meat, and even more goats.
In this section I talk about the many ways goats can contribute and move you toward self-sufficiency.
Cutting your dairy bill
Imagine never having to buy milk or cheese again. If you raise dairy goats you can achieve that goal. Your goats need to have kids to give you milk, and then you can milk them throughout the year for up to five years without rebreeding, if you want. Or you can stagger the kidding each year so that you have a milk supply year-round. (They need a break from milking during the last two months of their pregnancy to put their energy into growing kids.)
You need only a few goats to keep a small family in milk and other dairy products. Just one standard-size dairy goat can give you an average of 6 to 8 pounds (3 to 4 quarts) of milk each day. And, depending on the butterfat content of the milk, you can get up to a pound of cheese for every gallon of milk.
With your own milk supply, you won’t need to worry about additives to the milk you drink or the cheese or yogurt you eat. Goat milk is easier to digest than cow milk, and so it is prized by people who can’t drink cow milk. Depending on the state you live in, you can sell milk to supplement your income or offset the goats’ feed costs.
You find out about raising goats for milk in Chapter 15.
Raising your own meat
Goat meat has always been popular in the developing world, because goats are much more affordable and use fewer resources than animals such as cows. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the demand for goat meat is expected to continue growing.
People who moved to the United States from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa brought their custom of eating goat meat as a regular part of their diet and still want it. And more people who hadn’t eaten goat meat before are willing to try a new, lean source of protein that doesn’t have the taint of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Animals raised in CAFOs often never see the light of day and are unable to exercise or eat grass because they are packed into small areas.
DRINKING MILK ON THE FARM MAY HELP YOU BREATHE EASIER
A number of studies have shown a positive correlation between living on a farm and not having allergies or asthma. One study goes even further, showing a likely benefit of raising goats for their milk.
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