Posted on 03/05/2013 11:57:33 AM PST by nickcarraway
"The prudent man does not make the goat his gardener," says an old Hungarian proverb.
But, as I do not live my life according to old Hungarian proverbs, six years ago I added a goat paddock and shed to the rear of my garden and brought home two small dairy goats.
The idea took hold of me rather suddenly while I was visiting an acquaintance in Nevada City. She kept goats, and I got to milk one and taste its fresh milk. It tasted ... good!
Surprised? I was too. But I learned that goat milk from the store often tastes "goaty" because its chemical makeup turns the flavor within about five days - about the time it takes goat milk to make it to your shopping cart. Hence, unlike super-fresh goat milk, it's not what you want on your morning Cheerios.
That was just the first lesson goats taught me. My own pair, Snowflake and Brownie, have taught me much more, and broadened my world.
They have gotten me out to feed stores in the country where I can find hay in a dozen varieties. I've watched their kids slide from their wombs, spent thousands of mornings and evenings washing and milking their udders, learned to sew a goat diaper to eliminate the need for poop scooping, and formed a citizen action coalition, the Goat Justice League, that successfully lobbied my city (Seattle) to allow goats in yards.
So, old proverbs notwithstanding, maybe you are thinking of getting a goat, too. If so, here are some things to keep in mind.
-- Do your homework: If you are serious about keeping goats, study up. First, check to find out whether your municipality allows them; some Bay Area cities do, others do not.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Ah! When the world was young, and so were we :)
Thanks for the ping, a cute story...Our first flock we bought was 18 Angora’s....you learn all you kneed to know in the first year, but books do help...I had never even seen an Angora when hubby decided thats what we would raise...an animal you didn’t have to slaughter...but you better know a professional shearer before you start with Angora’s. The only problem with dairy goats just as with dairy cows, they have to be milked daily...no days off for those raising dairy animals..... But goats are great animals to raise, easy for a female to take care of....GG
There are things I learned from having goats - more constantly comes out the back end than goes in the front end and they stink. Never again.
There are some things I’ve learned from raising chickens - they enjoy bomb diving at your head and they stink. Never again.
Shudda gotta sheep.
They are grazers: reach down to eat.
Goats are browsers: reach up to eat.
Yeah; it'll do that.
All my wife wanted was a couple of ducks!
Yup; I learned AFTER they got home!
Quite a few, shall we say, 'interesting' things learned really quickly!
Man, if I don’t jump on these puns right away, someone else beats me to it!
I'm thinking a Google.com search for Yale Beastiality Wine Tasting will yield some fruits eh!~
Awwwww. You poor thing!
“Yale Workshop on Sensitivity to Beastiality”
Thanks, but I think I’ll pass..
Learn; and save your money...
http://www.goatsuppliesandservices.com/fecals
No; just a little bit of snow that needed some attention.
We got about 3-4” of heavy wet snow over night.
I got the first slushy stuff off around 7:30.
Back out around 10:30 to get another inch and get the snow off the fabric gazbebo roof before it caved in like the last one we had.
And now that the sky is lightening; I’m going out to get the rest of it.
COVER ME! I’m goin’ in!
Love this climate change thing. Weather here has been quite nice. Around 20 degrees but makes 60 mid day.
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