I never was particularly attracted to them. They’re bony, their bodies are out of proportion, they didn’t register on my cute animal meter, and they really were never on my radar of “things I hope I own one day”.
They don’t have the majestic beauty of a horse.
They don’t have the big, round, teddy bear eyes that a cow has.
They don’t cuddle with you like a cat.
They’re not all cute and fuzzy like a bunny.
They don’t protect you like a dog.
BUT…..in case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been converted. Goats are quite possibly nature’s best animal.
1. They fit in the back of a truck. (cow doesn’t)
2. The stuff that comes out of their underside is very valuable. (not so with a dog)
3. The stuff that comes out of their back end is AWESOME for the garden. (don’t even go there with a cat)
4. They have really cute babies. (OK, I’ll give that one to all of the above mentioned animals.)
5. They provide meat, hair and hide, and if you’re my husband, Rocky Mountain (Goat) Oysters.
6. Their gestation is only 5 months! (9 1/2 for a cow)
7. They don’t require a large amount of space. (Horse? Cow?)
8. They are awesome at fire mitigation.
So, now, I love goats. Not to say the others aren’t great too, but goats really are an incredible amount of everything put into a small, bony, out of proportion, horizontally pupiled, milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream producing, sweet, curious, cute animal.
- The Goat Cheese Lady
I took your class in Nov 2010 and we are finally moving to a rental on 5 acres where we can have chickens and goats. So excited!
That’s awesome, Lisa! What kind of goats are you going to get? Lindsey
I haven’t decided yet. Actually, any advice would be appreciated. All I know is that I want sweet, non-goaty milk. And I think Nubians and LaManchas are kindof ugly but I could probably overlook that.
I love the photos of the kids…two footed and four, and Monte (I love that big dog). I agree that goats are a really lovable bunch(herd) and very useful for various reasons.
Now I want one!