Goats

Kevmac asks do I eat the goats or are they here to eat weeds or what?

The goats are my ode to farming:)  Actually, we live on five acres in one of the barrenest desert area in the USA.   Rain averages 6" per year.  We live on a big patch of sand.

So, to answer the question:  No, we do not eat the goats.  We probably would if it was cost effective but I always laugh because I think goat would be valued at $50 a pound.  I have one large Nubian/Boer cross and two Nigerian dwarfs.  They eat 2 bales of hay a month between them and that costs me between $16 and $25 a month for hay.  Plus, although the large goat was a gift, the two small goats cost me $50 apiece.

I do keep the costs down by throwing all the left over vines from the veggie garden into the pen.  Excluding tomato plants and pepper plants and potato, of course.  It saves me a lot of time and effort in composting as well few dollars in hay.  There simply is no way to raise animals cost effectively out here in the desert.

The goats are pets and I enjoy watching them from my dining room window.  They get up well after dawn.  I thought they would get up early but they take their time.  Usually they peek around the corner, get a good look around and then they saunter out one at a time.  They are really cute.

I was raised in a large city and living out here has been my chance to have "farm animals".  But I like to keep the whole thing within reason.  It costs a fair amount of money to have chickens and cows and goats and horses.  It takes a lot of time and effort.  I have seen many people get bogged down with too many pets.

When you have seven dogs,  goats, guinea hens, peacocks and chickens it starts being a bit much.  Horses cost a lot of money to keep.  Well worth it if you enjoy riding but seems like a bit much if you don't.  One gal I know is trying to sell her horses.  They are costing her about $10,000 a year.  Think about this, she could own her house and property in only 10 years if she used that money to pay off the house.  Or she could stop squeezing pennies and live a little more.

Around here we have a two dog limit and 3 goats have served us well.  One barn cat.  He really is a "shed/garage cat" as we don't own a barn:)  I have threatened to get a cart pony but I keep thinking that we don't own the house yet so it would be foolish.

Time to get busy.  Spring comes only once a year and I have a lot to do.  Yesterday was incredibly windy and I hear tomorrow will be too. So today is the day to get some work done.  I am hoping that Hubby will be up to working on the cross fencing.

It doesn't pay to be lazy although I have slowed down a bit:)

More about my adventures in goats weeding the north half of the property tomorrow.

Thanks for asking, Kevmac.

Greenhouse - 7:40am 48 degrees
Outside temp - close to 32degrees overnight - slush on the goat water