The first animal my husband and i decided we wanted to raise was goats. Want to get some strong opinions about livestock from everyone you know? Tell them you want to raise goats…. they’re sure to give you an opinion. Sheep farmers think goats are too much work, cow’s milk drinkers think goats’ milk tastes funny, and almost everyone thinks goats can’t possibly be fenced and will be the menace of the neighborhood…..
It was time for us to chat with some GOAT farmers. And chat we did. We headed up highway 223 just shy of Dallas to Fairview Farm, to meet a beautiful flock of Nubians, Alpines and productive crosses of each breed. Farmers, Laurie and Terry had lots of great things to say about their goats and had wonderful recommendations for us, all while we snacked on some DELICIOUS soft serve ice cream.
On just 6 acres, Fairview Farm has enough goats to “churn out” heaps of delicious cheese, milk, yogurt and did i mention ice cream? Just look at those faces… so sweet. Folks who don’t like goats are just crazy. They’re like giant, flop-eared dogs full of delicious ice cream. You can’t beat it!
We can’t wait to have some of our own… though we’ll have to figure out the ‘keep the coyotes and pumas out of the pasture’ issue first. Losing a chicken to a predator is devastating enough… but a family milk goat? Not okay. If we end up landing at the farm we’ve put a bid on, we’ll be surrounded by quite a bit of wilderness, that most likely contains a fair number of predators. We’ve discussed getting a llama… but will we need a guardian dog?
How about you? Goats: love ’em or don’t trust ’em. Guardian animals: burro? dog? llama? high fences??
I can’t wait to have my own goats one day… I just love ’em!
I’ve heard that donkeys are good at keeping predators away.
We don’t have any just now, but they are right behind chickens in the animals-we-will-have-when-we-finally-get-a-farm/home list. I think they are the perfect mix of personality, ease of raising/handling, and heartiness. We also plan to get a non-miniature donkey (like GoneCountry said) to protect them. I can’t wait to read about your progress!
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They’re like giant, flop-eared dogs full of delicious ice cream. ” HAHA!! Well who wouldn’t want that?? I’ve never had a goat, but I knew someone who had two as pets and they were wonderful! I loved playing with them and they were very affectionate and loved hugs!
Hi,
I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could email me?
Jillian
Hi Jillian – i have a ‘contact me’ form at the bottom of this blog. You are welcome to use that to contact me, if you are not a span robot. 😉