Not very long ago, I wrote a post about our baby goats that were born. During that month, we added five goats to our small homestead...and it was too much! It started making me think about why we had goats and all of the other animals as well. In the end, we decided to get rid of the goats.
One of the main reasons we sold the goats is because I was really the only person who liked them. Initially we got two goats - a male baby and a female. The male grew up and acquired long horns and an attitude. I was able to deal with him usually, but I was getting tired of it! I was spending about an hour a day dealing with the goats - untangling them if their ropes got tangled around a tree, tying them out, and checking on them throughout the day. My older sons usually brought them in to their secure area in the evenings, so that helped some.
Some friends decided that they needed to have less goats, so they gave me two females and a male. In that same month, my mama goat had two babies. Adding five goats in one month made me stop and rethink what I was doing. I was spending way too much time and energy on an animal that wasn't giving me much in return. I did like them as pets, but they were also getting into more stuff than they were worth!
They had started eating the bark off of trees, eating banana plants we had planted, and sometimes breaking their ropes and escaping where they were tied up! Their goaty existence was starting to wear on me!
At first, I gave back the male goat and two females I had acquired. I was planning to keep the mama and sell the babies, but the right buyer came along who wanted to have all three as pets. That worked out well as I think they will be loved on and cared for by this family.
I was sad to see the goats go, but I also am happy to have some time back into my otherwise busy schedule! I decided it might be worth more for our family if I spend an hour a day or so working on a garden instead of dealing with goats. That is my new goal and I have already planted a bunch of pumpkin starts all over the property. Since there are no goats to eat the vines, perhaps we will get some pumpkins out of my efforts!
Even though goats weren't right for us at the moment, I still think they are a great addition to a homestead. Under the right conditions, I think they can thrive and provide in many ways - including milk, meat, manure, and entertainment!
Other animals we still have - a very pregnant sheep mama and her ram, 3 ducks, many chickens, a pet rabbit, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a milk cow. We can see the daily benefit in having most of these animals. I am, however, still trying to decide about keeping the sheep!