Yeah…. that’s a question I ask myself quite often. Like when they all barge their way to the feed bunk and almost knock me down as I dump the feed, or they keep finding places to escape after we’ve patched the fence 100 different times, or they get in my garden and eat all the blooms off the plants… plus they can be stubborn, obsessive, and well… just plain dumb. As irritating as they can be at times though, they can also be sweet, cute and quite entertaining….

“Cheese…..ok, I smiled for the camera, now feed me!”

One of the main reasons we decided to get goats is for milk. I’ve done a lot of research on eating healthier, so I’m trying to eliminate processed foods and am aiming to eat more real food. During my research, I did a lot of reading on raw milk and discovered the many health benefits of drinking it.  I weighed the options of trying to find a local source of raw milk or trying to get either a dairy goat or cow. After debating with the family, we decided we wanted to try having our own goats since we’re trying to provide as much of our own food as possible. Plus we thought it would be a neat project to get the kids involved with. The reason we chose goats over a cow is they are smaller and easier for the kids and I to handle. Michael is gone through the week so the kids and I are the ones who do most of the maintenance and milking. Also, they eat less than a cow so they are a little cheaper to keep. As I did more researching, I discovered goat’s milk is more nutritious and better tolerated than cow’s milk. Also, from what I’ve read, it’s linked to possibly reducing inflammation, easier to digest, less allergenic, and rarely causes lactose intolerance, which are all added bonuses for us.

So if you’re considering adding some goats to your homestead, I’d say to go for it. Even if you’re not wanting to milk, they make themselves very useful for trimming trees…

and if nothing else, the cuteness will make you smile.