Things I've Learned: Goats

If you want the playfulness of puppies, but with hooves instead of paws, goats are for you. I did a ton of research before going with Nigerian dwarf goats. Like with most livestock, you had to decide which use you wanted. There are meat goats, dairy goats and show goats. Show goats are the best of certain breeds, but can be meat or dairy. I wanted dairy. 

Now, I'm not much of a milk drinker, but I do love cheese. Any cheese. If you ever invite me to a party and wonder where all the cheese disappeared to, look for me. You might find a crumble of cheese left on my shirt. Anyway, there are the heavy miller's like Nubians, but Nigerian dwarfs produce a heavier butterfat. Plus, they are so dang cute!

I could write novels about what I've learned about goats, but I'll stick to a few that aren't always widely known. Polled goats mean they are both without horns (I've got two of those). Disbudded means the horns were removed after birth (which I don't go for). I actually had a breeder try to tell me disbudded is better for a goat, this is not true. Their horns actually temper the heat, and Texas heat is hot! Another misconception is that they'll eat anything. Nope, mine are actually quite picky. They do love molasses though.