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Can country boys survive with goats?

Started by chain, January 15, 2012, 11:41:39 AM

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chain

Some say, eventually, when the last drop of oil is used up, the last big jet airliner drifts down and parked, we will all become nomads, shepherds to goats, camping out, subsisting on goats milk, meat, and cheese. ;)

But can goat farming be the next big thing? Some rural publications are hinting the rising interest of goat markets and demand for various tasks of goats in impoverished nations to help alleviate starvation and mere subsistance.

Forestry uses also, the goats cleaning up brushy lots and fields and forests, helping graze down invasive plants and vines. Many uses from goats.

Any goat owner/farmers here?

bull

No goat farmer here, but girl down the road is doing quite well with them two titters, she's makes some fancy goat cheese and turns it into some purty good dollars !!

Riggs

I keep 15-20 goats, mainly to keep my creekbanks from growing up. I probably break even selling the kids. You could do alot worse for company, they are quite entertaining.
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.~Ernest Hemingway

Norwood ML 26

Jeff

I'm thinking Burlkraft is really wanting some goats.
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Norm


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POSTON WIDEHEAD

I don't know that much about them but EMUs are a good investment. They say the meat is great and $ in restaurants.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Mooseherder

We had a couple Goats when the kids were young.  I never did milk them though.
They can eat some vegetation and not too hard to take care of.

jim king

After living over half my life in goat country, "developing nations" it is my opinion that they are the most underused domectic animal in developed countrys .

Just a cutltural thing I guess.

Norm

Lots of meat goats raised around me. We've kicked it around ourselves but don't have enough pasture to do so.

Autocar

Theres been some interest in our area but seem to fizzle out after a few years. The only thing I know about goats is the billy stinks  :D and there eat anything that they can chew.
Bill

Corley5

I thought that meat goats would be a good crop to raise.  But only thought about it briefly  ;) ;D
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Mark K

I had a herd of 100+ Boer goats back when we were milking. I use to rotate the goats thru the pastures behind the cows to clean up what the cows wouldn't eat. They eat anything and are excellent escape artists. Would breed them once a year so they kidded in January, sold the kids around Easter to a restaurant in the city. Didn't make a while lot of money. My parents bought out my herd and are now up to 250+. There kidding now and have 2 to 4 kids per doe per year. Doesn't take long to build a herd. They make most money off them selling breeding stock.



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Ron Wenrich

I had herd that went up to 30 for awhile.  I used them to get rid of multiflora rose.  They also were good for getting rid of honeysuckle.  Not good in a forestry situation as they will eat or girdle any regeneration.  Worse than deer.  They like the inner bark of soft maple.

This time of year, I would feed them Christmas trees.  People would save them for me.  I didn't give the whole tree, just cut off the branches.  They'd eat the pine before they would hay. 

Someone once told me that those underdeveloped countries stayed that way due to goat herds.  There was no way that a forest of any type would be able to survive those herds.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

shinnlinger

62% of the red meat consumed in the world is goat and if you lived near an urban area you could sell to the ethnicities (muslims, greeks etc) partake but you would need to either create your own USDA certified facility or make an arrangement with one.  I have heard that some do well with having an area wherefolks can come and process the animal the way they want.
Dairy seems like an insane amount of work to me and I don't know of the commercial demand but ice cream is a quite good.they are escape artists but quite fun.  To fun really cause the wife put a stop to any further herd developments
Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

Magicman

Back in the late 50's and early 60's we had no deer, but there was a herd of wild goats that roamed the woods.  They ranged over a couple of mile area, and hunting them was more luck than skill.  You had to walk the woods and hopefully if you were downwind you could smell them.  Thankfully they were white, or you never would have gotten one.  Once the herd was found the sneak was on, and all eyes were looking.  I did say wild.  The challenge was then identifying a young female, because if you brought home a stinky male, you were in trouble with Mom.  We hunted them with a .22, and aimed for the ear.
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LOGDOG

One of our members down in Australia has a beautiful, large herd of goats. I forget his handle right now. Maybe someone else remembers?

Taylortractornut

Dad grew up on goat milk in Burnsville as a kid.   He said the secret to eating one  was to castrate it while young or eat a  nanny.           He said a family that didnt have much  traded dad for an old billy goat.   Dad said walking  past their farm  the wole hill stunk.
My overload permit starts after sunset

Magicman

We had a guy with an old billy goat pulling a cart that always rode in our Christmas parade.  They moved him to the back, (as in last), and finally had to ask him not to ride anymore.  That goat stunk so bad that it would bring tears to your eyes.   whiteflag_smiley
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

beenthere

Quote from: Taylortractornut on January 15, 2012, 09:03:43 PM
........           He said a family that didnt have much  traded dad for an old billy goat.   Dad said walking  past their farm  the wole hill stunk.

Hmmm?  Dad for a billy goat.  Do you think that was a good trade?  ;) :)
south central Wisconsin
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Taylortractornut

Sorry didnt see  how that read.    THey traded dad out of a billy goat.     Working with him I do often think  that  that would be a fair trade. 
My overload permit starts after sunset

Riggs

Quote from: Taylortractornut on January 16, 2012, 12:21:56 AM
Sorry didnt see  how that read.    THey traded dad out of a billy goat.     Working with him I do often think  that  that would be a fair trade. 

:D :D :D
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.~Ernest Hemingway

Norwood ML 26

SwampDonkey

All ya need is moose, no fencing and chasing critters. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR2A3AypFVM

And if milk and cheese is your thing, that's no trouble either.

Something Cheesy

;D
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lynches lumber

While my hobby is sawmilling, the wifes is goats. Shes only sells the extra billies. Cant beat them  for keeping the thick under growth down, especially up close to the house when they get out(shrubs, flowers).Id like to have a dollar for everytime shes threatened to shoot or get rid of them.I remember us having an ole nannie when i was a teenager at home that wouldnt stay in the pen. Dad came home one day with his first brand new truck(Datsun). He went inside for a few minutes and then right back out to admire his new truck to find the ole gal up on the hood of it. Thats where she took her last breath.

tcsmpsi

Ok.  Had to come see what the implication with reference to 'country boys/goats' was.    :D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

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