Since late spring I’ve been a fairy goat mother. I’ve been so busy I haven’t even posted about it! A friend of mine – bluegrass playing homeschooling urban farming earth mother – took the plunge and got goats. I’m jealous. A year ago we had emailed back and forth about getting goats and if we really could provide a good home for them in the city. Could we keep up with our lives and still care for creatures that need more attention than chickens? What if we co-owned the goats and shared the care? We agreed we would love to try and left it at that.
In May I got an excited phone call from her. She had been thinking about goats, decided on a particular breed and breeder and there happened to be a freshener and baby available. The only thing is she had to get them that weekend. And she did. Since we had agreed to get them together I offered as much moral support as I could and came to help clear out the yard.
But milking was tricky so we agreed that until Mona got used to being milked I would just provide the moral support. And then summer hit and I was busy so I haven’t been as much help as I had hoped to be. My friend is on vacation right now though, so I’ve finally been milking Mona.
It’s a little tricky when I have to bring Pancake Man and Pickle boy since Mona needs to be milked at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and sometimes Pancake Boy is still sleeping at 8 a.m. But I’m loving milking Mona. She and the baby Bessie are the sweetest things around. Imagine a lab with a waggy tail, happy to see you and nuzzling affection.
Except instead of poop in your yard you get sweet milk. But first you need to milk her. It was unsettling at first, thinking that if I didn’t get her properly emptied she may get mastitis or her supply may drop but I’m enjoying the quiet and stillness that milking an animal requires.
Have you ever rocked a baby in the early morning, with no outside distractions? Alone with your thoughts and this sweet smelling bundle that is larger than you and the universe? And you are responsible for every breath this helpless being takes? Owning livestock is like that.
I am responsible for making sure the chickens have food and water and are locked up at night from the raccoons. But a milking goat is a whole different level of animal ownership. I had thought I was ready for goats (although my husband is not) but the amount of time and care that a milking goat requires is substantial. So far the gardening and chickens and preserving has fit into my life at a somewhat manageable level.
The goats, however, add at least another 2 hours per day on to your schedule, not to mention cleaning out the run and building structures, or driving outside the city to buy goat supplies because you can’t find them in the city. I do look forward to having goats of my own one day but that day is not here. I accept my limits.
I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to help care for these amazing creatures several times a week, and while my friend is on vacation.
How about you? Have you thought of getting dairy goats in the city?
Mmm, well…I have dairy goats in the country, so to answer your question, I wouldn’t have them in the city mainly because I don’t live in one
However. I have never looked at goat ownership with the idea that “look what ELSE I have to do now,” because that is just a losing game all around. Instead, I look at my morning milking (and incidentally you needn’t milk 2x a day) as a very happy quiet time, one where both she and I are getting a lot out of the deal. And the time spent Tuesdays and Saturdays making cheese is just plain fun. Every other day has a bit of cheese duty thrown into it, like flipping or caring for cheese as it ages, or making the other ancillary milk products (yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, cream cheese) that are part of the rotation. And whey in the bread or the lact0ferments or milk into soap. Considering how wonderful the products of a goat are (poopy bedding certainly counts if you have a garden), the time I spend is well worth it.
I adore goats and actually could have them where I live without problem since I am in an area that is technically rural (although it is really more surburban rural). The issue for me is adequate space on the property. Unless you are going to have them into everything, they really need a decent sized yard and shed and my property has all the remaining land left that is not in garden – in a deep dark mixed forest woodlot. We do not want to cut it down so there just is not sufficient room for a goat or other small livestock. It’s a pity though because I love caring for livestock and always have (raised on a farm and raised livestock for almost 20 years while we lived in central Washington).
Enjoy the milking time and you are smart to acknowledge the limits of your time and desires to do that work. It is a commitment.
Laura – your place would be great for them. My goats love the trees and they don’t eat grass like sheep do. They don’t need full sun all the time. Just saying.
OH, this is a great post! We too are just getting our arms around having goats here on our four acres. At moments, I’ve felt overwhelmed by the amount of bounce they’ve added to our days already; I’ve been daunted by the idea of milking too. But there must be milking so the cheese-making can commence. Now that I’ve seen it through your eyes — is there anything more peaceful than rocking a baby, having that time? — I feel anticipation. Thank you so much!
that is such a super idea of co-ownership — we were goatherders for years and i miss the milk and the cheese, and especially the quirky goat personality–maybe someone in madrona in seattle wants to do this with us! thanks for the inspiration, mon amie
El don’t get me wrong – I would LOVE to do this daily. But right now I am not getting enough sleep or spending enough time with my kids and husband as it is. My work has crept up to full time over the last year plus two very demanding young boys, a large garden, and this blog, and none of those are things I am willing to give up. Unfortunately for me to get goats I would need to do just that. Some days it’s tempting though…
KFG I am really impressed with my friend’s setup. They have built a beautiful wooden hut and have a naturalistic woodland setup complete with large tree stumps and boulders for the goats. They do get to run around a bit but there is ample opportunity for them to jump up on things as well.
June, there is another lady I know of (a chef) who got goats and then realized how much care was involved and has decided not to milk them. You do only need to milk but once a day as El points out. The hard part for me is the timing. Mornings are hectic once school starts and evenings are as well. Once my kids are a little older and can help get themselves ready, or at least be less demanding then I will be changing my tune. Your last goat blog post was great – the pictures were amazing and it’s so lovely to see the girls and the goats playing together in the woods!
Kristeen I bet you can find someone. Talk to Jenny Grant! But be warned goat shares are illegal in Washington. You need to have a legal contract of ownership, share expenses, share maintenance duties and share milking chores. Otherwise you are not even allowed to give away the milk, sell the milk or let someone work for the milk unless you are a licensed raw milk dairy.
Annette, that is so cool that you have the opportunity to babysit! I completely understand though with having to put things on the back burner. My friend got a couple of goats last year. After seeing how much of a time commitment they are, I rethought my plans, lol! This was such a fun post to read
Interesting post. I would love the chance to babysit them for awhile but I think thats it. My husband has dreams of having a goat farm, but I don’t think he has realised just how MUCH work it would be, and constantly.
They are lovely though.
This is why our goats are just pets and we don’t milk. I’d like to, some day, but I can’t commit the time that milking requires right now.
Sandy now that I’ve had goats for a few months I can honestly say that the milking is an extra 20 minutes per day, and that’s for 2 goats. It’s totally worth it. I love it.
KitsapFG your property would probably be great for goats, they are browsers not grazers. They prefer trees, bushes, weeds, blackberries, etc. I have been looking into getting goats to go along with my sheep because they eat more of the grass less of the thistle, blackberries, etc. Goats do have a higher mineral need because of that. I am reading the book Natural Goat Care by Pat Coleby and she points out that if you make sure they are getting enough forage and simple supplements like seaweed, and dolomite then you should have a healthy goat. There was a guy in our area that bought a bunch of pregnant does and wanted them to eat straw and unfortunately lost some and lost babies, I wouldn’t even do that to my sheep. Annette the boys can start helping more with the chores as they get older and then you might have time to get goats in the future. My kids help with the garden and the chickens and the sheep. So we think we might be ready for the jump to goats, and milking.
Kat that is true. I’m so looking forward to the day when I have 2 useful engines to help me.
I think I’ve come up with a workaround though – post to come soon! Something that would work for anyone close enough to Woodinville who wanted to have livestock or access to eggs and milk but would not necessarily have to have them at home.
That’s it. Were doing it. Now more than ever I am kicking myself for selling out Ober doe this last spring. We had her for 2 years and never freshened her. We still have two pygora’s and they are going to get freshened this fall…. Or else.
Adam I’m so glad! I’m really hoping in a few years when the littlest one no longer needs to be held so much that we can fit goats in. They are so amazing!
HI Annette, you may know this already…since it’s months since this post and the comments were placed. Here’s a bit of my experience. We have had Kinder goats out past Duvall for 5 years. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but I’ve never spent 2 hours a day…unless you’re talking making cheese too. However, I thought I’d throw in that we milk later in the morning and later in the evening. In fact our breeder does noon and midnight so she can have evenings free. Anyway, I’m working forward in your blog to hear about your goats in the country.. We are going on our third year without breeding with our chief milker, while we only milk once a day now, we still get about a quart a day which is plenty right now…and we have developed a bit of tiredness around the daily grind of having goats…even though we love ours. So all the best with your goat experiments.
Hi Jeni,
I ended up moving close to Carnation and now have a small herd of dairy goats. I’ve been milking twice a day and getting around 1/2 gallon per day from the two. I can see getting tired of grind of milking but for now I’m loving it and honestly it’s just the one with tiny teats that takes forever to milk out. I can see if you don’t have the right teat genetics it would get old fast (as it does with Mary). I’m looking forward to them drying off after breeding but haven’t managed to catch anyone in heat yet. Who knew that would be so frustrating? Thanks so much for commenting! Do you have a kinder buck? I’ve thought about breeding one of the milkers to a kinder to get more meat form the offspring since she’s got such bad teats anyway. Or why have you not bred again? We drink so much milk that I keep going back and forth but I think once we have three milkers this spring there will finally be enough for milk and yogurt and cheese. It’s so frustrating to have to buy yogurt and cheese!