Goats in the Garden

But that's OK! The garden is finished for the season and about ready to be put to bed, so we've been letting the goats into it. They're happy to finish up anything that we've missed or left intentionally. They like green beans and bean stalks, broccoli and Swiss chard, and pretty much all of the weeds. We've been having a lot of fun with these little goats. They're just right for a small homestead with young children.
If you've ever been curious about goats milk, here's some info and my opinion about it. The milk the Nigerians give (the only goat milk I've ever tried) is so very good. It's very sweet and creamy, excellent for drinking and making dairy products of all kinds. These little goats give the richest milk of all goats, averaging 5 to 7 percent butter fat and the fat has more short and medium chain fatty acids than cows milk. Goat milk contains more vitamins and minerals than cows milk too. Now, given the choice between cows milk and goat milk purchased in the store, cows milk wins. Don't even bother making your decision about how you feel about goats milk by trying that stuff. Go to a goat milking friend who has a clean barn and keeps the bucks away from the does, milks into a CLEAN container, and strains and cools the milk quickly without pasteurizing it. Try some of that and then decide.