Tuesday, June 30, 2009

decisions

I'm working through my thoughts these days on whether or not I want to keep goats any longer. I've given this adventure 2 years now and it hasn't been something that I feel that I have fallen in love with. Yes, you may think, based on my blog posts, etc., that I love my goats. It may appear so. But as with anything blogged about we can make anything look good. It's the downside to blogging. We think everyone else has the perfect life. Life here is far from perfect. I love my farm and I love the chickens, but I haven't fallen in love with the goats. The babies are amazingly adorable! But then they grow up. The kids like the milk, I don't. My husband loves the cheese and he loves to make it. I don't and he works 12 hours a day! Yes, I've blogged about how cool it is to make cheese, etc., but I just can't seem to get into it. It might be the fact that I am having a hard time fitting it in on a regular basis. There is just so much one can do every day.
What I'd like to do is expand my egg business. I KNOW I love that and I know I can make money on it. We are constantly turning people down. So, right now I'm working on a "business plan" to expand that part of the farm. I'll probably start out by selling all but 2 goats and and then we'll think about it, pray about it and move on from there.
So if anyone wants a Nubian doe in milk, who gives a gallon a day of fresh, amazing goat milk let me know. I also have a doe and whether that are 8 weeks old and ready to go.


From left to right you see Singeli, Pepperjack and Butter. They are enjoying a branch of maple.
Butter is a very friendly goat. She loves attention.

It's a very hard decision for me to make because everyone else enjoys the goats. But no one else does 95+% of the work like I do. I just don't want to feel like a failure. But one of my friends pointed out that I'm not failing because I want to focus on another aspect of the farm that I know will bring money in. My focus is just going elsewhere.

3 comments:

Liz in Seattle said...

Let me just add that the milk is DELICIOUS!!! The goats are gentle and very friendly, too. Sue has done an amazing job with them :-)

Hilarius said...

Susan -

Have you considered sheep? They are easier keepers in some ways - less "into" everything than goats. They aren't so "pet like" being that they are more fearful, but they will do the requisite blackberry eating and grass clipping and give you meat and wool if you want it but without the regemine of running a dairy/milking operation. Just a thought.

If you kept your goat you could forego the cheese work and simply use the milk scours to fatten a couple of pigs for fall.

In any case it is hard and this is a busy time of year with gardens and everything else. I'll see if I know anyone looking for a doe.

Eric john

Mimi said...

I think this is a very wise decision, and I agree - in no way are you a failure at all.