This morning while we were trying to have our "standup" call with our remote team,
someone nearby (in the neighbourhood) was mowing their lawn (we think it was in the local park),
and the noise was super loud (even with the double-glazing windows closed)
It got me thinking ...
Can Goats "Mow" The Lawn...? >> Yes!
"goats are browsers not grazers, when they eat [backyard] grass,
they only clip the top like a good lawnmower."
How much space do pigmy goats need? (is 200m2 "enough")
if not, what is the minimum for a couple of goats to live a happy life?
This is an "Open Question" and requires research. ❓
If you are interested in this topic and have time/skills ⏳
to do a bit of Googling, please do/share! 🔍
Cons: Poop...? 💩
This is our biggest (potential) "con" ... 😕
We need to figure out how to "deal" with goat poop if we are to keep goats in the home garden.
Other Cons...?
If you read YouTube comments, they are overwhelmingly positive. But you do get the occasional: 🙄
If we have two female goats we could call them "Thelma & Louise" ... 😉
Or we could continue with our Disney character naming convention:
https://www.momjunction.com/articles/disney-inspired-names-for-your-baby_00356077/
e.g: "Jasmine", "Lilo", "Cinderella", "Moana", "Merida"
We just need to be careful not to name the Goats with popular human names ...
that would be baaaaad... 🙄
The hardest thing is "disbudding" (i.e. "de-horning") the goats ...
I don't think we will do this.
Although the reasoning given in the video is convincing: it's for their own good.
And the goats seem pretty content only a few minutes after the procedure ...
So I could be persuaded ... especially if the goats will be around people who are new to (farm) animals.
Please share your thoughts on this topic as comments below!
This is just an idea I would love people to discuss. Thanks you!
nelsonic
commented
5 years ago
This morning while we were trying to have our "standup" call with our remote team, someone nearby (in the neighbourhood) was mowing their lawn (we think it was in the local park), and the noise was super loud (even with the double-glazing windows closed) It got me thinking ...
Can Goats "Mow" The Lawn...? >> Yes!
It remains to be seen if they will wreck the lawn or if the kitchen scraps will be "enough" to keep them from destroying our garden ... 🤔
Pros?
A short-list of the advantages of keeping tiny goats in the "back yard":
How Much Space?
How much space do pigmy goats need? (is 200m2 "enough") if not, what is the minimum for a couple of goats to live a happy life?
Cons: Poop...? 💩
This is our biggest (potential) "con" ... 😕 We need to figure out how to "deal" with goat poop if we are to keep goats in the
homegarden.Other Cons...?
If you read YouTube comments, they are overwhelmingly positive. But you do get the occasional: 🙄
What Type? >> Nigerian Dwarf Goats
How Many? >> At Least 2
Goats are herd animals, we cannot have just one. https://youtu.be/SDKKlJJORBc?t=2m51s
If we have two female goats we could call them "Thelma & Louise" ... 😉 Or we could continue with our Disney character naming convention: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/disney-inspired-names-for-your-baby_00356077/ e.g: "Jasmine", "Lilo", "Cinderella", "Moana", "Merida" We just need to be careful not to name the Goats with popular human names ... that would be baaaaad... 🙄
Speaking of which, there are few funny names too: https://www.thesprucepets.com/pet-goat-names-1236943 e.g: "Baaarbara", "Baaarack" (as in Obama), "Ramsy" or "Scape" ...
Availability?
Thankfully, certain areas of Portugal are still quite "rural" so pigmy (dwarf) goats are readily available: https://www.olx.pt/animais/animais-de-quinta/cabras/q-cabra-an%C3%A3/
These are "only" €40 and they are "below the knee" (i.e. they don't grow very big at all!) https://www.olx.pt/anuncio/cabrita-an-filha-IDBxvHA.html
Before We Consider Getting Goats ...
What are the key considerations we need to have before we even think about getting goat(s)...?
The Hardest Thing ...
The hardest thing is "disbudding" (i.e. "de-horning") the goats ...
I don't think we will do this. Although the reasoning given in the video is convincing: it's for their own good. And the goats seem pretty content only a few minutes after the procedure ... So I could be persuaded ... especially if the goats will be around people who are
newto (farm) animals.