5 Ways to Put Your Goats to Work on the Homestead

Goats get a bad rap with homesteaders, I think: while it is true they tend to be troublesome escape artists and can have more health problems than other livestock animals, they are supremely versatile. And I’m not just talking about their products, either!

Believe it or not, your goats can help you out in a whole host of ways on your small farm. Keep reading and I’ll tell you about five of the best.

1. Clearing Land

I think everyone knows by now that goats are eating machines. Plenty of laypeople who haven’t kept them think that goats can eat literally anything, including metal, leather, tin cans, and the like! That’s not really true, but what is true is that goats are natural brush-cutting machines.

Let your herd out on any plot of land and give them enough time, and soon they’ll have everything smaller than a mature tree cut clear down to the ground.

This means that, as long as you know the plants aren’t toxic, you can unleash your goats to eliminate weeds, brush, overgrown grass, and a whole lot more.

This is the perfect way to take a burdensome chore off of your to-do list, but some people have even made it into a viable business; herds of goats are increasingly being transported around to clean up overgrown suburban and rural properties!

2. Start a Petting Zoo

Goats are increasingly being classified as charismatic animals in the US. People just think they are cool and cute. Part of it is their attitude, part of it is their antics, but in any case, people are starting to go a little goat crazy.

Adults and kids alike who aren’t fortunate enough to live on a homestead with their own livestock are willing to pay to get close to goats in a controlled setting. You can easily set up your own petting zoo or even host goat yoga classes.

As long as they are friendly with people and you look into some liability insurance, you can make a killing in the right market.

3. Producing Fertilizer

Last but not least, you shouldn’t underestimate the value of all-natural, rich goat fertilizer. And yes, I am referring to their poop!

Goat manure is extremely high in nitrogen and other nutrients that can benefit your garden, raised beds, and other plantings. The trick is that this manure should be allowed to age until it is well-rotted. This way it won’t scorch and harm plants or spread disease.

It’s the perfect add-in for compost, too!

4. Making Dairy Products

Most people know that you can get milk from goats, but what you might not know is just how versatile that milk can be. Goat milk is one of the most widely consumed dairy products in the world, and it has an excellent nutritional profile.

It can also produce superb ice cream, cheese, fudge, confections, and a whole lot more. Compared to cows, dairy goats are a lot easier to handle and still surprisingly productive.

Alpines, Saanens, and Toggenburgs are all renowned for the quality of their milk, and you can sell it as-is or process it to make big bucks locally or by selling to retailers.

5. Harvesting Fiber

It is goats, not sheep, that produce some of the world’s most coveted fibers. I’m talking, of course, about mohair and cashmere. Mohair comes from Angora, Pygora, and Nigora goats, while cashmere comes from Cashmere goats—of course!

Compared to sheep, these luxury fibers are in high demand and command substantial premiums.

Cashmere particularly sells for anywhere from $120 to $180 a pound. That’s because your average Cashmere goat will only yield around 6 oz of this fiber yearly, and that’s not enough to make even a single adult garment!

Mohair is similar but nowhere near as expensive, selling for around $10 to $15 a pound. Goats that produce it are also more prolific, yielding around 5 lb of the fiber per shearing, with perhaps two shearings a year!

You can run the math and see that it wouldn’t take a huge flock to make some big bucks from goat fiber. That assumes, of course, that you can cultivate the right buyers.