Eight Acres

Here's another interview in my series about homestead dairy.  This time another (reluctant) goat lady, Ohio Farmgirl, shares her experience with milking goats.  OFG also joined me for the getting started with growing your own and getting started with chickens series , but in case you missed those interviews, she lives in Ohio (obviously) on a few acres and is very passionate about growing her own food, and German Shepherds.  She has a great blog called Adventures in the Good Land  with lots of wise words about gardening, poultry, dogs, pigs and of course, goats. FL: Tell us about how you came to own a milking goat. OFG: Ah... goats. The 'poor man's cow.' Some people love goats. I do not. I'm more of a 'goat liker' and not a goat lover. We usually have between three and “a small herd” of dairy goats. To be sure the only reasons I have diary goats are because: 1. I can't afford a cow (no pasture for them to graze) 2. Poison ivy. When we ...

Over the past few weeks I've been interviewing bloggers who keep dairy cows or goats.  This week, I have an interview with Rose Petal and Silver Oak of the blog self-suffieincy  Live Ready Now .   The family lives in a tiny house  on a  20 acre off-grid homestead next to cattle ranches and orange groves, where they raise chickens, milk a few goats  and a jersey cow , enjoy an Arabian mare and a mini horse, two cats, two dogs, a whole slew of rabbits, and three guinneas.  Over the years, the family has become increasingly interested in learning how to live sustainably.  Today they are going to share their experience with milking goats and cows. Farmer Liz: Tell us about how you came to own a milking cow and/or goat. Rose Petal: We purchased our first milk goat from Silver Oak's aunt about 15 years ago. She was an older, tri-colored, spotted Nubian named Spotty. Our oldest and only child was about three, and we had switched from drinki...