Besides being adorable clowns and entertainers, there are many uses for goats around a homestead. I’m not talking about their many benefits, but actual uses for them in your life.
Goats can be an asset around your homestead. They can give you a few ways to make money, help you save money, and in a few occasions, they can help save your health.
I’m going to walk you through various ways you can put goats to work around your homestead and enjoy the benefits of having these awesome creatures around.
Here’s what you must know about the uses of goats and how to get the most benefit from owning goats:
1. Little Land Clearers
Do you have land you’d like to have cleared? Don’t spend your hard-earned money on renting or buying equipment for the job.
Instead, get a herd of goats. They can mow down fields, brush, and invasive weeds in no time flat. The great thing is you’re feeding them while they’re clearing your land. It’s a good financial move.
2. Eat the Weeds
When you go through your property and begin pruning, you’ll have an abundance of weeds. Don’t leave them hanging around your property to rot and clutter things up.
Instead, do some research. Goats can’t eat every type of brush, but if it’s safe for them to eat, toss the weeds into their area. They’ll appreciate the snack, and you’ll enjoy the easy clean-up.
3. Invite the Kids
Kids love goats. They’re small, fuzzy, have great personalities, and pygmies are the right size for kids which naturally helps form a bond.
If you’re looking for a way to make extra income around your homestead, start a petting zoo. Goats would be a great addition and people would come to get a taste of the farm-life for a minimal fee.
4. Invite the Neighbors
Yoga has made a comeback in a big way. I’m a personal fan because of the many benefits. If you have a community of yoga-lovers around you, combine it with your goats.
Add your goat kids into a yoga class hosted on your homestead. Having goat kids playing around people as they perform their yoga moves is a great way to bring joy to the participants and attach nature to yoga.
5. Turn Their Goods into an Income
Though most goat breeds are smaller in comparison to other types of animals, they produce plenty of goods.
You can get fiber, cheese, meat and milk from goats. Use their byproducts to make homemade goods to help produce an income around your farm.
6. Goat Meat
It’s becoming more common for people all over the world to eat goat meat. Some cultures and societies have dined on goat for centuries.
If you’re looking for a smaller meat source to add to your homestead, goats could be it. They produce a consistent amount of meat and don’t require as much room as other meat sources.
7. Tan Their Hide
When you consider tanning an animal’s hide, your mind may go to animals such as deer or rabbits. Yet, there are other animals you can raise on your farm and utilize their skin.
Goats produce a quality hide perfect for tanning and being used as you would any leather product. It could also become another source of income.
8. Free Fertilizer
This is a benefit most animals on a farm can help you with, but if you’re raising goats you should know they can help with fertilizing as well.
If you must fertilize a field, allow the goats access to it, and they’ll do the work for you. If you’d prefer to fertilize your plants, collect the manure in their barn and allow it to rot before applying it. Goat manure is a great source of nitrogen and potassium.
9. Keep the Home Fires Burning
This may not be as much common knowledge as using goats for fertilizer, but their poo is quite flammable.
If you’re looking for an animal to help you survive in a tough situation, goats are it. You can use their excrement and have a natural fire starter.
10. Provide Help for Your Fellow Man or Woman
Addressing good mental health is becoming standard practice as the years roll on. We all need help from time to time to sort out our thoughts.
If you have a friend who’s struggling and is seeking help for their mental health, offer your goats as a therapy animal. Sometimes sitting alone in a field with playful goats is all you need to give your mind the boost it needs to face one more day and one more battle.
11. Inexpensive Alarm System
Whether you live out in the country or closer to town, you want to know if someone or something is on your land uninvited.
I know when I look out my backdoor and my goats are either yelling for me or staring in a specific direction, I need to pay attention because something is there. Goats make amazing alarm systems, and you’ll be glad to have them.
12. Companionship
We all need companionship, but some of us prefer to keep our circle small. If you like to hang out with your animals more than you do some people, goats are for you.
They also provide the benefit of companionship. Some goats are friendly enough they can be treated like you would a family pet.
13. Efficient Pack Animals
Do you haul items around your land in a cart? Are you an avid hiker? If you answered yes to either of these questions, goats will be of interest to you.
They’re smaller creatures which means they require less food, but they’re powerful enough to pull a cart or pack hiking equipment and is one of the lesser-known uses for goats.
14. Cutest Little Lawn Mower Around
When I was growing up, it was common to see people with goats in their fenced-in front yard. Instead of mowing large chunks of land, they put a few goats out on the property.
This kept their yard mowed and their animals fed with little to no expense to the owner. If you have a large yard and you’re tired of mowing, get a goat. They’ll do the yard work for you.
You now know 14 different uses for goats. They’re extremely useful creatures and can be a great benefit to your homestead.
By purchasing the right breed, they can meet all the needs you may have and lighten your load with chores. Enjoy the cuteness and productivity these creatures provide.
