Right now it looks like dairy goats won't be on the table anytime soon. I did some number crunching for time required to care for two Nigerian dwarf does if we brought them to a buck once a year, then ran them in "tractors" made of cattle panels, bringing them into the barn for safety at night and to separate them from their kids so that we could milk in the morning. Even if we used the most sustainable method of just milking them for five months in the summer, this system would consume about 163 hours per year, which doesn't count in the pretty high startup time and costs, dealing with goat escapes, or the time making cheese. True, we would get some meat and dairy products, eat down those problem weeds in the chicken pastures (and new chicken pastures to be), but that extra half hour per day is significant. After all, I think we could whack down the same number of weeds in about half that time using Mark's ninja blade.

On the other hand, I'm still researching meat goats. It may take a visit to a meat goat operation to put that dream on hold too.

The wife type person has visions of dairy goats too. I'm not anti-goat but the time and start up expense was more than I have been willing to invest. Meat goats.... There is a meal I'm afraid I would have to eat alone, so for now somebody else has got my goat, I guess. ( sorry I can never resist a play an words....lol)

I did my best to sway Mark with a dark chocolate, goat milk pie, but it didn't sweeten the pot enough. He said he'd eat goat meat, though (especially if we bought it...)

Don't resist the goats! Goats are fantastic. Yes there is a little bit of time, and some money involved, but pound for pound I have to say that for our homestead, the goats have been the best investment.

I'm trying so hard to resist --- your comment does not help. Maybe if I really want them, I just need to think of them as a two year project. Whenever I look at our to-do list for this winter, I don't see how I could fit preparing for goats amid the other pressing projects.