Section B
- journal
Editorials ? Columns ? Features ? Classified ads
Thursday, February 24, 1983
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GOAT TALK-Nannies and their kids share a little goat talk before going in for the day.
It's Not Just Any Ole One-Goat Farm
By Sherry Matthews
The car replaced the horse and
buggy and now it looks like the
goat may very well replace the
cow, at least in Ann Wright's fami
ly.
Mrs. Wright and her family have
been raising goats for about seven
years now and presently keep 15 to
20 on their farm.
_ "We bought our first goat to
help us clear the land; it seemed
much cheaper than trying to mow
all those acres/'said Mrs. Wright.
Now the goats serve more varied
purposes than just keeping the
farmland cleared. For one thing,
the Wrights raise Nubian goats
(milk goats) and milk them
themselves. They use this milk like
most of us use cow's milk.
"Most people have the wrong
impression about the milk's flavor
and odor, "said Mrs. Wright.
Apparently, many think that
goats milk not only tastes
"strong", but also smells like they
believe the goats smell.
"If this is the case, something is
very wrong; either the bucket is
dirty or the goat has not been pro
perly taken care of,"said Mrs.
Wright.
Mrs. Wright also thinks that the
beliefs that goats have a bad smell
and are nasty are way off base.
The billie only has an odor for
two months out of the year and the
nanny, if taken care of, will not
have a distinct odor, she says.
The odor is not the only mislead
ing myth about a goat.
There is the old wives tale that
goats will eat anything from a tin
can to an old shoe.
Not true says Mrs. Wright.
"Most goats tend to be picky
eaters. They will taste everything,
but usually won't eat it."
All these false impressions about
goats seem to be changing or at
least slacking off, she said.
According to Mrs. Wright, there
is a possibility that the goat will be
making a strong comeback.
The reason seems to be that
"times are tough", and the goat is
more economical than a cow.
"Cows are larger than goats, eat
a lot more, won't mow your lawn
and don't make very good pets; all
of which goats will do," said Mrs.
Wright.
In years past, families were
larger so a cow was needed, but to
day most families are small and a
cow gives much more milk than a
family of four can use.
Mrs. Wright believes that goats
supply the right amount of milk
for most families today.
"The only problem is getting
people to try the milk. Their pre
judice always gets in the way,"
said Mrs. Wright.
Goats are not the dumb animals
people think them to be, in fact
Mrs. Wright believes they are
"domesticated deer" with minds
very much their own.
During the mating season, goats
show how very smart they can be.
For instance, the strongest and
largest billies will fight it out to see
who will be "king of the moun
tain".
They butt heads to determine the
winner. This action causes an im
balances in the musk gland of the
billie which causes him to have a
distinct odor.
Even this odor serves a purpose.
The winning billie will mark his
females by rubbing his head along
the side of the nanny's body, leav
ing his musk smell.
The female goats also have a
leader. After the mating season,
the billie will have nothing to do
with the female, so he is usually
put in a seperate field.
When the goats are separated.
the nannies choose a leader of their
own. The others follow her.
"On rainy days, the other goats
will not go out until the leader
does, "said Mrs. Wright.
For Mrs. Wright and her family,
goats are a way of life. They raise
them, breed them, drink their milk
and occasionally humor them by
allowing a newborn to be brought
in the house.
One can easily grow attached to
a goat if they let down their
defenses and open up their minds.
"They can get to be real pets if
you let them, "said Mrs. Wright.
Goats may never actually take
the place of the "fashionable
cow", but they may give them a
run for their milk.
^ilD+MORNING EXERCISE? Nannies gather their kids together for some mid-morning exercise with a little
from Ann Wright.
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MOTHERLY ATTENTION? Nanny keeping a watchful eye on her newborns.