Should we get goats? (+ October BTS)
Added 2024-11-02 09:14:04 +0000 UTCHELLO HELLO! A little late on posting our October update, but better late than never. 😅 Finishing the outdoor bathroom was an incredible triumph, but now we have to think about the next project, and that has left us feeling a little daunted and overwhelmed this past week. We are doing it though, poca a poca, so watch out for that YT video at the end of the month.
After three years here, we are finally starting to see some real plant growth on the land. With the ever present fire risks, we are thinking of some sustainable ways to handle the problem…
Last in this video; Robbie has ticked one thing off his bucket list. Our incredible neighbour brought us an arruí and was kind enough to stick around to show Robbie how to process it!
P.S. We are also so excited that some of you have been subscribed to our member videos for a whole year now! 🎉 We feel so lucky to have you guys here, and as promised we will be planting some trees in your names this coming month.
As ever, thank you so much for your support 🌟🧡
Comments
Wow thanks Chris, this is really valuable info! What power do you have your electric fence (we have a 7,000V energiser for our chickens we could try and use)? Does a simple 3 or 4 strand horizontal electric fence work, or do you need vertical & horizontal pig netting/ mesh style so they can't squeeze through the gaps? We have seen on YouTube people using electric collars, which either operate with GPS or a single strand wire to create a virtual perimeter - we really liked this idea because we wouldn't need to construct an expensive & permanent electric fence, and could more easily rotate them around the land, but our feeling is maybe this only works for smaller goats. Also, our electric fences get destroyed at night by the Arui/ Mouflon which come down the mountain in big herds, that's why we were hoping the collars could work. Interesting what you say about parasites, do you also have natural remedies for worming your sheep and goats, or do they do this naturally with the plants they eat via rotating?
Emilia Fenton
2024-11-12 09:40:02 +0000 UTCHere are some thoughts from someone that raises cattle, Spanish goats and sheep "regeneratively" in Texas. I wouldn't buy sheep or goats until you have a fencing plan. Electric fences work well for both. Before you buy, have a plan for rotating them. Both sheep and goats are very susceptible to parasites and if you want to be organic you don't want to be worming them. The key to not having to worm is frequent rotation. Frequent rotation keeps the animals away from their parasites. I wouldn't stake a sheep or goat for the same reason. A staked animal can't get away from it's parasites and thus will require medication/worming. Don't forget you need water in each of the places you'll rotate them to. Neither sheep or goats will "eat anything". Goats primarily eat browse and some grass. There are many weeds goats won't eat. Sheep primarily eat grass and some browse. There are many weeds sheep won't eat. I haven't owned a sheep or goat that harmed a person yet so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. You can put your sheep and goats together. I recommend a guardian dog to protect them from predators as well. If you go electric fence, you may be able to get by without a guardian dog. The money in sheep and goats are good but they do require cash up front for good fencing and water access.
Chris Henkel
2024-11-11 22:31:49 +0000 UTCThanks so much Arroyofarm! Can we ask what your name is so we can use when responding to your thoughtful messages? Haha love the goat names! So great to be able to have fresh goat milk and cheese, was it a lot of work milking them? We were a bit worried we wouldn't be able to keep up with the milking, but for sure we eat a lot of goats cheese right now so it's probably worth the effort, plus the stuff we buy isn't always organic so that would be a big benefit. Staking them is a good idea actually, we could definitely start with that before we invest in fencing. We're really happy you're enjoying our filming style, we never really thought about it to be honest - we just wanted to capture our lives and not talk to the camera too much, more like little documentaries or something! Each episode becomes something of its own, they always seem to end up quite different from each other which is nice to see, because I think we'd get a bit bored of filming them if we felt they were the same each time. We noticed you increased your commitment, thank you so so much, it really goes a long way for us, and means we can keep making videos and living this dream! Yes please do send Sage a book, he's running a bit low on story books at the moment, please send to this address (we get post to Robbie's sisters house, she lives in the nearby village): Emilia Fenton, Calle San Miguel, 82, Tarbena, 03518, Alicante, Espana. 🧡
Emilia Fenton
2024-11-05 08:12:57 +0000 UTCThank you Daniel for all your lovely comments and becoming a Patreon member! So happy you watched all our videos by the way, and enjoyed them! You have good knowledge now of all the experiences we've had with our neighbouring shepherd too haha! The goats were amazing, we really felt a lot of love for them, such cool animals, it doesn't make 100% sense why we would get them, like they will eat the bushes but they will also inevitably break all our terraces and eat all our trees - but it just feels so right to get a flock of them and let them live on the land!! We were a little hesitant whether we should involve Sage in the Aruii process, but we couldn't keep him away in the end he just walked right up and started asking questions and being very involved and happy haha, so what can you do! We believe he had a positive experience so that's all that matters! Thanks so much for the link, it looks perfect, we'll check that out! 🧡
Emilia Fenton
2024-11-03 09:31:08 +0000 UTCYes the Arui experience was once in a lifetime for us, so grateful someone with such knowledge was willing to bring us the animal within 30 mins of it being shot and spend 2 full hours showing us how to process it, such a kind human being! Robbie filmed the whole thing so we'll definitely be giving it a go ourselves next time. What an amazing life skill to have - it's the kind of thing we should all be learning from our parents/ grandparents/ ancestors! Haha yes you are right regarding the goats/ sheep, they will definitely cause us some pain when they inevitably break into our veg garden or something else equally as awful! But we definitely fell in love with those goats, such interesting animals, difficult to explain why we loved them so much! 🧡
Emilia Fenton
2024-11-03 09:23:45 +0000 UTCThanks Gil! Yours will be the first tree we plant! Thanks so much for being with us from the ver very beginning! Do you have any preference on the tree you'd like us to plant for you? We've got a few options in mind but if you had a particular one we'll be sure to get it! 🧡
Emilia Fenton
2024-11-03 09:18:39 +0000 UTCTerrific post--the experiences you share have been a real source of enjoyment! I applaud your projects, especially the thought, detail and energy you put out at every turn, expected or surprise! Regarding goats or sheep, we had a couple of goats when I was younger (both females, named Babe and Ruth after my favorite candy bar at the time :) and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. They did not have horns, were very gentle and provided amazing milk for drinking and/or cheese. Perhaps raising only a few female goats to start would ease your way into the animal husbandry experience? You can also stake them out on a sort of leash which limits their range and the potential damage they can get into. In addition to including Sage in such a wonderful way in every facet of your mountain life, I also really appreciate how you share both your affection for each other along with the disagreements and differences that are bound to be apart of any relationship. While I realize you have complete control over what you share, what you do share in this regard seems honest, mature and strong in contrast to some romanized ideal. Each episode has been special and invites eager anticipation to the next shared chapter in your journey. Thanks for all of the passion you pour into each episode -- I've enjoy the journey so much that I've increased my monthly commitment and will add more when I can. I'd like to mail Sage a special children's book about friendship--is that possible?
Charles Hilliard
2024-11-02 19:53:43 +0000 UTCAnother thoroughly entertaining video, spoiling us this week :) Looked like you guys really enjoyed visiting the goats and having such knowledgable neighbours (both the ones you visited and the shepherds) could really help you with the process. Coincidentally I've randomly been watching goat content on youtube and this series is really good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tujyXqIWOAw&list=PLjymMN8XV34RHSoaC1A_sooh2gPR3K7Je Also thought it was great to see you involving Sage with the arruí process and showing him the realities of meat and where it comes from, super valuable to get that insight at a young age. Can't wait for the next video :)
Daniel Noguera
2024-11-02 13:45:39 +0000 UTCIncredible ending. It might be difficult for some at start, but I believe is better for the enviroment than buying factory meat in the market. Sage face was great to see. Congrats. Goats or sheep. Well both are going to be a handful. I would start with small numbers so you can control the damages, as for sure there will be some unwanted, specially watch out for the garden. Protect it as a fortress. I envy the life you are having, eventhough very tough but very fulfilling once you finish the projects. The problem is that never ends..... keep it up.
Gil Gomis
2024-11-02 12:18:33 +0000 UTCCan't wait to see what type of tree you choose!!
Gil Gomis
2024-11-02 09:30:15 +0000 UTC
