Hi all! I'm an "Urban Homesteader" from Orange County, CA.

Hi there everyone!

My name is Roz and I'm married with two daughters (3 1/2 and 10 months...as I write this). I'm a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Birth Doula. I love urban homesteading. I have a big edible garden and I had chickens before but don't right now. I spend a handsome hunk on my food every month, particularly raw cow milk. I suddenly realized after reading "Backyard Homestead" that I could totally do goats. Apparently I have enough room in my side yard alone for up to 4 or 5 dwarf goats! I was surprised but very excited and started researching Nigerian Dwarf Goats. I have loved learning all about raising them and am about to go purchase my first two- a pregnant 1 1/2 yr. old doe and a 2 1/2 month old doe. I'm connecting with a very informative and supportive breeder about an hour away.

You can learn all about me at my meal planning and natural living website/blog: www.RealFoodFamily.com.

I am going to be doing this "under the radar". Yes, goats are not legal where I live, but neither were the chickens and my neighbors didn't mind them at all. They were the noisiest monsters, too, so I'm hopeful that the goats will be much quieter.

I'm really looking forward to the support I can find here!!!

-Roz Mignogna

OH MY GOSH. That is utterly heartbreaking. I guess people keep goats for meat, but I couldn't do it unless I had a large wild herd that I wasn't personally attached to, and I would hire someone to do it. Anyway, that would never happen. (Goodness, that would be like butchering your dog!) I have three back up plans if things don't work out. The breeder I'm working with is very kind and helpful and would help me find homes if she couldn't take them back. I also have 2 ranches close by that seem to always be looking to adopt healthy goats. I know I'm going to be attached to these little does, so if I can't keep them, I'll do whatever it takes to find the best possible place for them. I'm not worried about it being illegal. I'm in an area that used to be a complete ranching community. There are lots of remnants of farms- especially horses- and I know lots of people are getting chickens and other farm animals. I don't know anyone with goats, but the feed barn down the street sells goat food, so I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Replies

Janel Rickey October 20, 2011 at 9:28am

Good luck I hope you are successful!! I would say for the most part my goats are pretty quiet, except for one.... She talks ALL day long. She hears me in the kitchen she is starts talking and little thing the whole county can hear her!! She gets everyone all fired up over nothing. When purchasing your goats maybe see if the parents are quiet. The breeder told me afterwards that the sire talks all day long too so must be a family trait. I love her, but she can get really irritating sometime, and I'm sure my neighbors do not appreciate her some days. Friends of ours live smack dab in the middle of the city, where it is illegal to have "farm" animals. They went and spoke with the neighbors in the neighborhood and no one minded. They have 2 nigerians, chickens, ducks, and rabbits for meat. They have a little farm in their back yard in a large city. So I know it is possible.... Welcome to the group. Looked at your blog and loved it. I had 2 home births and my best friend is a doula and is working on her midwifes licensing. What an incredible gift to help women in childbirth... Welcome again :0)
Jordana Heath October 20, 2011 at 8:20am

Hi Roz! I hope you don't have any trouble with the goats. You can always "gift" some cheese or soap and most people will put up with them. They can be noisy sometimes, though. I too sold some nice kids to a family that was flying secretly under the radar, and they were told to get rid of them or face legal fees. Thankfully they came back to me, and I found the goats good homes. I can't understand people that won't go back to the breeder, especially for a $300 goat! You would think they would want to try and sell it to make some of the money back :-(
Deborah Niemann-Boehle October 19, 2011 at 9:41pm

The really frustrating part is that it was a doeling from excellent milking lines because they wanted to have a milk goat. (They also had a wether as a companion.) They paid $300 for her and probably got about 15 pounds of meat. What a huge waste of potential and money. I'm glad to know you have alternatives if you can't keep them at some point in the future.
Roz Mignogna October 19, 2011 at 8:01pm

OH MY GOSH. That is utterly heartbreaking. I guess people keep goats for meat, but I couldn't do it unless I had a large wild herd that I wasn't personally attached to, and I would hire someone to do it. Anyway, that would never happen. (Goodness, that would be like butchering your dog!) I have three back up plans if things don't work out. The breeder I'm working with is very kind and helpful and would help me find homes if she couldn't take them back. I also have 2 ranches close by that seem to always be looking to adopt healthy goats. I know I'm going to be attached to these little does, so if I can't keep them, I'll do whatever it takes to find the best possible place for them. I'm not worried about it being illegal. I'm in an area that used to be a complete ranching community. There are lots of remnants of farms- especially horses- and I know lots of people are getting chickens and other farm animals. I don't know anyone with goats, but the feed barn down the street sells goat food, so I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle October 19, 2011 at 2:52pm

Welcome to the group! If you are going to be keeping goats under the radar, be sure you have a back-up plan in case you do wind up in trouble. Two or three years ago I sold goats to a couple, and I didn't know they were going to be keeping them illegally until they already had the goats. Then a few months later, I learned from a blog post that they had butchered both of them. I wish they had contacted me because there was a woman half an hour away from them who was on my waiting list and would have been thrilled to buy them.

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