Goats are probably the coolest animals out there, and this is coming from a girl who grew up on a farm with horses, chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs, cats, a ferret and a plethora of frogs and turtles that my sister and I gathered from our pond. There was always something about the goats’ creepy, rectangular eyes and vibrant personalities, that drew me to them. Plus the health benefits of their milk just add to their chill factor. So as a junior in high school, I bought two does, mated them with a buck from a local goat farm and started milking them. Now housing a goat in your dorm room might mean trouble (which Taylor Swift knows all too well), so fortunately you can usually get your milk stash from your local Walmart’s or grocer’s. Here’s why your next milk run should be for the goat.
Photo courtesy of Parsa Lotfi.
1. Environmentally Friendly
Goats are obviously much smaller than cows, therefore they take up less land for grazing. In the area that you could keep three cows, you could have have nine goats.
2. Lower in Fat
Goat milk has less fat than cow milk, but has still has the same amount of protein and essential amino acids.
3. Less Toxic
It’s much more common to see a commercial cow dairy than a commercial goat dairy. Without the pressure to produce as much milk as possible as fast as possible, it’s more likely that the goats aren’t fed growth hormones which can remain present in their milk.
4. Easier to Digest
Goat milk has the closest composition to human milk, making it much easier for humans to digest. The easier it is to digest, the more nutrients your body is absorbing.
5. Lower in Lactose
Goat milk has slightly lower levels of lactose than cow milk does. For some people with less severe lactose intolerance, goat milk may be something they can drink without any problems.
One of my goats, Gretel. (Photo by Nina Listro)
Can’t Get Enough of All Things Goat?