The benefits of raising goats

Last week, the News on 6 got an e-mail from Cleveland, Oklahoma. The mailer said he'd solved the weed problem on his place using grass powered weed eaters, goats. <br/><br/>Sounded made to order

Monday, August 15th 2005, 10:06 am

By: News On 6

Last week, the News on 6 got an e-mail from Cleveland, Oklahoma. The mailer said he'd solved the weed problem on his place using grass powered weed eaters, goats.

Sounded made to order for News on 6 reporter Rick Wells. So we sent him to Cleveland to find out more.

Bertha and Bambi are a couple of Nubian-Alpine goats that are doing a little yard maintenance. I'd always heard goats will eat anything, but two young Cleveland girls tell me that's not true. The girls are Katrina and Kimber. The girls and their two brothers are principally responsible for caring for nine females and one male goat. One of the big chores is milking, twice a day, morning and evening.

In fact, the girls have been raised on goat's milk. Katrina and Kimberâ€™s mom, Shelly McDonald: "The kids will go to school and say mom the milk tastes funny, it's not goat's milk."

Somebody said, hey Rick when was the last time you milked a goat and there I was getting a milking lesson. Our demo goat was Buttercup. She gave us enough for show and tell. Now it's up to the house to put it in the fridge. Shelly McDonald: "She's straining the milk." That filters out the bad stuff.

They get plenty for themselves and even enough to sell a little. So you've got customers for it? Shelly McDonald: "I do, I have customers that come all the way from Tulsa to pick up milk."

It seems to work particularly well for folks who can't drink cow's milk and you know what, the milk makes really good ice cream.