94 AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE [OCTOBER 2019]
‹Left:Themain
reasongoatsarede-
budded(havetheir
hornsremoved),
usuallywhenthey
areveryyoung,is
topreventthem
fromgettingtheir
hornscaughtin
brushorfencing
wheretheycan
dieofexhaustion,
dehydrationor
predation.› Right: Goats come in
a variety of types and
sizes. In fact, there are
more than 200 breeds
of goats globally, and
many have developed
into specialist roles,
including being used
for dairy, fiber, meat
and for brush control.if you don’t like the weather then just wait 15
minutes and it will change! Taking that into
consideration, I knew I needed a hardy animal
that could thrive in a full spectrum of weather
conditions.
The next thing I was looking for was an
animal that could be somewhat self-reliant.
Since I often travel for my work, I could not
be enslaved by daily commitments to farm
animals. Goats are for the most part “fire and
forget” animals. That is not to say they don’t
require your supervision or overwatch, but
when provided with a dry, covered location to
sleep in and constant access to ample food
and water, they require very little upkeep.
Providing some scheduled maintenance such
as trimming hooves or occasionally mending
fences would not be a problem for me.
My objective was to choose an animal that
was able to meet the same “Rule of 3” criteria
that I apply to my outdoor and survival gear.
What I mean by this is that I look for items
that are designed for or can be repurposed tosatisfying endeavor.
While livestock choices are often influenced
by your geographical location, there are
several animals that can thrive in almost any
climate so long as you can provide them with
food, water and shelter. When I decided to
raise animals for food, I looked at a number
of other factors that made my choice easier.GOING FOR GOATS
When I started homesteading, the animal
that I chose to concentrate my efforts on
was the goat. My reasoning for choosing
goats over other animals considered several
aspects including hardiness, self-reliance
and the ability to provide me with multiple
benefits.
There is an old saying in North Carolina that‹ Above: Contrary
to popular belief,
goats prefer to
browse leaves, twigs
and brush at head
height or higher.
Rarely will they
graze grass off the
ground.‹ Left: It is
imperative that
you always have
fresh, clean water
available for your
goats and other
livestock.