«There’s a lot of reasons people left dairy farms,» she said. «It’s very time-consuming.»
But it is also fun, a source of delicious milk and cheese and a source of delight to neighborhood children, say goat farmers.
«It’s an adventure every year,» said Carolyn Ioder, who has been raising goats at her Austin neighborhood residence for four years. In warm weather, she walks them down the alley to graze in an empty lot.
She knows of only four goat herds in the city.
The pros and cons of raising farm animals in the city will be on view at the third annual Urban Livestock Expo this Saturday at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.
The expo, presented by the Angelic Organics Learning Center, Advocates for Urban Agriculture and Chicagoland Chicken Enthusiasts, is an opportunity for people considering raising chickens, rabbits, quail, ducks, bees or goats to learn from people already doing so.
Goats raised for milk and cheese require far more time to care for than chickens, said Staswick, who raises both.
«You’ve got to be there (for milking) twice a day, every day — no exceptions,» he said.
Ioder, who also raises goats and chickens, will be bringing two female kids (her minivan holds 7 goats), plus fencing, hay, grain and medicine to the expo to give a sense of the work involved in caring for goats.
«It’s a big thing to have a goat,» she said. «It’s not like you just get a dog.»
In addition to time, there are many expenses, she said. The goats have to be kept supplied with food and water. They have to be fenced in correctly. Their hooves have to be trimmed.
And «at kidding time, it can be very frightening,» she said.
One of her goats, Ava, was born with what is called wimpy kid syndrome — a condition that left the animal unable to stand to eat or drink for her first five days.
Ioder stayed up all night with Ava, holding her up so she could nurse from her mother. Then she made splints for the goat’s legs out of popsicle sticks.
Now full-grown and healthy, Ava spotted Ioder standing outside the goat pen on a recent day, jumped up, hooked her front legs over the fence and nuzzled Ioder.
«I’m like her second mommy,» said Ioder, 57, petting her affectionately.
The Staswicks got their goats in 2013. They already had chickens and Muscovy ducks, whose eggs they were enjoying.
Then Eric Staswick, 29, who is director of production at a small ad agency, started looking into goats.
«I found out that they were small enough to keep in an urban setting and that they have personalities,» he said.
His wife at first did not share his enthusiasm, he said, but during a conversation over dinner, fittingly at Girl and the Goat, she agreed to give the plan a try.
Bethany Staswick, 27, is now a fan, though the goats are not always fans of Bethany’s, at least when she takes over the milking when her husband’s away on business.
They are used to Eric doing the chore. When she milks them, «they like to kick,» she said. «But they love me otherwise.»
They have five children age 5 and under, including two foster children, who all love the goats, as well as the cheese and yogurt made from their milk.
The goats are popular fixtures in the neighborhood. In warm weather, children walking to nearby Haugan Elementary School stop to watch them in the yard. The Staswicks’ next-door neighbors are so taken with the animals, Bethany said, that they take photos from their windows.
The Staswicks take care to keep their neighbors well supplied with eggs.
«A common recommendation for anyone raising urban livestock is to bribe your neighbors,» Eric Staswick said.
Ioder, too, gives away eggs and cheese and values good neighbor relations. She has sold goats that bleat too loudly and keeps her herd small — she currently has seven goats.
Her next-door neighbor, 29th Ward Ald. Deborah Graham, is appreciative of her efforts.
The goats are «very, very quiet,» she said. «You may smell them before you hear them.»
And if there is an occasional barnyard smell, she said, Ioder quickly takes care of it.
The Staswicks will be at the Urban Livestock Expo. He will be answering questions at the Chicagoland Chicken Enthusiasts’ table.
But he will be glad to offer his thoughts on becoming a goat farmer, which, as happy as he is with his herd, are cautionary.
«The biggest thing I would say is, make sure you are committed,» he said. «It’s not something to be entered into lightly.»
Source:
Chicago Tribune
